Picturesque – nestled upon a hill with views spanning the valley and opposing hills. Moss and damp jasmine covered two track  dirt road to villa (which we ride our bikes up and down each day to reach pavement). We are layered in clothes from the damp, cool and rain-soaked air. Scents collide from the fertile earth and and bursting buds.

front yard of villa

All arrived from various destinations including the bikes. Much celebration, wine, cheese, more cheese, tomatoes, bread, more bread, salami, proscuitto, Italian bologna, and the luscious olive oil of the region.

This is only the first of five courses!

C’era una volta – So tale begins

Hercules

One thing I have discovered is that the Greeks and the Romans had a knowledge of and appreciation for the human body and its anatomy. Sculptures of naked men are everywhere. The male body was an acknowledged object of beauty in ancient Greece and crafted with elegant symmetry and form.

Today’s tour of the Vatican Museum displayed several beautifully sculpted and ripped specimens. Note how the sculptures show an etched, almost six-pack stomachs, cut pectorals, and a defined iliac crest characteristic in a lean torso when muscles are strongly developed. Also notice the powerful thighs and articulated calf muscles.

And Michelangelo’s pictorial story of creation on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the Last Judgment on the wall behind the alter are filled with naked, deeply cut and toned muscular bodies.

Hotel Champagne - how apropos

Settled into Hotel Champagne along a quiet street several blocks from the Termini (train station). Scooters and motorcycles buzzing around everywhere.

Common mode of transportation

First stop on Day 1 in Roma was the Coliseum, built when the Roman Empire was at its peak in 80 A.D. Home of the Gladiators (mostly prisoners of war, slaves, or freedmen who desired to test their manlihood and athletic prowness), who fought to their death.

Colosseo

Next door was the Roman Forum, the birthplace of Rome and it’s great civic center.

Foro Romano

Then onto Palatine Hill raising above the Forum, home to many emperors and filled with remnants of palaces, including the great stadium of chariot races and other athletic competitions.

Stadium of athletic competitions

The National Museum of Rome was like entering a house of marble – the floors, the stairs, and oh my, the statues! It houses the greatest collection of ancient Rome marble statues, mosaics, and frescos. Love those Roman athletes, and their appreciation for well-toned and healthy bodies, great  minds and social skills for to lead a well-rounded life. Here is the best-preserved Roman copy of the Greek Discus Thrower.

Infamous Greek discus thrower

Apollo

Athlete in bronze

Oh my - check out that deltoid!

Yes, it is the Baconator Triple Burger! Beating out it’s rivals – Supersonic Cheese Burger, BK Quad Stacker, Bread Bowl Pasta, and the Double Double with Onions- by over 300 calories.

Beginning next year, OBama’s health care policy requires all restaurant chains with more than 20 locations to post calorie counts and other nutritional information. Let’s hope that those who enjoy these artery clogging delicacies can read labels. Only in America does Chicken McNuggets and large fries look like health food. But once consumers get a full dose of information, they’ll learn about the 1,330-calorie, 38-grams of saturated fat monster topping the list…..the BACONATOR TRIPLE.

Check out this full listing of calorie, fat, and salt ladden goodies to see if your favorite is on the list.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-24/the-40-deadliest-fast-food-meals/#gallery=1456;page=1

Sally dog was barking frantically on my front patio today. Living on 11 arces of Tucson desert I  know that Sally only barks when there’s some varmits out there – coyotes, javelinas, illegals. So I went to check on what all the racket was about.

Surprise, I had one long slithering vistior at my door. And Sally, having been to rattle snake school, was not liking it one bit. She was warning me that danger was close by. Sally has taken on the role of caretaker and guardian of the property. I see her patrolling the perimeter and up on the berm down by the wash…just keeping an out for trespassers of any size, shape or species.

Sally dog - companion and protector

Well this vistior was just one big f…. gopher snake. No rattles this time. Just a reminder to watch were you’re stepping.

So why do only 3.8% of elementary schools, 7.9% of middle schools, and 2.1% of US high schools provide daily physical education. And many of these programs do not meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Children of 60 mins. of physical activity per day.

Eliminating physical education and recess so that more time can be spent preparing for standardized testing is shortsighted and small minded. Numerous studies have shown that physical activity can enhance mental clarity and boost academic achievement. Howell Wechsler, Director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health for the CDC and his colleagues reviewed fifty studies that examined the effect of school-based physical activity on academic performance.

Key findings include:

• Recess can improve students’ attention and concentration and ability to stay on task.

• Increased time in PE classes can help children’s attention and concentration and achievement test scores.

• Short physical activity breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes in the classroom can improve attention span.

• Participation in sports teams and physical activity clubs, often organized by the school and run outside of the regular day can improve grade point average, school attachment, educational aspirations and the likelihood of graduation.

How do you feel if you miss your daily bout of physical activity for one or more days? Sluggish, heavy, less mental clarity, low energy, edgy, a bit depressed. Even a stretch break or a brief walk mid day can rev you up for the tasks at hand.

Check out these tips for active classrooms.

Just another amazing benefit of regular physical activity. So get out and lobby your school district to include daily physical education for all grade levels. It’s time to help kids get fit and stay focused!

There is just something about being out on the open road in the elements of nature – the fresh air, sunshine, wind, smells, vistas – the climbs and the down hills – riding with a group, pace line or solo. It takes you away from the day-to-day structure and routine and allows the mind and body to fully engage all of your senses with the world around you.

163 miles in two days – Tucson to Nogales and back. Yes, I am tired. Yes I am a bit stiff. Yet what an exhilarating feeling. Great riding, wonderful dinner at la Roca’s in Nogales, Mexico, and amazing companions. Life is good! So get out there and live it!

We don't ride all day

Hey, there's time for a quick siesta

Flats are just part of the experience

Bring on the margaritas

El Groupo heading back to Tucson

Find out when you take the American Heart Association’s My Life Check Assessment and get your personal heart heath score and design a plan to keep you on track for lifetime health. The assessment includes the Simple 7 health risk factors

•  physical activity

•  cholesterol

•  blood pressure

•  smoking

•  weight

•  diet

•  blood sugar

Remember that every choice you make can significantly impact your health. It’s time to take responsibility for your personal health and embrace a life health plan. So get started today and check out your score.

PASS IT ON –  to all of your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors!

How can you not be out on your bike (or on a trail) on a Tucson day like today? WOW the desert marigolds and brittlebush are peaking and it’s a sea of yellow. If you haven’t been to Saguaro  East – get on out there! the red blooms of the ocotillo are about to burst forth.

And just a reminder – Syncardia – you don’t need no stinking email to ride. Sunday, 7:30 -Udall!

Don't ya love it when you forget to clip out!

Ride on!

What if there was a vaccine or a  pill to reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, some cancers, osteoarthritis and dementia, in addition to reducing the incidence of many of the common maladies of the 21^st century including fatigue, heart burn, decreased sex drive, low back pain, frequent headaches, difficulty sleeping, snoring, depression, and anxiety. Would you take it and comply with the prescription and dosage? I’d say – “absolutely”.

If you agree – then lace up your walking shoes and get active! Because physical activity undeniably and positively affects all of the above conditions! The debate is over. The evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable. Physical activity is the most under utilized and under prescribed medicine to promote health and reduce disease on the market. If physical activity were a pharmaceutical or surgical procedure it would be prescribed for everyone. But it doesn’t have a CPT code. There is no reimbursement and no big pharma behind exercise.

And here’s more good info…It is well documented that health claims increase as activity levels decrease. In fact, inactive persons cost $1543 per year more than active people in health insurance claims. Just think of the savings if we could get the 80% of physically inactive Americans active!

Here’s the average cost of a pharmaceutical regime to manage several prominent disease conditions:

•  $8000 /yr to maintain a pt on a 4-drug therapy post-angioplasty

•   $7000/yr to maintain a pt on a 3-drug therapy for bone health

•  $8000/yr to maintain a pt on 3-drug therapy to reduce dementia

Now compare those dollars to what it would cost to participate in an exercise program for a year. And I ask – Why do we jump so quickly and confidently to the little purple, blue or white pill when physical activity overwhelmingly has demonstrated the same or greater outcomes and benefits to health in terms of reducing disease risk and managing chronic conditions?

So here is your charge – share this information with everyone you know. My next several blogs are going to give you some great tools and strategies to get moving and stay active. So PASS IT ON!