Monday

Miscellaneous Rambling

Whew, I've nearly survived the basketball season: four kids, four leagues, including two in high school competition (JV-varsity). It felt like a part-time job occasionally. Marie and I got back from our last six-hour trip Friday evening and sighed relief. We have a couple of home games left and then the playoffs start. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm more pleased that the blitz of double-header away games is over. * * * * * * * One thing that helped me keep my equilibrium during the season: walking. I strapped on a pedometer and walked all around the school during intermissions. I probably averaged over a mile of extra walking every game this year and averaged over two miles on days with JV and Varsity games (since those days provide for, at a minimum, 20 minutes between games). One night, I logged in three miles. * * * * * * * One thing that struck me this year: The high schools' different policies regarding locking down their schools. Some schools pulled gates to cut off the main part of the school from the gym area, with the result that I had to pretty much just walk up and down the same hallway, which really sucked (and provoked stares and, on one occasion, an accusatory smartphone videotaping by a high school kid who perhaps thought I was casing the joint to jihad it). But other schools left all the hallways open, which was really cool, especially in the larger schools where you could wander and wander and wander. There was no rhyme or reason to which schools did which. Two of the more urban schools were highly locked down (which makes sense, because of more crime), but then a third one (all three stories of it) was wide open to wandering. A highly-white school was so locked down, you'd think they were hosting prison tournaments, but then its white neighbor nine miles down the road ranked first on my list of walkable schools. Oh well, if you find yourself similarly situated and need exercise, consider such an approach. * * * * * * * Especially if you have a cholesterol problem, like I do (mine is minor). I'm reading more and more health experts advise frequent walking, and not just knee-numbing marathon walks, but the incremental, constant-moving, type: "Peeke tells WebMD, "I ask people to get a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day. If you work at a desk, get up and walk around for five minutes every hour." 11 Tips to Cut Your Cholesterol Fast.