I had back surgery so that sucked – but here’s what I’m doing to recover.
[I posted this on the Slowtwitch.com Triathlon Forum after I had back surgery in July 2020]
Preparing for a Microdiscectomy and Laminectomy – L5/S1 Lumbar Spine
I wanted to start a thread about “preparing for a microdiscectomy and laminectomy” in the hope it would help a lot of you who have made a decision to have the procedure. And I also wanted to give an overview of immediate life after microdiscectomy surgery based on the specific instructions I was given by my surgeon. And also give readers a list of the items I bought pre and post-op that helped in my recovery. Standard disclaimers, I am not a Doctor, don’t rely on anything I say as medical advice, do everything at your own risk etc, etc, blah, blah, blah…
- Introduction
- Treat your Pre-Hab as Seriously as your Re-Hab.
- Microdiscectomy Immediate Post-Op Life.
- Stuff I bought Pre and Post-Surgery to Help.
- Other Stuff that Helped.
- Current Status and Exercise Program – September 1, 2020.
Introduction.
Lots of readers are searching this forum in anticipation of having a microdiscectomy as well as those, like me, that have had the procedure and are looking for help in recovery. Lots of you are also trying to get some form of reassurance as to the path back and what your prospects are for training/racing again. So I’m assuming for the purposes of this post that you’ve made the decision to have a microdiscectomy/or are about to have one. “Misery” loves company but so does “hope”. That’s why this forum was a great inspiration for me as I debated the “surgery” or “no-surgery” question right up to the night before when I finally started freaking out about what I was getting myself in to. I wanted to be that guy who came out of surgery positioned to be stronger than before as well as better educated about how to manage my training at 57 years old in a way that was going to keep me pain-free and turning up at the start line. Read More
Some thoughts on investing in the outdoor and consumer sectors
Lifelong adventurer Craig Cooper is continuing his search for passion and profits. The former co-host of the CNBC’s outdoor investment show “Adventure Capitalists,” is joining the judging panel this month for The Pitch, a OneSeed sponsored event where budding outdoor entrepreneurs present their gear ideas for a chance to win a cash prize and product exposure.
Six alternative sleep therapies I’ve been experimenting with
The last 6 months I’ve been experimenting with a number of alternative ways to increase the quality of one of the core foundations of my wellness program – sleep.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that sleep, above everything else that I do to stay healthy and fit at 55, is the main foundation of my overall wellness program.
Without a good nights sleep, everything else that I do falls apart irrespective of how well I eat, how much I train or meditate, or anything else I do for my overall wellness during my waking hours.
For 50+ guys like me sleep is not just a number – it’s a critical part of overall health and it can have a massive metabolic and hormonal affect on us as we age if we don’t get enough of it. The health affects of too little quality sleep? Everything from decreased testosterone and human growth hormone, increased insulin resistance to decreased memory and cognitive function, to increased systemic inflammation (which is seen by many as probably the #1 killer of men). The list goes on – it’s no joke. Read More
Heading to Outdoor Retailer in July to judge start-ups and new tech innovations
Wayfinder is excited to announce that Craig Cooper will be joining our panel of judges at The Pitch – Presented by GearJunkie on July 24th at Outdoor Retailer. Craig Cooper is a 55 year old serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, author, and TV host. He was the co-founder of Boost Mobile (USA), the Managing Director and Head of Venture Capital at Saban Ventures, and a founding Partner in the Softbank Capital Technology Fund.
Craig was also the co-host of the CNBC outdoor investment show “Adventure Capitalists” and is currently the Founder and Managing Partner of The Action Fund, an early stage venture capital fund focused on the health, wellness, & outdoor sector.
Latest podcast is up with OpenSkyFitness
Finding your tribe. How to live a life of peak performance after 40 – and much more. Merry Christmas people! Listen here.
I took Metformin for a week and here’s what happened
[Postscript: I wrote this article 3-years ago. In 2018 I went back on Metformin as the science continued to stack up on the long term health benefits – especially for someone like me with a genetic predisposition to prostate cancer and type II diabetes, and that’s leaving aside the other benefits like anti-aging and fast-mimicking. And I found that after a month of going back on it I no longer had any side effects as noted in the original article. I’m taking the lowest dose possible – 500mg a day and at 0.80 cents a month it’s a bargain. As they say on the ads – “talk to your doctor to see if Metformin is right for you”.]
The following is the original article published in 2017. The science is still valid today:
I admit it: I took metformin for a week, the leading prescribed drug for treatment of type 2 diabetes (59.2 million units prescribed) in the United States alone and taken by 80 million people around the world. This medication has been around for more than half a century and is often touted as a wonder drug for individuals with type 2 diabetes as well as for those living with other health challenges.
My reasons for buying metformin were highly personal: I have a genetic predisposition for both prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes (I’m not diabetic but I swing in and out of pre-diabetes based on my daily blood sugar readings), and I’m getting older (who isn’t!). I did copious amounts of research and it seemed on all three counts (prostate cancer prevention, managing type 2 diabetes (increasing insulin sensitivity), and anti-aging), it truly was a wonder drug. Oh, and I had also read that pretty much every billionaire in Silicon Valley was on it – mainly for it’s purported life extension benefits (as it can mimic the effect of calorie restriction – see more below).
Before I went on it I wanted to get some key blood indicators taken, specifically:
So I did that.
The plan was to have these indicators measured before taking metformin and then again, one month later. I really wasn’t looking at metformin as a drug – I was looking at it more as a “superfood”. Could it really have all these purported benefits with no real side effects? Why wouldn’t I take it? After all, I don’t take any other drugs so I had no real risk of the “cocktail effect” whereby it could have possibly interacted with other medications. Read More
