I was telling someone the other day about how strength training has made everything easier.
     It makes the little things easier...like getting in and out of the car.  It also helps make the big things easier...like moving furniture. 
    But, I didn't realize the extent to which strength training and the accompanying aerobic activities I am doing, mostly rowing and walking, would increase my flexibility.
     Flexibility is something we all lose as we age.  But, I am learning that loss of flexibility is not necessarily an inevitability. 
      I believe my increased flexibility is due to the strengthening of my core.  The core, as I understand it, includes those muscles, tendons and ligaments that keep us upright.  It's all the strongest parts of our chests, waists and abdominal areas as well as our backs and butts.  
     With every new exercise I learn, I am reminded to tense my core muscles because they help provide a solid base for whatever my arms, shoulders, thighs and legs are doing.  And as I have learned to adopt this habit, I have found that there is an increased sense of power for whatever I am calling on my body to do.  Apparently, that includes bending and reaching...things we must do every day of our lives.
      I have really noticed the difference in my core strength and flexibility on the rowing machine.  The first few times I tried it, my daughter had to pull the rowing handle thingy back for me and hand it to me because I couldn't bend forward far enough to reach it.  In fact, I had some difficulty fastening the straps on my feet!  Now, in little more than a month of strength training and rowing, I don't need help.  In fact, I don't even think about it.  I've noticed the same thing happening at home as I bend over to pick a sock up off the floor or pick up something and put it on a shelf over my head.  Younger folks may not realize how life changing this can be!  Trust me, kids.  Your day is coming!
     It feels good to be flexible again.  I find myself wondering what I'm capable of now and anticipate what I might be able to do in the future.  My dream is to get back on a horse.  I'd love to ride again like I did when I was a girl.  I'd really love to learn cowboy dressage.  Is it possible at my age?  A month ago, I would have said no way.  Now, I don't know.  Maybe?
     Hey, a girl can dream can't she?

I read an article the other day that said there are millions more bacteria and viruses trapped in the average square inch of carpet than there are on the average toilet seat...even if the carpet is regularly vacuumed.

Eeeeooooooooooo!

Then I got to thinking about gyms I have frequented in the past.  Many of them were carpeted.  Can you imagine the new alien life forms that must have been growing in those carpets?  Makes me sick just thinking about it.

That's why I appreciate, and I think we all should appreciate, the efforts of our Cross Fit Run-A-Muck owner/operator, Josh.  Josh, and often his sweetheart, Celeste, clean and disinfect our gym every single day it is open.  And it's a huge job!  It's like mopping two gymnasium floors!

Many gyms hire cleaning services that come in once a week to clean after hours.  There's usually no one there to supervise, so who knows what kind of job they're doing? 

Knowing what I know now, if I were looking for a gym or fitness center, one of the first questions I'd ask would be about cleaning protocols.  How often is the gym cleaned.  Who cleans it?  Who supervises?  What protocols and products are used?  Is the gym carpeted and if so, why? 

Josh and Celeste are thorough.  I've watched them work.  They use the same cleaning formula and protocol that is used at the local jail.  It's serious stuff, folks.  And it's a big job.  Not only do they mop both big floors, they wipe down all the equipment with the same antiseptic.  It takes awhile!

And you can tell.  This gym is clean.  It looks clean, feels clean and smells clean, unlike many other fitness facilities.

So, here's a shout out to Josh for keeping it real and keeping us all safe and healthy!  He is the consummate professional...not only in his knowledge of exercise science, but in his work ethic as a business owner. 

Thanks, Josh!