It’s been said that an athlete dies two deaths. The second is the inevitable. The first is the end of a competitive playing career.

I sold my triathlon bike recently and had mixed emotions as this gently used Cervelo P2 drove away on the back of someone’s Jeep Wrangler.

On one hand, I had barely ridden the Cervelo in four years and recouped nearly 50 percent of what I paid for it, a score by Craigslist standards. On the other hand, I was parting with it because of neck injuries sustained in a 2014 automobile accident (in a car) that make it tough to ride in the aero position, to say nothing of keep pounding the ground running.

It just took four years to accept that.

We see this in professional sports when “old” players calls it quits because they no longer can compete at the highest level because of injury or age. Ideally, they go out on top as Peyton Manning did winning the Super Bowl at the age of 39.

It can be more challenging, however, to accept a body that no longer performs the way it once did. That’s because with modern medicine it’s possible to extend an athletic career whether you’re a pro or weekend warrior.

Got a bad knee or hip? That’s nothing an artificial replacement can’t fix.

Have a herniated disc in your neck or back? A fusion or disc replacement can get you back in the game. If not, there’s cortisone, stem cells, dry needling, epidurals, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic care or bariatric oxygen.

Too often, though, people continue to pound their bodies past the breaking point. I was a basketball and baseball player through high school. And while I could play those sports today, my joints would take a pounding on the basketball court. My reflexes aren’t what they once were for baseball – and they weren’t great as a teenager.

I competed in running, obstacle racing and triathlon events through my early forties. I could continue to slog it out there too, even with a bad neck, but the stress from running would be too much. When it comes to running, we only have so many miles on the odometer.

Thankfully, there are always alternatives. There’s perhaps no better sport or exercise regimen than swimming, which is easy on the joints. Open-water swim events have soared in popularity in recent years, in part because former runners are looking for a more low-impact activity.

Ex-runners also turn to biking since that also is easier on the joints. “Biking” is thought of differently from “cycling,” where you clip into the pedals, wear tight spandex, and risk life and limb on the roads, where smart phone-wielding drivers often are not paying attention. But a more leisurely bike ride still can provide a workout. Some runners turn to hiking or race walking.

I miss the competition and camaraderie of triathlon, but I might have given it up anyway because I never liked cycling. I started group rides in 2006, the year the iPhone was released and things got progressively more dangerous. I shudder to think of what might have occurred had the distracted woman who ran through a stop sign and struck my mini-van had, instead, plowed into a peloton.

I don’t mourn the loss of triathlon. It helps that I had my third athletic act lined up before the car accident, shifting more toward stand-up paddleboarding, hiking, swimming, strength training and yoga. I’m in or on the water most every day.

Like life itself, it’s never too late to reinvent yourself as an athlete. I once swam with a group of mostly senior women as part of a masters swim program. One particularly fit woman told me she once did triathlons but had given that up and focused on swimming and weight training. I thought she was in her early fifties, but she was 66.

Several women from that group still compete, setting national age group swim records in their nineties, again proving that while you might have to accept that your body has fewer options to compete and train as you age, there’s always something available.

The gym I have called home for countless, mostly pre-dawn workouts since 2004 will close its doors on Sunday, a product not of America’s increased demand for workout space but rather for glitzier, high-end training facilities.

L.A. Fitness, which purchased and rebranded our former Lifestyle Family Fitness in 2012 adjacent to the Countryside Mall in Clearwater, Fla., is building two new Globo Gym-caliber centers. Thus, our gym is too small. Just as the AMC 4 movie theaters that formerly operated out of the space in the late 1990s were deemed inadequate for moviegoers seeking stadium seating, our gym lacks the sprawling floor plan and other amenities – swimming pool, basketball courts, etc. – of the modern L.A. Fitness.

So 12,000 square feet no longer is enough for a movie theater or gym. In a world in which granite counter tops and leather car interiors have become standard, it makes sense that gym rats will settle for nothing less than what Ben Stiller’s character White Goodman operated in the 2004 movie “Dodgeball.”

I’ll miss our version of “Average Joe’s,” which opened late in 2002. Not the chipped equipment, stained carpeting, and locker room doors falling off the hinges. Not the broken air conditioning that requires portable units or the refusal of L.A. Fitness corporate to replace busted wall clocks or paper towel dispensers, let alone cardio equipment.

But I’ll miss this eclectic community of early-risers I’ve hung with since 2004, when I was an out-of-shape new dad embarrassed to look in the mirror shirtless and call myself the co-author of Core Performance, the just-published fitness book I was honored to write with performance guru Mark Verstegen.

When we began work on that book in 2002, I visited gyms and could not locate many of the now-standard workout devices that Mark’s training program required like medicine balls, foam rollers, and Swiss balls.

Over the next decade I dropped 25 pounds, embraced triathlon, SUP and endurance sports, and chronicled these booming training niches, including yoga, functional movement, and obstacle races, transitioning from mostly a sportswriter to mostly a fitness writer. I marveled that group cycling or “spin” class, which since 2004 I’ve taken under the whip of physical therapist Alyssa Kay, has become an expensive New York phenomenon.

I’ve seen a lot of folks come through the doors of our gym, including fitness models, bodybuilders, and the occasional pro athlete. I watched Mike Timlin extend his career as a relief pitcher into his 40s and pick up two World Series rings with the Red Sox. I saw Rays pitcher James Shields, then 29, show up all winter at 6 a.m. after an embarrassing 2010 season, and then finish third in the 2011 A.L. Cy Young voting. Then there was Darnell Coles, a scrawny outfielder who never hit more than 20 home runs, who bulked up in his retirement and joked that he was plotting a comeback at 45.

My neighbor, Hall of Fame triathlon race director Fred Rzymek, pulled me into spin class in 2004, became my triathlon mentor, and for years has served as my training (and accountability) partner. As with any community, I’ve watched people marry, have children, divorce, and pass away. After 14 years, I’ve gone from one of the youngest in the building to one of the older ones. The other day I peaked in the “Kid’s Club” area where I’d leave my sons when they were toddlers. They’re now 15 and 12.

Friendships have extended beyond the gym. Our spin class took a memorable field trip in 2009. One of the most devoted young women in the gym works as a wine distributor rep, though I’ve learned that it’s counterproductive to attend too many of her wine tastings.

As newer gyms and fitness studios have opened, people have drifted away. I’ll run into former members at Chipotle or the yoga studio and they’ll recommend their shiny new facilities. I’ve always stayed put. Maybe I like the tough-it-out, Rocky Balboa mentality of the place. Maybe I like that it’s exactly 3.1 miles (5K) from my driveway.

Maybe I’m just a creature of habit.

L.A. Fitness toyed with the idea of closing our gym in 2012 after purchasing the Lifestyle chain. Reportedly The Cheesecake Factory was interested in the space, perhaps an appropriate commentary on our sedentary society. There are no immediate plans for the building, but with its many acres of unused mall parking, a car dealership seems likely. As with The Cheesecake Factory, that seems sadly ironic.

I don’t know where I’ll end up. Maybe I’ll train at home. Perhaps I’ll go to yoga regularly or paddleboard more.

Maybe I’ll drive further to go to the new L.A. Fitness GloboGym.

Whatever I decide, I’ll miss Average Joe’s and the people it created.

Distracted driving has become a big issue and with good reason. People think nothing of texting and talking while operating a 3-ton motor vehicle. No wonder it’s never been more dangerous to drive.

It’s symptomatic of our modern inability to focus, to remove clutter and distraction and live lean mentally.

Distracted driving is a subject for another time, however. Today’s topic is distracted cycling. At least 80 percent of cyclists I see on the roads here in Florida’s most densely populated county ride while listening to music. Bicycling is inherently dangerous, especially around here, but these folks think nothing of relinquishing arguably their second-most important sense. Thus they’re not able to hear cars approaching from behind, the sirens of emergency vehicles, or the voices of other cyclists. If a pedestrian wanted to shout a warning to them about oncoming danger, the cyclist likely would not hear it.

Not only that, by listening to music, the cyclist is losing focus. Instead of having all five senses on high alert to navigate this dangerous world, they’re lost in a cocoon of noise.

Distracted driving and distracted cycling is a dangerous mix, one I witnessed several weeks ago while in the car. The driver in front of me clearly was texting and the car was weaving in and out of the lane. Up ahead was a cyclist riding in the bike lane. A collision appeared likely. Thankfully the cyclist, who was not wearing a listening device, heard the car drifting into the bike lane and swerved into the shoulder, avoiding disaster. Thankfully there was a shoulder. The cyclist yelled some choice expletives, which the driver probably didn’t hear, focused as she was on the phone.

More often, however, the cyclist would have been wearing a listening device, oblivious to the car drifting over, and likely now injured or dead.

In theory, cycling is supposed to be healthy, saving us money and helping the environment. In reality, many use it as another form of digital distraction, creating a volatile mix on the roads.

If you don’t ride a bike regularly, perhaps you think this message doesn’t apply. But we’ve reached the point where many folks won’t do anything unless they’re tethered to a device or at least exposed to media. They’ve surrendered their ability to focus and operate in quiet, when the mind and senses arguably are most effective.

Many folks cannot disconnect, even when exercising, and not only is this dangerous for cyclists, it defeats the purpose of training outdoors. One of the great joys of cycling, running, hiking, or paddling is enjoying the outdoors with all five senses. If you’re plugged into music, you might as well be indoors on a treadmill or stationary bike.

Understandably, music is performance enhancing. Whatever your taste in tunes, a favorite playlist can ramp up your energy and produce a better workout. In the gym many people listen to their own music rather that endure the many commercials interspersed with the club’s music. Or they might prefer their own songs. All of which is understandable, though even that’s dangerous as wired people in the gym sometimes run into others or don’t hear equipment moving around them.

One of the most important rules at triathlons is to not wear listening devices – ever. Not on the swim, not on the bike, not on the run, not even while setting up in the transition area before the race. That’s because athletes need to hear emergency vehicles, other athletes passing them, and the announcements broadcast over the sound system in transition. It’s a matter of safety.

Roads generally are closed to traffic during triathlons. But nobody would think of riding with a listening device. (Actually, some athletes would, but it’s cause for immediate disqualification.) So why wear listening devices when roads are open? It actually might be less of a risk to ride with no helmet and no listening device than with a helmet and a listening device. Heck, it’s dangerous enough with a helmet and no listening device.

To live lean means maintaining focus. This increases productivity and forces you to eliminate the clutter of the mind, zeroing in on what’s important. It also means choosing the beautiful sounds of nature over digital distraction.

When it comes to cycling, the life you save could be your own.

I play a game with people in the gym, though they’re unaware of it.

When I see someone near me fiddling with a smart phone, which happens pretty much every time in the gym, I see how many sets I can do in the time they’re playing with the phone. My record is 11.

That occurred one morning when I was doing a CrossFit-style WOD (workout of the day) consisting of pull-ups, pushups, air squats, burpees, moutain climbers, and crunches. I do four sets of each, non-stop, for a total of 24 sets. It takes just 20 minutes and it’s one of the toughest, though most beneficial, 20 minutes I spend all week.

One day I made it through nearly half the session while a guy played with his phone between sets of dips. I imagine he scrolled through social media and email, perhaps sent a text or two, or scanned the headlines.

Regardless of what he was doing, he was sabotaging his workout. Not only was he resting way too long between sets, he was bringing no focus or intensity to his training and, thus, likely would receive little benefit.

It’s a shame since he accomplished the hard part by getting to the gym before 6 a.m. He paid for the gym membership, after all, and at least on some level committed to training. But like so many people he no longer can disconnect from the digital world for even an hour. Instead of feeling the endorphin rush of training, he craves the dopamine fix of digital media feedback in the form of social media likes, text responses, emails and other notifications.

Instead of working out, he’s suffering from fear of missing out (FOMO) even at 6 a.m.

I’ve trained at the same gym for more than a decade, long enough to see the smart phone era evolve. I marvel at how people set their $700 phones down on weight benches or even the floor where they can be stomped on or crushed by dumbbells, both of which I’ve seen happen. Some people even carry around iPads to serve as nothing more than giant stopwatches.

Disconnecting from media has numerous benefits in the gym. When you focus more on the movement of your body, you train more effectively. It’s impossible to create intensity and focus when you’re stopping for minutes at a time to visit the world of social media and email. It takes several minutes to return to a focused state at a desk, let alone in the gym.

I train at 5:30 a.m. And since I live on the East Coast, there’s nobody that needs to reach me at that hour. That’s one reason I train at that time; nobody can steal it away from me. Turning to my smart phone would be no different than inviting business commitments into the gym with me. Not people who want to train with me; that would be fine. No, it would be like bringing work to the gym.

One reason CrossFit has soared in popularity is that it forces athletes to train non-stop. If you’re following the designated WOD, your goal is to do AMRAP (as many reps as possible) in the allotted time. Not only that, there’s a communal aspect to it where you’re pushing your fellow athletes.

Which isn’t to say phones don’t appear in CrossFit boxes. But thankfully the culture is one where it seems like a breach of etiquette to do so. That’s not as true in conventional gyms. I take a 5:45 a.m. spin class several times a week and I’ll often see folks checking their phones during class.

Then there’s yoga, which many people turn to in order to find that mind-body calmness that’s so lacking in modern society. You’d think people might leave their phones in the car or in a locker. No such luck. Instead of the lying or sitting on mats quietly before class, some will look at their phones. When there’s a pause in the practice – say for a water break – some will glance at their phones. Even in yoga, some cannot disconnect. No surprise since some can’t make it through church services without checking a phone.

Call waiting and digital media made it possible for us to screen calls and take them on our time. But we defeat that purpose by interrupting ourselves throughout the day to check social media and email.

Never is that more apparent in the gym, which should be a sacred time.

My CrossFit WOD is coming up tomorrow. My goal is 12 sets while someone near me is on the phone.

Sadly, it’s a goal I’ll probably reach.

 

About three years ago I replaced my traditional fruit-heavy smoothie with one dominated by greens: spinach, avocado, kale, etc.. I typically drink one in the morning or post-workout and sometimes a second one mid-afternoon. The results have been dramatic, both in terms of body composition and energy levels. The smoothies also guarantee that I’ll be getting more than enough green veggies every day.

The most encouraging thing is that one of our two sons will drink what he calls “green juice” and I’m working on the other one. There’s no way I’d get them to eat a plate full of those foods (lucky if they’d try just one), but when it goes into the blender and comes out as a smoothie, the oldest actually enjoys it.

I’m forever tinkering with the formula, but here’s what’s working right now:

12 oz of water

6 ice cubes

1/2 avocado

1 cup of Costco “Power Greens” (a mix of kale, spinach and chard)

I eat asparagus several times a week for dinner, but don’t throw it into the smoothie. It probably would work very well.

For taste, I add half a frozen banana and half a scoop of chocolate whey protein powder, which also provides 14 grams of protein. I’ll also add 2 ounces of orange juice and also strawberries, when in season.

Transitioning to green smoothies can be a challenge at first, which I why the sweeter ingredients are important. But like anything else, it’s possible to train yourself to like anything and gradually scale back on the sweeter stuff.

That’s why I also throw in a cap-full of apple cider vinegar. When I had a kidney stone five years ago (before reforming my nutrition program), I was told apple cider vinegar can help prevent stones. Maybe it’s an old wives tale, but when you’ve had a kidney stone, you’ll do anything to avoid another. I couldn’t stomach ACV at first, but now I throw one cap-full of it into the smoothie and do another shot straight up. Good stuff.

For the smoothie, consider ACV optional.

Avocado is a key ingredient as it gives the drink more of a smoothie texture. Otherwise it’s more of a juice. You could go with a whole avocado, though that’s a lot of calories.

I use a BlendTec Home Total Blender, which admittedly is a pricey item (starting at $399, though occasionally less at Costco). Then again, it has a 3 horsepower motor and is quite durable. I’ve put mine to the test. According to its digital counter, I used it more than 3,000 time this morning since getting it late in 2006. That’s just 10 cents a use. I can’t think of anything motorized or electrical I’ve owned since then that’s still operational – let alone that works so well.

Enjoy and please let me know what green smoothie ingredients work well for you

 

 

 

 

I set my alarm for 5:07 a.m., though I usually wake up a few minutes before the ringer sounds.

I could go with 5:00 or 5:15, but 5:07 is the perfect middle ground to get me to the gym by 5:45, where I either take a class or meet a training partner.

I wasn’t always a morning person. But I’ve found that the only way to remain dedicated to a training program is to get it done first thing in the morning. If you plan it for later, someone inevitably will steal that time away.

Training in the morning has been life changing. It provides an endorphin rush that carries me through the late morning hours, making it the most productive part of my day. It also gives me a feeling of accomplishment. No matter how crazy the rest of the day becomes, I know I at least nailed that workout.

Getting up at 5:07 a.m. is easy only if you get to bed at a consistent time, which for me is 10 p.m. That means lights out at 10. To be in position to fall asleep immediately thereafter requires a sleep ritual to wind the body down. That means no screens for the previous hour – no phone, tablet, laptop or television.

If that sounds like a Spartan existence, I won’t disagree. But I’ve found that if I can control the bookends to my day, it’s a lot easier to be productive for the 17 hours I’m awake. By getting quality, consistent sleep and working out daily at the same time, I have more energy and focus and require less caffeine.

Perhaps you work nights. I did, too, for a number of years and this schedule would not have fit. But judging by the vast array of occupations represented at my gym in the hours before 7 a.m., most people can make an early-morning workout fit into their schedule.

The U.S. Army once had a memorable ad campaign featuring soldiers hard at work or training in the pre-dawn darkness and then again as the sun came up. The tagline? We get more done before noon than most people get done all day.

When you get up early and train early, you can’t help but feel like you’re getting a head start on everyone else who is still sleeping. When you go to bed early, you’re getting a jump on those still watching television or living online.

This schedule isn’t for everyone, though it can work for most. If you’re struggling to find the time to train, however, it might be the solution.

 

 

Participation trophies are a polarizing topic. Some believe the trend of giving kids trophies regardless of performance dampens motivation and brings about a sense of entitlement. Others believe it’s a harmless gesture that builds self-esteem.

I tend to fall into the first camp. I received just one trophy as a kid despite playing baseball and/or basketball from the age of 8 through high school. That’s because my youth sports leagues awarded trophies to only the first-place teams. The second place teams received plaques, if that, and third place and beyond got nothing. Thus, getting a trophy was a big deal and strong motivation.

But we’ll save the participation trophy debate for another day. One overlooked downside to awarding trophies, ribbons, and certificates for everything is that it produces clutter. Plus, the award becomes the focus, not the experience.

This isn’t just true of youth sports leagues. We’ve reached the point in adult endurance sports where athletes expect a medal for finishing not just an Ironman triathlon or a marathon but every run-of-the-mill 5K run, even if it’s a “themed” race where most “runners” just walk around getting doused with colored powder. So you get a finisher’s medal, along with a T-shirt, and a “swag” bag full of sponsor promotional items (pens, key chains, etc.) and plenty of paper advertisements. Often the bag is a nylon backpack with the race logo.

So we’ve transformed what should be a physical challenge focused on pushing your body to new heights into a shopping experience. Pay $50, $75, or $125 and get a bunch of stuff. Do enough of these races and soon you have a drawer full of T-shirts, a box full of medals, and promotional items cluttering your home.

This same mindset often takes root in vacations. Rather than focusing on exploring new places and trying unusual experiences, many emphasize the accumulation of souvenirs, artwork, clothes, and home decor to remind them of the “experience.” Which is appropriate since for many people vacations are about shopping and consuming.

Thankfully, digital photography has eliminated the clutter produced by vacation photos. Those of us of a certain age will remember sorting through “free double prints” from the pharmacy and being subjected to marathon slide presentations – actual film slides, not PowerPoint – from Aunt Millie’s trip to China.

Though digital cameras have eliminated this torture and kept vacationers from shooting photos of scenery and famous sights that now can be found online, technology has contributed to a self-absorbed culture where we must photograph everything rather than just take in the experience. We live in the era of “photos or it didn’t happen,” which places the focus more on photographing the experience and sharing it online immediately over living mindfully in the moment.

Before we embark on any experience, whether it’s entering an endurance race or planning a vacation, we consider the cost in terms of time and money. That’s only natural. We think of the joy the experience will bring. But whether we think of it or not, we’re also weighing the swag we’ll receive.

That’s why I’ve come to consider experiences solely for, well, the experience. Would I enter this race if it there were no T-shirt, finisher’s medal or swag? It not, then why do the race? Would I attend this professional sports event were it not for a free giveaway? If not, why pay to watch an event for two to three hours if I wouldn’t do so otherwise? Would I take this trip if I knew I would bring home nothing but memories and perhaps digital photos that I did not share online?

As for participation trophies, how many of those kids would play sports were it not for knowing they’d receive a trophy at the end of the season? Probably most, but some no doubt have become so conditioned to receiving a trophy that the plastic trinket on a small slab of marble becomes the primary motivation.

Today’s 6-year-old receiving a participation trophy becomes the adult who looks for swag and finisher’s medals at a 5K, spends vacations shopping for “memories,” and makes decisions based on “free” giveaways.

Why not live lean and design your life around actual rich experiences, not the souvenir clutter they might bring?

I’ve spent a good chunk of my career writing fitness books, a genre released almost entirely around New Year’s Day with a “New Year, New You” marketing campaign.

The idea, of course, is to capture the New Year’s resolution crowd, a group that inevitably gives up their resolutions by Valentine’s Day. Perhaps it would be more effective to look at January 1 as “New Year, Nude You.”

This isn’t about being a nudist. It’s about taking a moment New Year’s Day or in early January to strip nude in front of the mirror and take stock not only of our bodies but everything in our lives. What is serving our goals and what is just clutter? What if we could start with a blank slate? It’s a new year, after all. Let’s take a look at five key areas of our lives where it’s possible to press the re-set button.

PHYSICAL: Body acceptance is a wonderful thing. If you’re concerned, however, that an unhealthy lifestyle is contributing to current or future health problems, get nude and take a long look in a long mirror. Everyone wants to look good in a swimsuit or birthday suit, but getting healthy for aesthetic reasons rarely is sufficient motivation. Instead, consider the consequences of your current lifestyle. Might you be contributing to an early death? At the very least, does your body provide you with enough energy to accomplish what you want? Are you able to provide for loved ones? What if you’re no longer around? That is stronger motivation.

MATERIAL: Are you dreading spending the better part of a day taking down holiday decorations? Consider purging half of them, keeping only what’s truly special. The stuff you didn’t put up this Christmas should be the first to go. Vow to spend 2016 experiencing life rather than acquiring and maintaining belongings. The more you purge, the more time, energy, and resources you’ll have. We always assume possessions make us happy when they actually rob us of our time, money, and energy. Strip down your belongings this year, clothes and everything else, and embrace the freedom.

DIGITAL: For the most part the digital revolution has helped us streamline. There’s no need for photo albums or physical collections of music, movies, or books. Even important documents can be kept in digital form. Indeed, make it a goal this year to put as much of your life in the cloud or on backup drives and free yourself from clutter.

At the same time, the digital world robs us of time and focus via email, texts, online browsing, and social media. The Internet can be a time saving tool, but it’s more often a time drain. Make it a point in 2016 to get “nude” digitally by stripping passive time online from your life. Limit television to an hour a day or less.

It’s also a good time to back up important digital files. If you’re like most people and have lots of photos, keep them on external drives rather than on laptops, tablets, and phones that can fall into the wrong hands.

CONSUMABLE: It’s not just that we eat too much food. We eat too many kinds of food. When we view food as fuel and not as a sensory experience, we’re more likely to eat healthy, fiber-rich, colorful food that fill us up and provides a big bang for the calories.

That’s easier to do by eating the same things on a daily basis. When we eat mostly the same things, shopping is faster and cheaper, and we’re less likely to overeat since we’re in touch with portion size. Swapping soda and sports drinks for water is a healthy way to save money. So too is minimizing alcohol, which fattens stomachs and cleans out wallets.

RELATIONSHIPS: Some people find it tough to cut back on alcohol. That’s because many of their relationships are built around drinking and parties. When activities are geared more toward the physical – hiking, biking, swimming, paddling, even golf, tennis and volleyball – you still might enjoy a drink afterward. But the focus is on the activity not drinking. When we surround ourselves with people who place a premium on experiences, we naturally cull unhealthy relationships and establish healthier ones.

There’s nothing wrong with the occasional celebration, of course. In fact, come December 31, 2016, you’ll no doubt raise a toast to 2016, when you discovered a Nude Year and a “Nude” You.