The first time I ever had my back go out on me was about 15 years ago. I reached around to the back seat of the car, pulled some kind of muscle and grimaced like a lemon-sucking baby. Later that day, I was standing up to… read more
Ted Spiker
Ted Talks: The Physical of the Future?
While I’m not especially proud of slipping into the hard-headed aging-male stereotype of avoiding an annual physical, I have some friendly amendments for how we could conduct our checkups. Why? Maybe there’s an opportunity to improve the experience, the quality… read more
Ted Talks: Minute to Win it
This morning, I woke up before my 5:30 a.m. alarm. On my docket: Run, lift, get ready, and hustle my potato - padded butt to work. On my mind: The immediate tasks I need to take care of, the emails… read more
Ted Talks: Time to Flex and Stretch
Of my many bodily deficiencies (see Pants, Tight), one has been protesting louder lately. I’m creaky. I’m tight. I’m about as flexible as a granite countertop. I can feel it when I walk, when I run, when I wake up… read more
Ted Talks: An Epic Question
Last issue, I said something I shouldn’t have: “In January 2025, I will announce an epic-for-me goal.” While I have already sketched out some doable benchmarks this year that involve running, yoga-ing and whittling down the whiskey, I am missing… read more
Ted Talks: Mission Impossible
Despite the inspirational words that come from motivational speakers and flashy Instagram quotes, sometimes you have to realize that certain fitness feats will never happen. I accept, for example, that I will never be able to dunk a basketball, qualify… read more
Ted Talks: How Do You Measure Strength?
Strength —like beauty and perfect guac— is in the eye of the beholder. After all, one person’s strong is another person’s weak. Sure, there are universal standards for some medical categories (blood pressure, cholesterol and the like), and those benchmarks… read more
Ted Talks: The Stress Solutions
Right now, my mind feels like yours. Swirling with too much to do, too much to think about, just too much. Oh, I have my to-do lists and my priorities and my plans of action, but sometimes it feels so… read more
Ted Talks: Game On … Or Off?
For years, my favorite weekly workout has been our old-guy pickup basketball game. Though I can get hotter than a habanero every once in a while, I am not very good (I have the vertical leap of a street curb,… read more
Ted Talks: Sole to Soul
On the 1–10 adventure scale (1 being snuggled in bed, 10 being an Everest attempt), I would probably rate myself at about a 4. Try new things? Yes. Do so when there is a high chance that you will plummet… read more
