Play, Exercise, my thoughts and Mr. G. Jones

I played some tennis Saturday morning with my good friends George and Tom.

It really got me thinking. There is so much discussion and disagreement and lately posturing about the "right" type of diet and exercise. What supplements to take, the ultimate food model. Strength training, skill training, sport specific training, and the list goes on and on.

How does this all relate to George and Tom you Ask? Let's take a look.

Here is George. George is 65 years young. I'm sure he never really swilled down protein shakes or cycled creatine. I'm also sure he never flipped back and forth between the zone diet, atkins or Ornish. George being older then most of us, didn't have the onslaught of information that's available to al of us today. He did instinctively live his life the way many of us are trying to do. Basically he stuck to the simple and straightforward. He's kept active his whole life. He consumes a diet that works for him. He is always in a happy and positive state of mind. He enjoys his work and his family and has a loving and respectful relationship with his wife. He learned by trial and error. He examined his life regularly (and still does) and kept what was useful and dropped what wasn't. The end result? See for yourself. 65 years young and look at his posture. Overweight? No. Muscled? Check. Happy? Affirmative. At age 65 George will tear through many a younger opponent.

Here below (in the black shorts) my friend Tom. Tom played college ball for a division 1 school. He is the chairman (former CEO) of a major corporation. Like George, Tom is devoted to his family. I believe he has 10 grand kids, and it's not unusual for him to have all 10 for a sleep over pizza party. He never runs out of energy. His wife and he play tennis together also and walk and bike plenty. Boat trips, trips with the kids, beach walks. They do it all. Tom is also 65.

Just like George, even though they are very different people, Tom lives basically the same way. Wholesome foods, happy and positive attitude, regular exercise, loving relationships.

Tom runs shots down that most people over 35 never get to. Take a look;

Great posture, muscled, not overweight and hitting a topspin forehand with the kind of pace you would expect from a guy 30 years younger. Tom has been my doubles partner many a time, and we've competed fiercely against much younger opponents and much to their dismay, beaten them regularly. We have won tournaments together in the USTA 4.5 category at sanctioned events. So I'd like everyone to consider this. DON'T OVER COMPLICATE THE SIMPLE STUFF. Eat real food, find resistance exercise/play that makes you feel good. Identify play like tennis or ulitmate frisbee, that let's you move, think and enjoy. Be a positive part of the world around you. Love your family. Smile, be happy and help out where you can. Just my little rambling for the weekend.

Here are my raquetss. They are Babolat. You can see I broke my strings yesterday. They were a new kind I tried. They are like the "luxilon" variety, just a bit more feel. These type of strings are to hard on the joints in my opinion.

I'll be posting some new recipes for you to try and would like your feedback on them. I'm getting to the video. This is my first try at one. It's of my beach friend Mr. G. Jones. I've blogged about him before. He keeps me company when I fish.......or mostly I just watch him fish. Like here. Enjoy.