Author Archives: dcreamer

By David Freeze

Meet Charles Newsome

   Over my years of personal training and wellness coaching, I have often marveled at some of the older adults who have continued to honor their body with good wellness practices. And I have often talked with others who said, “I’m too old to get in shape now. It would just be too hard. I should have started years ago.” But once in a while, I meet the senior citizen who wants a strong body.

   My focus since late July and now into August has been on a varied group of clients. One of those is Charles Newsome, an 83 year old long time resident of Rowan and Salisbury. Charles has managed Johnson Concrete for more than 51 years and is well known for his missions work through Thyatira Presbyterian Church and other community projects. I met Charles about six years ago on a mutual project but honestly didn’t expect him to call about a desire for better physical conditioning.

     Early in July, I got that call and Charles quickly explained that he had another big project in mind, working to become the United States Ambassador to Zambia. He’s visited there regularly over about 30 years, much of it involving missions work. Along the way, Charles helped build a hospital, a school and provide electricity and clean drinking water. Charles calls Zambia one of the most beautiful and safest countries in Africa.

    Charles has been compiling a large number of congressional endorsements and arranging a move to Charlotte where he will leave his wife, Cris, with friends once he gets the ambassador appointment. But one big thing was also on his mind. Charles wanted to get in better shape knowing that the physical rigors of his job will be demanding.

      Charles and I began meeting at The Forum on July 6th and have continued twice weekly since. Our focus has been on cardiovascular and balance work. Charles uses an upright stationary bike and the treadmill and has made steady progress in July and in early August. We also currently use dumbbells and kettle bells. Charles also walks between 2 and 3 miles nearly every day and has for about 30 years. Last week, he purchased a step bench and risers for use by both him and his wife. While the treadmill and bike build strength and stamina, the step bench and various leg exercises are focused on balance improvement.

     In just one month, Charles has extended his revolutions per minute on the bike from about 65 to a max of over 100 during interval sessions. He has been extremely competitive recently and pushed himself to a fastest walking pace of 3.7 miles per hour while on a 1.5 incline.

     With a normal body mass index (BMI), Charles didn’t especially intend to lose weight, but he has dropped a couple pounds so far. Charles said, “I tightened a belt notch and feel lighter on my feet and am able to walk at a faster pace.” Already conscious of what makes a good diet, Charles loves fruit and nuts and limits his sugar and salt intake. He learned this past week about the importance of proper hydration and how it can affect a serious workout. He was already thirsty less than midway through our hour and promised not to let that happen again. At just under 147 pounds, he still needs at least 74 ounces of water a day and more to cover his exercise. A water bottle needs to always be close by.

     Encouragement by staff and other members at The Forum has helped boost our success so far. Charles has committed to exercise for life and said, “Because I want to be effective in everything I do, I have always been conscious of my fitness.  I want to remain an active part of not only my wife’s life but those of my children and grandchildren as well.”

     The Forum general manager Rayna Gardner added, “He has a goal in sight and he’s going for it. We encourage everyone, no matter what their age, to improve their overall fitness for better quality of life.”

     Charles reminds me on occasion that he is 83, cautioning about pushing him too hard. The truth so far is that he pushes himself just as much. Charles has already proven that its never too late to decide that success is the reward of effort given, something that we should all realize. Love your body and treat it well!

By David Freeze

Running is a daily struggle right now with the oppressive south Florida-style humidity. On a recent morning, I planned to do 5-6 miles but tempered those plans early. I leave in the dark, about 5:15 a.m., and noticed right away a low-hanging ground fog on the farm. Another day with no bounce in my legs was quickly apparent. I finished four miles in a full fog, at 75 degrees and 95% humidity, according to the National Weather Service. A mile cool-down walk was the perfect finish.

What happens to your body in warm and extremely humid conditions? In those conditions, if you are intent on getting in a quality workout outside, lessen your expectations. Opt for a shaded path or early morning darkness. Make sure to hydrate properly and let go of any time-based goal. Run by feel instead of pace. With high humidity, heart rate can increase by 10 to 20 beats per minute, which will make your perceived effort much greater.

When you run, your core body temperature naturally rises, and your sweat glands produce droplets that carry excess heat to the surface of the skin, where it evaporates. But humidity prevents sweat from evaporating, so the heat stays put. On a hot, humid day with no breeze, you lose a key way to get rid of your building body heat, which can make running dangerous if you continue to push the normal pace. 

If your body heats up and gets more and more dehydrated, it goes into survival mode, maintaining blood flow to your essential organs (to keep you alive) and to your skin (to regulate temperature). Less blood will flow to your GI tract and you may feel nauseous as a result. You may also find your breathing becomes shallow and uneven. And your heart rate will escalate as your ticker and lungs work overtime trying to deliver oxygen throughout your body.

 If you continue to push, your brain temperature will rise, which makes matters worse. Your ability to assess your own body temperature will become difficult and you can also start to lose control over body mechanics. I find pretty quickly that my form is not as efficient as usual and my foot strike becomes sloppy and forced. Dizziness or disorientation can come next.

The good thing is that we are 2/3rd of the way through our humid summer and this long string of sticky days is due for a break. We’re fortunate to have all four seasons here and this humid stretch will just make us appreciate the better conditions coming soon.

Bottom line, keep running but don’t expect as much. A day with a run is better than any other day!

In other news, many of you may have read that bikes, running shoes and other items used for personal fitness are in short supply. Good running shoes are essential and won’t wait once they are used up. Locally, Ralph Baker Jr. of Ralph Baker Shoes said, “We’ve been fortunate that while supply has been affected, we’ve not been deeply impacted. Most of our imported shoes come from Asian countries other than China so supply hasn’t been so much of an issue, but logistics is another topic. Many of the U.S. distribution centers are working on limited hours and just can’t get the product shipped out as quickly or efficiently as usual. The good news is that we buy nine months in advance and we have plenty of inventory in stock!”

New bikes and other exercise equipment remain in short supply. The one positive from the virus outbreak is that many of our neighbors continue to expand their exercise. Even with the summertime conditions, I love seeing so many locals out pushing forward with their own health considerations.

Normally, it would be time for a report on Robin and Isaac, the duo who have previously participated in the Post’s 2020 wellness challenge. Both are no longer in the program. A report will follow next week.

At press time, Salisbury’s 23rd Annual Run for the Greenway 5K is still on tap for Saturday, Aug. 15, at Knox Middle School. Race director Steve Clark said, “We are on go unless Gov. Cooper changes something.” Several successful nearby road races have followed new safety guidelines in recent weeks.
Keep updated at salisburyrowanrunners.org . Our next beginning runners class is set to begin on Sept. 10.