Embracing the Suck

Sorry for the delays on the latest issue of Wayfinder. It's been a full few weeks with purging, packing, traveling, and settling into our 374-square-foot studio. It is small—but has a queen Murphy bed, 2-burner stove, and short-bus like refrigerator. The advantages of, lets say, micro-living are: from my office I can open the fridge; Susan can turn on the burner from her desk; and we can put our feet up on the bed while in the living room. As small as our interior is, our new backyard is exceptional.

The suck. We suck at snow sports. We committed to doing two years here to give it a fair chance. We left Bend, OR because it got too expensive and the winters were long and grey. We then left Prescott, AZ because we missed the bigger adventures in the mountains. While cold here, the sun is out often, at least thus far through March. To make it through what may well be long winters, we realize we have to embrace the sucking at snow sports. We invested in snowshoes and nordic backcountry skis. Susan has thoroughly enjoyed the awkwardness of moving over snow with big things attached to our feet. That said, we each have fallen enough times to be wary of every approaching descent. And by descent I mean a 3% decline for 20 yards.

It's been a short winter for us, but we've thoroughly enjoyed the crisp air and grand views. We may become that breed that "prays for snow" in the fall. Maybe...

These Are the 6 Best Anti-Aging Foods, According to Experts
On the list: blueberries for skin health, walnuts to help maintain cognitive health, and a surprise for me — Pears.

How Often Should You Lift To Build Muscle?
Takeaway → Sean Hyson, CSCS, doesn't offer the traditional advice to this question. His advise, while pertinent to anyone wanting to build strength, it is perhaps more so to those of us approaching our 50s, 60s, and beyond. Sean suggests rather than starting with number of days you can or want to lift, instead consider how much work you can do—and recover from. As endurance athletes putting in miles on the bike, or strides on the trail, we are already taxing our bodies and need ample recovery time. As aging athletes recovery time lengthens.

The question to ask yourself, then, isn’t “How often should I lift?” but “How much work do I want to do in each workout?” and “How much can I recover from?”

When deciding on timing and volume consider this:

1. A muscle needs at least 48 hours rest before it can be worked again.
2. The maximum amount of volume that a muscle group can handle in a single workout seems to be about 10 sets.

Basically, if building muscle is your goal, you should aim for AROUND 10 sets for each muscle group per WEEK (any seven-day period). If you’re new to lifting or feel like you’re a little overtrained, start with closer to five sets and work your way up only as needed (it’s always best to aim for the minimum effective dose). Now the way you divide those five to 10 sets up is entirely up to you. You could do all 5–10 sets in one workout, 5 sets in two different workouts, 3 sets across three different workouts, or any number of other variables.

This Runner Has Raced Every Month for 42 Years: A Profile of Wally Hesseltine
In 1981, at the age of 37, Wally Hesseltine picked up running to improve his heath. He is now setting records in his 80s. To date he’s completed a race every month for the past 42 years. That is an amazing streak considering many of these races are ultramarathons, include Western States six times.

Quote to ponder

It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop. ― Dieter F. Uchtdorf