Ah, to be young!

Some folk are quite dedicated when it comes to their exercise regimen. This young women certainly is. Our photo today shows this young Londoner in the middle of her Sunday workout. She is completing thirty repetitions of climbing and then descending a long, wooden stairway leading from a parking lot to the Thames River where it flows through Springbank Park.

For notes on how this image was taken see: Rockin' On: Photography.

One tough job!

The city is doing some work on the walkway beside the Thames River running through Springbank Park in London, Ontario. The fellows making the pavement cut wear dust masks but still . . . One has to wonder how much of the dust gets through the filter.

Thistle

It is amazing how beautiful a weed like this thistle can look when viewed up close. The field near my home is a flat, snow-covered expanse in the winter. Now, in mid-summer, it is turning into a veritable jungle with some weedy growth reaching ten feet into the air. At ground level there are thousands of different colourful flowers. It is different plot of land in August.

I'll be back! That's a promise.

I've got a good reason to get my health back.

Less than two months ago I was healthy. Oh, I've had health problems and serious ones. But teamed with the wonderful medical folk here in London, Ontario, I've surmounted the worst that has occurred.

Then in mid June in Sonoma, California, I suffered a serious V-tach event with my heart racing to 300 bpm. It took an emergency cardioversion (defibrillation) of 200 joules of electricity to shock my heart back into proper rhythm. I was given beta blockers to prevent a re-occurrence.

Then in mid July in London, Ontario, I went blind temporarily in my left eye. I was off to the hospital emerg again. I had suffered a TIA event, often a precursor to a stroke. I was given Plavix, a blood thinner.

Within hours I had an MRI of my head and neck to confirm what the doctors suspected, hardening of the arteries with plaque in my carotid artery. The good news: My arteries are clean. The bad news: I have micro bleeding throughout my brain.

Tuesday I must go to the Cardiac Institute and as the month progresses I have quite the number of medical appointments. What caused the V-tach event? Why is my brain bleeding? Am I reacting poorly to the blood thinner? Should I stop the Plavix? Was the baby Aspirin I used to take responsible for the bleeding? If I do stop all blood thinners, will I put myself in position to suffer a stroke?

I am beginning to feel as if I am starring in an episode of House.

All of this is taking a great toll on my free time. My blogging has suffered. My photography just isn't happening. And worse, I haven't been able to chase some very good local stories for Digital Journal.

Sorry team. I will be back doing my small bit for citizen journalism. Just give me, and my doctors, a little time. Who knows, maybe there will be a good medical story here. Now, I must go; It's time for my beta blocker.

Cheers!

No excuse for not exercising

I had an MRI last week. My arteries are clean. No plaque forming in my arteries. Ah, the benefits of a lifetime of exercise. I tried roller blades once but in the end I preferred jogging or biking. Today I just walk at a brisk pace. Despite some heart problems the doctors in London, Ontario, tell me the best thing I can do is stay active. If you don't exercise, see your doctor, make sure you aren't about to tackle more than is wise, and then get out there and work up a sweat. You won't be alone. Trust me; It's good for you.

Not everyone believes in helmets

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) each year about 800 bicyclists are killed in the States and more than half a million are treated in hospital emergency rooms. Almost two-thirds of these deaths and a third of the injuries involve head and face injury. The CPSC says helmets may reduce the risk of head injury to bicyclists by as much as 85 percent. Yet, only about 50 percent of bicyclists wear helmets.

I understand that in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Nova Scotia mandatory helmet laws apply to all cyclists. In Ontario only those under the age of 18 are required by law to wear bicycle helmets, but only when riding on public roads.

In this group of seven cyclists spotted zipping along a paved recreational pathway in London, Ontario, only one rider is not wearing a helmet. There are those who would come to this woman's defence. These people argue those bikers at high risk of suffering a head injury are those who do not obey traffic laws. And cyclists out at night would be wiser to put their money into some good lights before buying a helmet.

For more on the subject of helmets, check out the Wikipedia entry. It states, "Cycling is no more dangerous than being a pedestrian." And no one is arguing all pedestrians should be wearing helmets.

Let them eat worms

Did you ever wonder why bread and crackers are not good for the cute ducks at the park? If you're one of those folk who like to toss bits of white bread to the eager-to-feast ducks, don't! This is not healthy food for ducks. It enlarges their internal organs, making them fatty. Also, ducks have a small pouch in their esophagus to store food before passing it on to the digestive system. Bread gets stuck and blocks the passage of food. Let them eat worms, insects, seeds and leave the bread at home.