The best kind of exercise involves adventure

 

Lloyd Kahn. post called “how I’ll spend my last decade” 

In Plato’s Republic, Greek education consisted of three elements: grammatikē(grammar), musikē (music), and gymnastikē (gymnastics). Grammatikē meaning literacy; musikē referring to the lyrics, tunes and rhythms of music, as well as poetry; gymnastikē being fitness: keeping the body in shape.

He sets out new things he'll focus on in his last decade:  He lists new ways of conditioning (below), new modes of communication (Substack newsletters)

I lost a lot of conditioning the last couple of years due to stress, and now I’m trying to get back in shape:

Surfing: I’ve finally given it up. I have trouble getting up to a standing position, there are always too many people in the water, and it’s a drag being so lame out there. BUT I’ve got a great new knee board that I’m going to try riding prone and/or on my knees. We’ll see.

Paddling: This I can still do, and love. I have a 12-foot Joe Bark racing paddleboard that weighs only 21 pounds, and skips across the water like a water skeeter. I can actually get a wake going. This morning I left my truck over at Stinson Beach; tomorrow I’m gonna paddle over there (2.75 miles), get a hamburger and milkshake at the Parkside stand, and drive the board and me back home. The best kind of exercise is that which includes adventure.

Cycling: I’m still loving my Specialized Turbo Levo pedal-assist electric bike. Each time I take it out and get that push — hey, this is fun! And off I go, usually up into the hills.

Hiking: Whenever and wherever I can, especially on Tuesday nights when I meet my running pals

Swimming: I’m starting to swim again at the Aquatic Park cove in San Francisco, hopefully once a week. I’m wimping out by wearing a sleeveless shorty wetsuit (as opposed to maybe 90% of the swimmers going wetsuit-less). But that cold water, once I get by the discomfort (i.e., pain) of the first couple of minutes, is a tonic. A chi-booster

Skateboarding: The love of my active life. I’m out of practice and kind of awkward these days, but once I get rolling on a gentle downhill slope, I can carve — the same as in surfing. EXCEPT when I fall, it’s not in the water. Gonna work on it soon.

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