Barber maybe thinking about Retirement at 94

At least once a month a story like this pops up and I jump for joy. This time the story is about 94 year old Elvie Lewis (love the name) of Los Angeles who reports to work 5 days a week at his Barbershop. Elvie as been cutting hair for over 58 years! Throughout the five decades of cutting hair Elvie's shop has endured the different styled cuts and decor.

What brings people back is the atmosphere and conversation. Several items jumped out at me from this article and they were reminders of what keeps us passionate and young:

Do something you are truly passionate about. Elvie has been doing this for 58 years and still does it.

Keep active. Elvie works 5 days a week from 7am to 5pm. That is very active for man in his 90's. Get out and walk, ride a recumbent, swim and breath some fresh air. This not only does the body wonders but the mind as well.

Have friends. The barbershop (or hairdresser, saloon ect...) is a place where conversation occurs and stimulates the mind. These conversations can now be extended and continued on Facebook (join Sidewinder here)

Smile. In the only picture of Elvie he is smiling but for some reason I know that from the article that this man is always laughing and smiling. So put a smile on that face :)

Click here for Article on Elvie

Monitoring your RPE (Rating of Percieved Exertion)

As the New Year begins and more people are getting out and exercising a main question arises, "how does one monitor your exercise tolerance"?

Exercise tolerance is defined: The RPE is a means of determining how hard you are exerting yourself, including physiological (how hard you are breathing, how fast your heart is beating) and muscular strain (how much you feel the exertion in your muscles). The scale measures your answer to the question: "How hard do you feel the exercise is?" The scale goes from 6 to 20.

RPE scale Rating number Perceived exertion
6 Very, very light
7
8 Very light
9
10 Light
11
12 Somewhat hard
13
14 Hard
15
16 Very hard
17
18
19 Very, very hard

To increase your cardio level it is recommended to vary your workout schedule with light days moderate and hard. Use the scale to evaluate your work outs and always have fun when out riding your recument.

You ask, how can Mileage bring joy to you.

As we so often do, we received an email note from a long time customer and fan of Sidewinder Cycle recumbent trikes, especially our SportZ recumbent, that was happy to share he's love for Sidewinder Cycles and most importantly, how many miles he has rode. With permission, here is the note:

Hi Jim & all-

Just a quick note to thank you for a great Bike! Everything is running well and I just passed the 1500 Mi. Mark on my "SideWinder Sport Z" (LOVE this machine!).

We are in our rainy season here in Oregon, however I'm still able to get a few miles most every day between showers! Best Regards Joe

Here's a snap of my bike computer.

Thanks to Joe for sharing with us.

Look 101 year old man purchases!

101 year old man knows what he wants.

84 year old Bikes 150 miles for MS

Thought that after the last post (re. Conviction of Dr. who injured cyclist) that we needed some uplifting news. Found this wonderful piece when having my hot tea the other morning and wanted to share not only the great feat of riding 150 miles but more stunning was the attire she wore!

New Jersey Shore is where this amazing story took place with 84 year old Lan Yin Tsai who is a still practicing massage therapist for MS patients. Every year the National MS Society organizes fundraiser rides across the country to bring awareness and to raise money for the fight against MS.

On the starting line, Lan Yin Tsai was mounted on her single speed Purple bike with a wire basket in front wearing a Green Turtleneck dress with an embroidered jacket and high-heeled pumps! When asked why she dressed like this her response was that she went to church, so I always dressed up and would ride my bicycle. Truly Amazing!

Her grandson rode the 150 miles with her and she finished again. She usually finishes last but has many well wishers waiting for her at the end.

See full story here

Phsyician Convicted for deliberately injuring cyclist

On Monday November 2, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Scott T. Millington ordered the 60 year old Doctor to be jailed immediately after Deputy District Attorney Mary Stone asked for Thompson to be jailed immediately, calling him a flight risk and a safety threat to all cyclist.

This court case stems from the incident in 2008 where Dr. Thompson deliberately slammed on his brakes in front of two cyclist. One cyclist was thrown into the back wind shield of the car and the other was thrown over the car. Bot sustained injuries from the accident.

Dr. Thompson had a prior incident with cyclist four months earlier but the cyclist were not injured. There has been growing tension between cyclist and motorist in this particular stretch of highway. Dr. Thompson was convicted of mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon and other charges. Sentencing will be on December 3rd where the Doctor could face up to 10 years in prison.

Full story here

Be Safe

To Stop or Not Stop

"If there weren't cars, we wouldn't need stop signs", says Andy Thornley of SF Bicycle Coalition. A recent article on MSN Slate discussed current bicycle laws and how in DC right now there seems to be a trend of stricter enforcement meaning people are actually receiving tickets. Yikes!

There seems to be two groups of thought here, the "vehicularists" and "facilitators." Proponents of "vehicular cycling" believe bikes should act as cars: occupy full lanes, stop at red lights, use a hand signal at least 100 feet ahead of a turn. Facilitators, meanwhile, say we should change the laws and the environment to recognize the innate differences between bikes and cars basically meaning adding more bike lanes and trails.

Safety is always the number one priority for both and how we get there I hope does not distract from the combined advocacy that these groups bring. I want more trails and also to be able to ride on the road but I know I must follow those laws as well. Here is the full article for your interest and let us know what you think.

http://www.slate.com/id/2232555/pagenum/all/#p2

Keeping it bent,


Michael