Vancouver Walk and Eat – 2026

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Vancouver Walk – compass card loaded. Shoes shined.  Eat – restaurant list compiled (thank you Reddit friends).  Carry-on bag, prepped.  I’ve used the same bag for at least twenty flights, no problem. We are all ready to go.

And then … What?  Uber reservation for 9:30 pm, not am. Oh no, luckily a very chatty dude was in the area. Airport, sir. Arrival. Let’s use the Verified Traveller Lane. I love the quickness. What the machine is broken? Take bags off. Move to another machine. Ten minutes turns into half an hour. No worries. I’m early. Ready to board the plane. What? Check my bag. No way. I knew I shouldn’t have flown Scare Canada. Don’t get poopy, Sir, you can take it on the plane. We land, I’m out the door, downtown in forty minutes. Man, I love this town. All systems go.

The apartment – built in 1912, old but tons of character – is in Mount Pleasant, a five-minute walk to the train and the False Creek path. Perfect location. Our first reservation was for Miku Sushi, right on the water and close to Waterfront Station. However, a very welcome family gathering,  so we go to Cardero’s instead – fresh Fanny Bay Oysters, Moule et frites and twenty-four-dollar glasses of Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay. The food was expensive but very yummy and the harbour view is almost worth the price.  However, me and the boy were still hungry walking out the door.

So snacks before bed, off to  Como Taperia – anchovy stuffed olives, Patatas Bravas, sardines, bread, Truffle Manchego and Ibérico Salchichón and a small glass of Rioja. The atmosphere is great – bustling, shiny happy people. But the meat and cheese – over twenty bucks and it was barely a sample. The Bravas were too crispy for me. The sardines come in a tin, ok I suppose. The meal was just over 100 bucks. Ummm not too sure, but the location and the people are great.

The next day, a walk to Granville Island for an excellent bagel with lox and cream cheese – a whopping 35 bucks for two. We make reservations for Sushi Hil. Back on Main, we order the Nigiri Set and the Chirashi Set. The sushi is a life altering experience, the tuna on egg literally melted in my mouth and the fresh water unagi and aburi hotate were heavenly. I wish I could remember the rest, but I was in such ecstasy my mouth and brain were swirling in happiness – 130 bucks for two, plus a million-dollar tip.

The boy was a bit under the weather and in need of spicy noodles, so off to Peaceful Restaurant after a walk along the Arbutus Greenway – who knew it was here? And a quick stop at Duer, purchasing the greatest pants ever. We ordered the Dan Dan noodles, very peanutty, the spicy green beans (finally some green shit) and spicy Szechuan noodles. Excellent, our second time here. Never fails. I don’t know the cost. The boy paid and refuses to tell me.

Our final outing was to Chinatown, a Vancouver must, so off to Chinatown BBQ. We arrived just in time. Lineup. The place is a very small diner style restaurant. We ordered the Crispy Pork (amazing!), duck, Gai Lan with roasted garlic oil (thankfully more green shit) and pork fried rice. All very good – 100 bucks all in. I wasn’t impressed with the duck until the next day. We had tons of leftovers, so we ate them in the airport waiting for our flights. Cold duck, who would’ve known.

Another very successful trip the to coast.  Walk over 94k steps in three days. Eat – belly full and happy. I find it amazing to leave my house at 9:30 am and by 1pm, I have a bowl of west coast noodles in front of me –  energy needed for the uphill climb with a rolly in tow.

Playa del Carmen

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Beach Travel

Playa del Carmen beach

Travel. Playa del Carmen is NOT what we expected – a total tourist trap. We thought, a small beach community with dirt roads. Sure, maybe a hundred years ago. People yelling buy this, buy that. High end stores – H & M, Sephora. 5A Avenue North (main drag) is like a giant shopping mall.  So many drunk people.  Masses swerving down the streets, drinks in-hand.  Disrespecting culture. What a shit show. I’m so glad we did Mexico City first.  We are not comfortable with this type of travel – all-inclusive resorts and drunken tourists. Spanish not required.  I don’t know what to say, except done that.

We had a very long travel day. I didn’t think it’d take a whole day to get from Mexico City to Playa del Carmen, but there you have it. I was concerned about travel from the Cancun airport to Playa. Originally, I figured a hundred yankee dollars each way, but our friend said take the ADO bus. Holy Hanna, 270 pesos (20 bucks CDN) per person.

After we fought through the massive crowds down 5A Avenida Norte (Quinta Avenida), we finally found our hotel and dropped our bags. Let’s eat. We found a nice Mexican place on the strip (Porfirios) and had flutes, guacamole, roasted veggies (amazing), enchiladas and ribeye tacos with beers and margaritas. Not bad. Open air but overpriced (162 CDN) and very noisy. But man, I was so hungry, I would’ve eaten alligator tacos.

Back at the hotel, a very nice evening hanging out on the balcony sipping Mexican beer (I do love the beer) and wine (Mexican Chardonnay  – who knew and not bad) with a warm breeze flowing down the street. Not a minus 14 snowstorm. I went across the street to buy beer at the 7-11, just because I could. Not great beer, but convenience store brews not permitted in my homeland.

The next day, we found the beach and walked through the waves. Beach not our scene, but the sand and salt felt nice.  We went out for lunch at Lido’s – hummus, pita, rib eye tacos, salad, grilled shrimp with beers and palomas (115 CDN). I can eat tacos every day (in fact I did). Lunch on average, is about  a hundred bucks for guacamole, tacos, enchiladas and beers and palomas. Kinda pricey.

We found some cool places (thanks to some friends) and Playa del Carmen is not the massive shit show I originally thought. Just get off the shit show (Quinta Avenida). Found some ruins. Found a great place to eat- El Pechugon Rosticerias – roasted chicken and potatoes (about 15 CDN). Safeway chicken this is not. Found a great food place – Chedraui (a tad expensive), but excellent groceries.

I also found a very good running route down the bike path (10th Ave) to the ruins and take the beach back.  Plus, you could swim and kayak here as well. Our friend bought a bike, and he zips around town easily – many bike paths / lanes here, so very practical. So many activities to engage in. Would I come stay here for a month? Yes indeed. But no longer.

Overall Mexico was brilliant. However I do have concerns.  The only people who live in Playa del Carmen are tourists or those who want to make money off tourists. Fine. CDMX is a different story. Many Mexicans would love to live in La Condesa, but they cannot afford it. I was never confronted by this atrocity, but it’s in the back of my mind. Still, I love the people, the food and the place and I’m so glad the United States is shut down. Hasta la vista yankee vacation.

More Mexico City Travel

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A travel must - many vendors with Artisan wears and the people are amazing.

Coyoacan Market

Travel. I’m walking along a thin metal fence made from flimsy metal you’d contain a small pet, a chicken perhaps. I walk until I find a hole in the barrier.  My senses are telling me to go. I put one foot in the new territory. Then I duck and put my head through and finally, my other foot. Heads up. Something beautiful whooshes over me.  My eyes move behind me, over the hindrance.  I smile and move on.

Day five. We head out and take an Uber to the Coyoacán Market, a very large market with very talented artists.  The plan was to include the Frida House, but it was sold out. You need to purchase tickets beforehand (see link above).   We buy some some Mexican silver for dirt cheap. Mucho market personas. It is the weekend, but totally safe and the people are so, friendly, helpful and very patient.

We go for lunch at La Casa de Los Taco. Google buddy said it was the best taco ever. Well, I wouldn’t go that far. They were good – chicken, steak and pork with pineapple (the best of the lot), guacamole and chips to start. Another beer – safer than the water (I am so going with that). Tacos everyday, please.

The next day,  we leave the condo, just after 11 ( another  brutal altitude run – maybe it’s the taco fuel – but they close Paseo de la Reforma on Sundays for runners, walkers and cyclists). The plan was to visit The Museo de Arte Moderno, a museum with Fredia works, but cerrado due to a lack of security personnel. We walk over to the National Museum of History – free because we are over sixty. We only last an hour and move on – too many people and very hot outside. I shoulda worn shorts, but I didn’t want to look like a tourist.

From the museum, we move on to the Cityzen rooftop bar. 38 floors up with a panoramic city view (holy cow Mexico City is spread out). We ordered a paloma, mezcal cocktail, some water and a beer (95 bucks – si Gringo – not cheap, but I can see for miles and miles …).  We find a taco place on the way home – chicken and rib eye tacos for me,  a burrito for my travel mate and two beers.  40 bucks – not too bad.

The following day, we leave the condo around 10 and walk over to La Cuidadela Market, but of course I get lost and what should’ve been a 25-minute walk turned into an hour plus (I can’t get my travel bearings here – is it an age thing?). We finally get to the market. Many artisan shops, but souvenirs tambien and a ten peso bathroom.

We take an Uber back to our Mexico City Condo. No way I was going to risk getting lost again. We went for lunch at Fonda del Recuerdo on Calle Lerma (quite the street for food). I started with a gordita stuffed with black beans and then had arrachea again (marinated flank steak – so, so good) with a cheese stuffed poblano pepper.  The food here is sooo good.

Tomorrow we travel to Playa del Carmen for a needed rest.  Mexico City is amazing, but mucho walking. Fine by me. It’ll be sad to leave. I have nothing but the best memories. I’m already planning our travel itinerary for next year.

Mexico City Travel

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Museum Anthropology, Mexico City

Museum Anthropology, Mexico City

Travel. I can’t find my car. A man is cleaning the garage. I ask him where the car rental office is. He stops, puts both hands on the top of his mop, one over the other like a hockey goalie. He can’t understand me. I don’t know the word for rental. I wanna say autobus, but it’s not the right word.

What an excellent first trip to Mexico City.  A very late arrival – 12:30am. I have worries. New City. Language. Late at night (darkness is not my old friend). However, so easy peasy. Off the plane with only carry-on (the only way to go) and through customs in 20 minutes max. Took longer to figure out the passport machine.

I read online to use the taxi stands inside the terminal. More expensive than Uber, but I have no idea where we are going and I am not an Uber expert (yet). And there they are in gleaming taxi pink. You pay up front. 700 pesos later and we are in a taxi. I also google mapped the accommodation, so I knew what it looked like from the street. Thirty minutes later, we are in our La Condesa condo (late at night and no traffic). Easy, peasy, nice and easy. Total time – less than an hour after exiting the plane. Whooohooo.

With the late arrival, we just stuck to the hood for our first day. I feel very safe in Mexico City. I don’t know what I was thinking. Just keep your head up and don’t be stupid.  Our location is great. Quiet. Many restaurants, trees, coffee shops and an expensive organic food mart right around the corner (best pineapple ever – no Walmart, ever).  Found some wine and tacos (separate – dude in the cart had no wine – WTF?). We saw a giant madre statue and walked down endless streets. Many holes in the sidewalks. Careful where you walks.

The next day, we walked over to Chapultepec Park (about 2 clicks from the condo). Once we got there, our intention was the Museum of Anthropology, but we arrived late. I don’t do line-ups. Tomorrow, we will go early (hopefully no line up). We walked across the street and went to the zoo instead – Lobo Canadien, Bison, snow leopards and many other critters. The zoo is free, but you pay for all extras – 6 pesos for the toilet (remember – carry toilet pesos) and 200 for other specialty exhibitions.

On the way home, we stopped for an excellent lunch where I had a tortas – a traditional Mexican sandwich with telera (baguette like bread) filled with arrachera (beef flank steak), chorizo, mayo, cheese and chimichurri. Sandwich dreams made.

The next day, off to the Museum of Anthropology – amazing. I can’t believe the number of artifacts they have and some massive pieces. Pictures and bones and a replica of a burial site. I love the way it’s regionally organized – Maya, the Negra house, Mexica, Gulf coast, Oaxaca, Teotihuacan and the Baja. Each area has its own art and traditions.  We stayed for about three hours until my stomach started dreaming of another tortas.

The next day off to Centro Historical to see Polanco and the Catholic Basilia.  Uber – the only way to local travel. The Metropolitan Church was amazing like walking into a religious work of art, which it is. We strolled around the area – holy shit I have never seen so many people in one place with so many hands reaching out asking for a purchase (lo siento works very well). Very busy spot.

Then lunch at Azul a restaurant sitting in a gorgeous indoor garden. I ordered a Colimita – a Mexican lager from Guadalajara.  My travel companion had a lime mezcal-rita rimmed with salt and smoky paprika.  Then we had guacamole with hand made tortilla chips – dip nothing new, but the chips, holy Hanna. For my main, I had Pescado Tikin Xic – snooker fish with avocado and plantain and a beautiful sauce. So deee-lish.  My travel mate had the chicken enchilada with mole – and man the flavour layers in the sauce were heavenly.

I can’t believe how amazing Mexico  City is. People have said, but you never know until you get here – the food, the sites and the people. No more Arizona for these travellers. We’ve found our new winter vacation spot. How amazing are the people? They just laughed at my horrible Spanish, but as one dude said, at least you’re trying. Try that in France. Or Arizona.

 

Data Death

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I’m getting on an airplane. As I get to the airport, my mind starts to sizzle like extra fatty bacon in a scorching cast iron pan. I wonder if anyone can see the smoke spewing from my ears. Did I forget anything? Do I have my passport? What is the exchange rate?  Money at the airport or wait until I land?  Where are my noise-cancelling pods?  Is my bag too big? What are the legal dimensions? Too much information. Chill, bro. I sit down, one, two, three, three, two, one. Why is everyone looking at me?

I need to shut off all my horrifying phone data.  I am monitoring four issues with various apps. First is Garmin for sleep and my activities – how many consecutive 10k days for steps and  workouts. I’m also tracking my sober days (I am Sober) and my calorie intake (MyFitnessPal), especially since I’m on a high fibre diet for a gut condition.  Too much information.

The data barrage is driving me nuts. I need some information for my diverticulitis monitoring – how many days since my last gut attack. My daily activity streak on Garmin tells me how long it’s been since my last attack. On that lovely summer day, I couldn’t get out of bed, so no activity for me, not even a walk, but I’ve ran or walked every day since. I also need to track my diet – how much fibre am I getting per day?  Hence a calorie / nutrition counter.

My new year goal – stop the counting – no more sleep, diet, activity or sober information. I am so done.  I can’t believe I am sitting here afraid to turn the shit off. What is the point to all this? For the next thirty days, minimal data. Here’s the plan.

First kill the sleep data (double barrel shotgun please). What’s the point? Garmin sleep data does more harm than good. I switch to battery saver at night which shuts down all sleep data because the basic mode doesn’t monitor heart rate. I go back to regular mode after I wake.  I tell ya, Garmin was ruining my sleep. Oh no I didn’t get a 100. Frustration. Can’t sleep. No more sleep score. Not accurate anyway.

No more calorie counter. I know my fibre intake (more beans please) – I see it bathed in toilet water every morning. Do I need to count every day?  Nope. I won’t know if my diet change is effective until I get past three months. I’m at 100 days now.

Sober shit – how many days since my last drink. I had a minor indiscretion three weeks ago. It was very depressing to reset to zero.  I’m not there. I am not a loser.  I’m on a path and a very good one. Stop counting. Just be sober. I’ve removed the app and live day to day (as I should).

I’d say chuck the watch for 30 days, but we are going to Mexico, and I will need it in case I want to run (distance, plus map) and I need it for time (and weather is nice). Remember the days when your watch just told time (All hail Timex). I swear that wrist killer is causing more stress than is necessary. Ok, I’m doing it now.  Watch off.  Battery saver. No sleep data. Sober counter gone, app deleted. No more calorie count. Ahhhhh…

Note – 30 days since I wrote this and guess what? I’m still alive.

Diverticulitis Dining Diet

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I’m on a battlefield.  Bombs are going off. I’m in a trench filled with mud and stink.  My socks are wet.  Another bomb explodes overhead. I duck and cover my head. I’m sweating like a red lentil in boiling water. Then out of nowhere – I need to poop, but not in this intestinal muck.  The battle is over.  I have scars. A new day.

Diet is right up there with the other biggies – exercise, sleep and alcohol use. Diet jumped to list top after 3 diverticulitis attacks (two months apart). On these occasions, I woke up at 2am with retching gut pain and the sweats. I felt like I had a flu and food poisoning combination. When I tried to pee, slight pain (inflamed colon pressing against my bladder). After the first attack, I went to the doc who said it was diverticulitis, not uncommon for a man of your age (64 – knocking on the senior citizen’s door). He gave me some nasty antibiotic pills – Ciprofloxacin (very harsh) and Metronidazole ten days on this shit, literally.

Now, the first 24 hours are brutal, but 24 hours later, I’m out running 10k. What the?  On to Dr. Google and his assistant Dr. YouTube – the resounding and agreeable result, drum roll please. You need to switch to a high fibre diet. Ok, can’t hurt, right? My diet is already very good.  More beans please.   The advice was slowly increase fibre.  Did eye? Nope. The gut was yelling at me for the first few weeks, but I pooped on.

My dietary changes were – psyllium husk fibre every morning (in my blueberry, banana, high protein almond milk and plain yogurt smoothie), beans at lunch (added to my avocado, cheese and egg on sour dough toast). In the evening some high fibre veggies – potatoes, sprouts or beans (roasted chickpeas ever the ready). With these minor additions,  I am getting close to 30 grams of fibre every day. Poops are awesome. I can always tell a good ‘ol fibre poop (no description here, but you’ll know). I also decreased red meat to maybe twice a month (lean sirloin only) and I stopped alcohol consumption (I dunno if it helps, but it doesn’t hurt).  And finally, probiotic Kombucha, every afternoon at 2.

So far, so good. I’m coming on three months and nothing but good poops and evening bean farts (sorry honey). What have I learnt from the experience? One needs to eat what agrees with them (and this changes with age). I changed my diet for medical reasons. Even if I wasn’t scared of impending attacks, adding more fibre to a diet is a great idea. I feel great and really that’s all that matters. Right.

Good Night Irene

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I had a dream we were sipping whisky neat. I threw the glass in the campfire. Darkness surrounded me.  I heard a noise in the bush. Out came a giant Scottish dude named Balvenie. He shouted in an accent I couldn’t decipher.  I got up and ran, fear over my shoulder.  I woke up in the middle of the night sweating. Panting. The next morning, I looked at my watch. Dr. Garmin yelled at me  with a 34-sleep score. Holy shit. Not good. I need to get better.

Now, I’ve always been a great sleeper. I can sleep anywhere – at a movie, concert even while driving (not too often). Sleep is very important right up there with the other two biggies, exercise and diet. But with the invention of smart watches, monitoring is both a blessing and a curse.   How can you not take an interest in your sleep? The device is either yelling at me or stroking me with positivity.

However, how accurate are sleep monitoring watches? When you get a sleep score of 93, they are the greatest invention to man. A 34 score and they are shit. From what I’ve read, watches are very good at monitoring how long you’ve slept and that’s about it. Deep sleep and REM, not so much. I was getting such poor scores on my Garmin (average 82), that I decided to funnel the data into Apple health.  She (you beautiful gem) regularly  gives me a 97-100 score every night, so uplifting. Garmin is nothing more that a scolding old bitty who enjoys picking the wings off flies . Constant low scores surely affects your sleep. We all want a 100 percent right? The highest I’ve ever gotten is 93. Once.

With all these poor scores, I decided to try and enhance my sleep score. First magnesium bisglycinate. Made me sleepy before bed, but if you stop taking it,  your body needs time to readjust. It’s like taking a sleeping pill. Once you use, you become dependant and I don’t want to become dependant on anything, except warm socks in the winter. I tried it for two weeks. No change. Then Gabapentin, another sleep inducing medication.  Same – no change and hard to come off.  Blue filter glasses (I use a reader every night). Nope. In fact for the first week, my score was worse. So none of this shit works – what does work?  Going to bed at the same time. Routine is king. And I’m happy with Apple scores.

Does Garmin really matter – you old cantankerous dick? How do you feel when you put your feet on the floor? Five years ago, I didn’t have a sleep monitoring watch and I felt fine. In fact, I think my sleep has gotten worse (for a time) from the constant nagging and negative Garmin reports. I know more than one person who turns the Garmin sleep data off completely. Switching to the more positive Apple is an eye closer for sure.

Sleep is great. I have a routine and I stick to it. I also make sure my bedroom is cool and dark. And no alcohol. If there’s one good report for Garmin, it’s how shitty your sleep is with even one glass of wine too close to bed. I wonder how many people, like me, who have given up booze after damning sleep reports.  The giant nasty Scottish dude is still chasing me, but good luck trying to catch me.

Sober Sunshine

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I’m laying in a flower infested summer field, eyes toward a beautiful blue sky. Warm sunbeams fill my soul. Tranquility I haven’t felt in years. My phone bleeps. I try to ignore it, but it won’t go away. I answer. Hello, this is the wine industry calling. We haven’t seen you in months. Are you ok?  Don’t abandon us.  We were good to you once. Remember the fun? Ok the mornings sucked, but still. We need you. I apologized, hung up and went back to the warm sunshine.  Giving up alcohol is the greatest gift I ever gave myself.

I didn’t stop because I got a DUI or my wife left me or I lost my job. I was a Friday night binge drinker for forty years. Week’s end, I’d come home, sit in my easy chair and drink very expensive wine or single malt scotch (so cultured right). I never had just two glasses. A bottle of wine led to some beers and then ohhhh some weed.  With the cupboards bare, it was Good Night, Irene. I never blacked out. I remember the songs and running rampant though midnight streets at dawn.  I never lost anything but my health.

Mental health issues were the main inspiration for change. I didn’t realize the damage alcohol caused until I gave it up. No booze means, waking up in the morning with a clear head, watching a beautiful pink sun rise and feeling it. No more hangovers and recovery days. No more brain numbness. No more hangxiety – the anxiety you feel the next morning after a night of drinking with your head in your hands asking yourself, why?  Or the depression that follows from the frustration you feel because you just can’t stop or how come you can’t just have two glasses and be done. Mental health issues were literally driving me crazy.

And the sleep issues. Even two glasses of wine devastated my sleep. It took me two weeks sober to get my sleep pattern back to normal.  Now I sleep consistently well.  Some people say they return to dreaming. I never had that problem – drinking nightmares never stopped until I quit.

I don’t know when I realized drinking was doing me harm – possibly retirement because I could drink whenever I wanted. Monday? Haha. It’s not like I have work tomorrow. My job held the bottle in check (very hard to teach grammar hungover). Oh no, it’s Sunday. I can’t drink. I work tomorrow. But once the training wheels were off – whoohoo.  Then came the pandemic. What else do you do? Watching the world slowly unravel while in isolation, please pass me the wine. But once normality returned, I couldn’t stop. Maybe for a couple of weeks or a thirty-day challenge.  Something is wrong here.

And then a switch finally clicked. I stopped. Annie Grace was a big help, along with many YouTube videos and r/stopdrinking (I’m a stocker, but very helpful). Yes, alcohol is bad for your health. I wish I was a two-glasser, but I am not. I like where I am now. I enjoy my mornings. I enjoy my sleep. I feel healthy, mentally and physically. And frankly, I am afraid. I know what one glass leads to and I do not want to travel that road.  I love my victories – sober birthday, sober Xmas, sober vacation. Alcohol takes up too much brain space I need for other activities like enjoying life.

Move It or Lose It

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I just turned 65. I am now officially a senior citizen – bring on the discounts, extended health care benefits (in my Province) and my Old Age Security cheque (coming in the new year).  I’ve taken pretty good care of myself over the past few decades (I want to enjoy my retirement). I am physically fit (or so my watch tells me), I have a plan – first exercise.

My favourite  motto is  – “Move it or Lose it.” With my exercise plan, it’s not how many kilometres I run or walk, it’s about getting out and moving every day, no matter what weather conditions. Last week we had a  -31C with the windchill snap, but as the Swedes say – “No bad weather, just bad clothing .” Every morning, I get up,  drink half a litre of lemon water and immediately head out the door for a run or walk.

Running is unique – I run to the conditions. If the paths are too snowy, or if it’s too cold, (-15C or more – running gear gets too bulky), I do a 3k walk (in any condition) and run later. I am very lucky because I can afford winter walking/hiking gear – fleece hoodie, puffer jacket, windproof shell, two layers of pants, light gloves inside mitts, toque and a buff for my neck and face. Walking gear for really freaking cold weather (I am good until -25). If it’s -5C to zero get out the shorts and flip flops (kidding). I follow my walk with a 6k run on the treadmill (another luxury, a gift from my daughter).

If I can run outside, it’s a very slow 7k to 10k (winter max). Winter is not the time to set speed records.  Last thing I need is a broken ankle (please see winter emergency rooms). One more item, I cannot hit the trail or path before 8am because it’s too dark out (the sun does not rise before 8:30 – mid winter). Double danger whammy – darkness and ice. The Swedes have another saying, if it’s too dark and cold, go to IKEA. Always sunny among the meatballs and Björn Borg shelves.

Now the best benefit with waking or running  outside are what I call morning bombs. Moving outside in the early morning sun, the radiance fills your bones like drops of sweet honey dew. As you move, you are literally elevated, your entire mood is lifted atop the mountains or clouds. I cannot think of a better mental health medicine than an early morning walk or run. Every Sunday I walk through the forest near my house (another lucky nugget) and feel the energy of nature buzzing in me bones. Even in -25, my bones are tingling. Face stings like a metal glove slap, but the bones are very happy.

Now here’s my weekly movement schedule:

Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed.  Thur. Fri. Sat.
5.5 k nature walk 7k outside run with weights 7k outside run 3k walk/6k dreadmill run with weights 7k outside run 3k walk/ 6k dreadmill run with weights Long run 8-10k

All weather permitting – see, ice, snow, cold and emergency room broken bones. And yes – three fifteen minute weight session each week to keep the upper body muscles strong and osteoporosis at bay (and looking nice in the mirror – vanity goes a long way at 65). And remember as King Julian says, “I like to move it,  move it.”  It is NEVER too late.

Update – I had to cut back on the running days. Wednesday and Fridays are whatever days – stationary bike, 5k walk or a light 5k dreadmill run (but only one day). Too much running (I worry about injury and honestly, boredom).

On another note, I ran in Mexico City on a recent vacation. I nearly died. My city is 1500 metres above sea level, CDMX is 2200. The altitude increase was brutal. However, on the bright side, on Sundays they close Paseo de Reforma, so you can run, bike or walk unhindered for close to 15k. A great way to see the city.

Alzheimer’s Aware

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I listened to a great podcast (Dan Harris – Ten Percent Happier) yesterday on Alzheimer’s – my biggest scare. I can’t imagine having your life slip away into an empty sunny field where nothing is familiar. Everyone you know is gone. Now I don’t want to say a dark hole because you’re not dead. You are alive physically, just in an unknown world, on a new planet so to speak. You can see the flowers, the waving grass and the sunshine, but you don’t know the names of the people who pass you by. You feel the warm sun on your face, and it feels good, but where and with whom you have shared this experience is beyond your present grasp.

The guest, neuroscientist Lisa Genova, made the disease more human (she has many TED talks). And it’s good to know that only two percent of all cases of Alzheimer’s are genetic. The disease really comes down to lifestyle and the big three: sleep, diet and exercise.  She also calmed my fears. I can’t think how many times I’ve forgotten where I parked my car, but, according to the scientist, it’s not that you forget where you parked (everyone does), it’s when you can’t remember getting to the mall or what your car looks like (Phew!!).  She has many comforting suggestions. Write shit down.  Lists are fine and it’s OK to Google shit. Young folks do all the time, so why struggle. No one needs to power through forgetfulness. The stress is worse.

Now the lifestyle choices, first sleep. You need to get your seven to nine per night because when you get a good night’s rest it clears your brain of a chemical that erodes your hippocampus – the area where our memories reside. She also stated it’s OK to get up and pee in the night (can I have another Phew!); it doesn’t have to be completely uninterrupted sleep.  Even when I was twenty, I never got a complete sleep unless accompanied by too many beers or sixteen-hour waiter shifts.

The diet recommendation is, of course, the Mediterranean (for the umpteenth time) – lots of veggies and a reduced amount of red meat. I’m already on this, but I could use less red meat and more fish in my diet. I also need to watch the pasta, rice and potatoes –  refined carbs not a good idea.  Eat more whole grain.

The exercise suggestion is at least twenty minutes of moderate activity or fifteen minutes vigorous per day. Just go outside for less than half an hour and walk like you’re late for work and boom you’re done.

However, the brain needs work, so enhance this by learning something new; another important aspect of keeping the brain in tip top shape. Learn new things – it keeps the brain sharp and creates new pathways – rewire baby.  For example, try a new sport like cross country skiing or go for a run or walk in a new place. Today on my run, I made sure I took notice of new people I see on my run. Not a new place, but new people. She also suggests team sports, the socializing while on a court or rink helps the brain keep in shape.

Nothing prevents the disease one-hundred percent, but be aware or beware. Now  I gotta walk to the store as if chased by the coppers or a T-Rex. I need blueberries and plain yogourt.

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