Pushups... (an open note to my friend, Sam.)

Thanks, Sam, for the tip.  I did the 13 question test* (see internet address below) and discovered that I am going to live 102 years!  Oh dear me!  I say, “Okay, Lord, but only if you give me the energy, ability, voice and the invitations to preach several times per week until you take me home!”  

Sam, I learned a great secret from tall skinny 80+ year old Evangelist Hal Herman while he was preaching a church-planting crusade for me in Argentina… along with his much younger, beautiful wife who was a concert violinist.  It was really his wife that told me his secret.  She said that he did 80 push-ups alongside the bed every morning upon rising! 

For many years I have been trying to get out and do a brisk walk early in the morning… usually two miles when I am in California.  But about a year ago I decided to try to strengthen my upper body muscles.  Instead of trying to do pushups off the dirty floor (since I live from hotel to hotel) I decided to do them off the bed.  I place my feet stretched behind me with only my toes touching the floor and push up off the bed.  This is much easier to do than to push up off the floor, because you are not totally horizontal and thus lifting less of your body weight… depending upon the height of the bed. (Try it.)  I started with 15 pushups, went to 24, then to 34… many times to 50 or 60 and on occasions have gone up to 80… and one time recently to 115.  Yesterday I did 45, today only 34.  I always stop when my heart tells me to. When I was in California I was doing 34 before my 2 mile fast walk and 34 more after my walk just before my shower and 34 again before retiring at night… to arrive at 100+ per day. 

Advantages: I can do this almost anywhere.  It does not require joining a gym plan and paying money.  It does not require losing time driving to the gym.  It does not require buying some clumsy, expensive workout machine to clutter your living room.  But it successfully does get me breathing deeply (hyperventilating).  It pushes my heart-beat up to somewhere near 100 and makes my whole body perspire.  Since I have a history of heart problems, I asked my doctor several times about the wisdom of this.  His answer seems non-committal.  He said, “Well, that gets easier to do with practice, doesn’t it?” Duhh!  So?  Anyway my biceps have expanded noticeably. 

Now when I look in the mirror I see this young, powerful body with bulging muscles flexing all over the place.  Then I put on my glasses and see some scrawny old man that must have just dropped in to visit without knocking.  But the old man feels better about himself now… ha.

Ralph (sprinting into his final 22 years on this planet)

*(for the 13 question test to discover how long you will live... go to http://media.nmfn.com/tnetwork/lifespan/)