We are now 3 months into the Rotary year and our clubs and clusters are churning along as we address the needs in our communities and respond to issues around the world. Each month has a theme that might involve one of our 7 Areas of Focus or another topic of importance. As you will read elsewhere in this newsletter, October is Economic and Community Development Month. Rotary and our many partners work in areas to help individuals acquire skills and equipment to earn an income. From training women and girls to sew and providing them with sewing machines, to teaching financial literacy and sound business practices, Rotary and our partners help to build sustainable communities.
My pledge to visit each club, either in-person or virtually, is now past the half way mark. I have presented at 28 Rotary clubs, 6 in person and at 2 Rotaract Clubs. The activity of the clubs in responding to Covid 19 challenges in their own communities and around the world continues to amaze me. Whether by using on-line technologies to raise funds and increase brand awareness to rolling up their sleeves and working on food insecurity, our District clubs and clusters are meeting the challenge.
As Rotarians, I urge you to regularly embrace and live our core values, those of Fellowship, Integrity, Diversity, Service and Leadership. With the current issues around hatred and racism, we might well add Inclusion and Equity as causes we advocate for. I encourage us all to talk about these issues and to learn more about them. Please try to join our District Zoom presentation on October 15 featuring Todd “Bowtie” Jenkins. Click here to learn more and register for the presentation.
My personal theme of “Take Care of self, each other the Planet” is one I love to talk about. Of course, our basic needs of good nutrition, proper sleep, good hygiene, strong relationships with receiving and giving emotional support are essential.
Our bodies are 70% muscle and bone and need to move. The need for activity is fundamental and whether we call it exercise or just plain movement, our bodies and minds benefit from motion. It is not necessary to be an elite athlete to derive substantial returns from regular exercise. In my speaking file, I have a presentation titled, “Let’s Get Physical”. The bottom line is that 150 minutes of activity per week conveys significant health benefits. The resting and exercise heart rates are lower. The endurance and capacity for activity increases and there is a sense of wellness or enhanced clarity of thought. The discovery of the benefits of “aerobic “exercise in the 60’s changed a lot of our understanding of regular activity or exercise. The additional benefits included reduced risk of cardiac events, diabetes and other forms of chronic disease. The type of activity is not that important as long as the large muscles are working in a sustainable way and can do so for more than 10 or 15 minutes without building up an oxygen debt or the accumulation of lactate (a muscle chemical released with exercise). Suitable activities for this aerobic benefit are walking, cycling, running, swimming and numerous exercise machines like stair climbers and treadmills. A good 30 minute walk five times per week provides that basic benefit. The walking should be at a conversational pace but generally does not include mall strolling with stops and starts or the walking during a game of golf.
Please indulge me for a moment, but I have followed the aerobic pattern since 1968 with my activities of preference being running or cycling. At times during this long period, I did train for road races or 100km + bike rides but most of the time, I would go for a 30 minute run/jog. I do some of my best thinking and planning when I’m out for a run and when I go for more than 2 days without getting on the road, I am more irritable and less decisive in my thinking. When engaged in an issue with my wife, I know when she says I should go for a run, that a recess or adjournment is necessary. It goes without saying that other types of exercise are beneficial such as stretching, yoga, strength training etc. but the aerobic fitness to me is the base on which other exercise programs should be based.
Keep in motion
DG Mike