The UNhealthy Care Debate

We are in the middle of a health care debate in this country. It's kind of hard to follow. Our elected leaders and a whole host of lobbyists, business owners and medical professionals are fighting toward compromise on a lot of complicated issues that many think will help us what? . . .be a healthier nation? Mainly the Bill now being debated in our congress is focused on care and coverage for the unhealthy. I understand that there are many complexities here but we all would have an easier time sorting through this if we were a healthier nation.
We are not a healthy nation and we are trending toward even worse health.

Consider this the minority report.

Obesity is a big problem . Its not just being a little overweight but really overweight. And guess which country ranks #1 as the fattest country in the world? Maybe you haven't been paying attention - its the US. Check out this chart by the OECD And being obese causes lots of serious health problems. Obesity-related medical conditions contribute to 300,000 deaths each year, second only to smoking as a cause of preventable death in the US (JAMA, 1996; 276:1907-1915) and it looks like if current trends continue it will pass smoking before long. Check out this scary chart on the obesity epidemic in America
So all of this was on my mind when I came across an article in the "Health and Fitness in the News" section on my blog. (Scroll down on the right side). In Texas they wanted to assess the fitness levels of school aged kids. Maybe they were thinking they might learn something about fitness trends. Anyway, the details of this fitness assessment can wait to be debated another time, I just ask that you have a look at that chart in the upper left of this post (click on it to view it larger.) On the left of the chart are the school districts where this assessment was conducted. I'm certain that various socioeconomic and ethnic factors are involved in the range of kids who scored "fit" on this assessment but take a look at the trends. On average third graders are fitter than sixth, ninth and twelfth graders. Actually the trend goes exactly that way, as the kids get older they are less fit. Less fit means less healthy. We are not teaching our kids to be fit and healthy. We are not addressing the core problem.

The illiteracy rate in the US is only 1%. If we could get the obesity rate that low we would be having a very different health care debate.

No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office.

-Covert Bailey

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Adventure Based Fitness Training

Lots of people have been asking me about my "adventure based fitness training" so I thought I'd take some time and explain my perspective.

People go to a personal trainer for a variety of reasons. For most its either to loose weight, to look better physically, to get stronger and fitter and to learn something about leading a more healthy lifestyle and the physical and emotional benefits that result.

All of these are good sound reasons but most people have a very difficult time following through on them.

I put a lot of thought into a better approach and eventually realized that what I do for me will be great for all my clients.

I pick an adventure type goal (like my last one: running from Magic Island over the mountains to Kailua Beach and then going back on my paddleboard.) and then outline a training program to get me in peak shape for my adventure. That works! If all I focused on was the goal of being "in shape" I wouldn't be very motivated.

Ok, I'll bet your thinking that kind of goal isn't realistic for everyone. Of course everyone needs their own adventure goal. Something that you can't do now but could with a few months of focused work.

I remember Karla who didn't like the sun, the wind and especially didn't like salt or chlorinated water. Yet she has found adventure in the stairwell of her condo. When I first met with her she couldn't make it to the second floor and three months later after loosing 16 lbs. and having her blood pressure and LDL cholesterol drop she made it to the 14th floor - more excited than I've EVER seen her be. She's a different person really. Stoked now about life because of a little adventure, some exercise and a healthier lifestyle.

It took me a month to get Tom to make his adventure the Koko Crater hike (the one straight up the side on the railroad ties.) He really wanted to see that view and get some photos but didn't believe he could do it. Three months later this 70yo grandfather now has enough photos from the top to clog the email in box of both his kids and grandkids.

Some other adventures in the works are a beach walk (I think a little wading is involved too) from Kailua to the Makai Pier by Sea Life Park. That's about eight miles. A swim from Portlock (China Walls) to Black Point (five miles) is also in the works. That one will be a real adventure for a mid thirties businessman who used to swim competitively in high school and college but has done little swimming since. His kids are excited too.

I know some people like the gym atmosphere and sometimes gym workouts are an important part of training but I've never seen anyone have a life changing experience on the stair machine. I do see that quite often though on mountains, in the ocean and sometimes even in stairwells.

I am a Certified Personal Trainer accredited through the National Council on Strength and Fitness.

I charge $50 per hour. The basic package (also the minimum package) is $75 a week - a one hour session and all the email and phone coaching you need and the day by day workout schedule you need to have a successful adventure. We can add hours as necessary - or not. Some well motivated people are fine with the meeting once a week. Some people need much more.
I don't charge anything for the first meeting.

Send me an email, tell me a little about you and we can get you started on a life changing adventure.

kozhawaii@gmail.com

Why Athletes Need to Rest

I know a lot of people who train too hard. That might sound funny coming from me but hear me out. I do train hard but I understand the importance of rest.
I want to start with some of the warning signs of over training.

You can't sleep
Your times are getting slower
You are often tired
You have muscle and joint pain when you are not exercising
You have an elevated resting heart rate
And you are often in a bad mood

So just what is happening to your body during over training to make you feel this way? Its not what is happening but what's not happening. Your body's repair and maintenance functions aren't working well and in extreme cases aren't working at all. During rest ( rest = Heart Rate at 50% or less of Max) you repair tissue, replenish glycogen and build muscle.
If you don't get enough rest the relatively minor tissue damage of normal training doesn't get fixed and you will constantly feel sore and possibly cause serious harm. If you don't rest your body will use up all glycogen stores and not be able to top them off resulting in fatigue and poor performance. And if you don't rest all that hard work will not result in any strength gain because, as you should have learned in P.E., muscles don't get stronger when you are working them but only during the rest periods between workouts.

Right now I go three weeks on and one easy week but the weekly (on) schedule is one day completely off. Two easy days were I mostly focus on technique. Two medium days and two all out days. Rest is an important part of an athletes life.

Memories

Have been busy lately and haven't posted for a while. As of this post I'm back to at least twice weekly. As usual what really pulls me back is the email I get. Keep it coming!
I have been asked a lot about what parts of my last adventure (running from Magic Island, across town, over the Pali to Kailua Beach (14 miles) and then back to Magic Island on my paddle board (28 miles) stand out now that a few months have past. The full moon setting as we drove into the Magic Island parking lot before dawn was a magical way to start. The heat as I was running up Ward Ave. worried me then turned into perfect cool running weather up the Pali. I'll never forget telling my support crew that yes, they had time to stop for a quick breakfast then arriving before them to Kailua Beach way ahead of schedule. It took almost twice as long as I thought to get to the Makai Pier - uh oh. The paddle around Makapuu was intense. I knew if I were to pull off this race against the setting sun I had to be at Hanauma Bay before 3:30. I got there at exactly 3:30. I knew I would pull it off before sunset when I passed the Diamond head Buoy - I was stoked. Arrived one half hour before sunset to some cheering friends but no support crew. They were still looking for me at the Diamond Head lookout.
Whats next? This coming winter spring I want to do do a few really long paddles. First on the list is Kailua to Ko'olina, a little less than 50 miles. I'm calling it 48. After that one of two 60 mile plus adventures. Either Haliewa to Hawaii Kai or Molokai to Ko'Olina. I measured them both on Google Earth and they both measure 62 miles. Both will be non stop.
If I can do those two I think Kauai is on the list or maybe . . .?

Molokai Paddleboard Race Photos and Results

I did not participate in the Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race this year but waiting at the finish I wish I would have.
Even my wife told me I should have and extracted a promise that I would do it next year. She even started tweeting about it already. Bkozhpr
Jamie Mitchell did it again with a winning time of 4:58. Check out here for all the details.
My next long paddle will be 50 miles from Kailua Beach to the Ko'Olina Resort - just my way of celebrating my 50th birthday.

I have been taking a break from blogging to catch up on everything else in my life. Home improvement being high on the list. Was happy to get lots of email letting me know my posts were missed.
Well. I'm back, I missed it too.
Lots of email questions piling up. I'll run through them quickly.
What next? was one of the most often asked. I am thinking about a paddleboard trip to Kauai. But its not next. I will be turning 50 next year so I'm thinking about a 50 mile paddle - Kailua to Ko'Olina. Maybe Kauai after that.
Any new thoughts on diet after this past adventure? No. I eat food not food products and I drink water. I have been asked about the sponsors for my site. I wore Haber Sunglasses long before they were a sponsor. They are in the same league as Oakley and Maui Jim but better I think. They only sell online and keep the prices way down - less than half of the competitions price.
Pre paid legal services? From a guy who was sued a while back and has spent his time memorizing all the lawyer jokes since, why would I be involved with this kind of business? First, do you know how many lawyer jokes there are? Just a few - the rest are true stories. I became a customer because for less than a cup of coffee a day I now have a legal services plan that helps in most of the legal situations I'm likely to get involved in. If I would have had this plan before I would have saved over $20,000 dollars. Check out the ad on the right.
I getting a lot of photos from friends and will be posting those soon (check out Matt's photo above). I'll also be taking photos of the Molokai paddleboard race. Check back for more.

The Paddle

I started the paddle from Kailua Beach feeling good physically and optimistic mentally. Bill pointed out how windy it was and at the time I just discounted that saying something like " not too windy to me".
The winds were east at what I would call 15 to 25 mph. Whitecaps, wind waves and all of it coming from the direction I had to go.
Left at a few minutes after 11am.
I told Bill I'd be at the pier in Waimanalo in about an hour. It took two and all the time I gained on the run I just lost. Ok, won't happen again. I was still feeling strong as I set off around Makapu'u after about a five minute rest - the only stop
of the whole 28 mile paddle. There were breaking wind waves in the bay and I got hit and knocked off by one. I wouldn't say I was scared but I was concerned. These were miserable paddeling conditions and they weren't likely to improve till I rounded Haunama Bay.
As I paddled out of sight of my support crew conditions got worse. That part of Makapu'u around the corner from the lighthouse is just rocky cliffs and the wind waves hit that wall and bounce back and you get a very confused sea with waves going every direction.
I just went further out where I thought conditions would improve and also to stay far off the rising surf. Paddlers get picked off all the time by waves in these conditions and I didn't want that. I took a conservative way outside line. With all the wind and white caps and waves my support crew never saw me after rounding Makapu'u. I was feeling a bit sick at this time. Partly because of the constant heaving up and down and partly because I was thinking I might not finish by sunset.
The tide was high in this area at about 3:30 and after that I would be fighting the tide as it drains into the Kaiwi Channel from the eastern half of the south shore. I got to Haunama Bay at about 3:30 and still encountered awful conditions along the wall to China Walls where I arrived at about 4pm.
Awful as it was up to this point I knew I had the race won. I know the rest of the way blindfolded and the wind was now at my back although the tide was against me. I had three hours to get back - easy.
Black Point at about 5:30, yeah a bit slow but I was a tired and was at this point paddeling against a strong tidal current. I went way outside here too as the surf was big and getting bigger. Was at the Diamond Head Buoy at about six and from there it was an easy paddle back to Magic Island. It was exciting to see the sun setting and know I was going to win this race. Arrived back at Magic Island to cheers and whistles at 6:42pm , 12 hours and 53 minutes after my sunrise start.
Photos

American Lung Assoc. Press Release

For Immediate Release: June 7, 2009

Media Advisory

Honolulu Athlete Races the Sun – and Wins!

HONOLULU, HI –For Ocean Safety Lifeguard, EMT and waterman, Jeff Kozlovich, 49, yesterday looked like this.

Start running at 5:50 AM at Magic Island, through Ala Moana Center, head for the Pali, up the mountain and down the other side to Kailua Beach, toss off the running shoes and launch the paddle board, head east past Lanikai, around Makapuu Point, paddle past Sandy Beach, Hanauma Bay, Hawaii Kai, Kuliouou, Aina Haina, Kahala, Diamond Head and Waikiki, and finish at Magic Island – before sunset.

The months of training for this mega-exercise adventure paid off. Jeff was over an hour ahead of schedule by the time he reached Kailua Beach Park and set out on his paddleboard into the wind and into rough water. Conditions did not improve until he rounded the corner near Hanauma Bay.

He played it safe and stayed far outside the rising surf – too far for those in his support crew of family, photographer David Cornwell and Ocean Safety Lifeguard Bill Goding to spot. When Jeff arrived back at Magic island at 6:42 PM – 12 hours and 52 minutes after his start and a half hour before sunset - the support crew plus other Lifeguards were still looking for him off Diamond Head.

“It was actually funny- I got there before they did and I wasn’t that tired even at the end. I had wanted to show what a healthy lifestyle can do and I was determined to finish my adventure on time. I didn’t start off as healthy as many folks so I had to work a little harder.”

As a small child, Kozlovich often had chronic bronchitis, which led to hospital stays. His breathing problems and the loss of his aunt to lung cancer led to his decision to make his race with the sun an opportunity to raise funds for American Lung Association in Hawaii. Now he documents his and others’ sports adventures on his blog, kozhawaii.blogspot.com, where anyone can donate to ALA in Hawaii.

Says ALAH Executive Director Jean Evans, “We’re delighted to be the recipient of Jeff’s extreme fitness adventure. His lifestyle shows how important breath is to any athlete. And his loss of a family member to lung cancer and his own past history with chronic breathing problems put him in the company of more than 175,000 people in Hawaii with lung disease.”

Evans says that while not everyone can or should engage in activities like Jeff’s, there are options for other athletes and families to support ALAH. In September, ALAH will again offer The Breathe Ride – a ride-within-a-ride held in conjunction with the Honolulu Century Bike Ride; participants can choose a route from 20-100 miles. Registration is at www.ala-hawaii.org. Kozlovich says he’s already recruiting friends to ride with him - and yes, it will be nothing less than 100 miles.

Racewith the Sun - part two (Pali Lookout to Kailua Beach Park)

I was feeling good when I got to the top of the Pali. I wasn't tired at all and was content for a few moments to take in one of the most spectacular views on the island. But just a few minutes. The Sun was still racing ahead and I wanted to win this race both for my own personal reasons and because I knew the American Lung Association in Hawaii would get lots more publicity and donations if I pulled this off.
For the previous week I was a bit worried about how to get down to the Pali Golf Course from the Old Pali Road but friend and fellow lifeguard Koa Liu volunteered to meet me on the Old Pali and hike with me to show me the way.
He hiked up from the golf course and met me a few hundred yards from the lookout at the top. Thank you Koa. I really was anxious about this part because there are several unmarked splits in the trail which Koa knew well. Got down fast and still feeling good. Koa had his car parked at the golf course and a busy day ahead so we parted at the bottom of the mountain and I kept running through Kailua. Uneventful.
Support car crew went to breakfast after I told them they had plenty of time and I arrived at Kailua Beach Park after walking most of the last mile. I could have done it a lot faster but I wanted to arrive with whatever energy I could for the paddle.
I didn't care if I could do this hours before sunset I just wanted to be certain to do it before sunset.
Even with the very slow last mile I arrived before the support crew and was able to get some good shots of them coming in to the parking lot near the boat ramp.

Some photos

Race with the Sun - part one (Magic Island to the Pali Lookout)

As Beth-Ann and I drove into the Magic Island parking lot a bright full moon was setting. So much do I love moonlight, starlight and wind in the trees at night that it created a deep sense of calm in me. Just the right way to start this day.

David Cornwell was waiting in the parking lot with several cameras around his neck. I was so glad to have a professional photographer along on this one. The three of us walked out to the outside Diamond head corner of Magic Island and I started to stretch while David and Beth-Ann took pictures.

I announced at 5:49 that the Sun had just started and I was going to too. David wanted to get some good shots of the start and would I please run by - slowly. And again, and again . . .I was making some jokes about how the sun wasn't stopping to get any photos but I was so happy to have David here doing this and no one took any of my complaints seriously.

Then I ran across the park to Ala Moana Mall. And Waited. Paced actually. Beth-Ann and David arrived five minutes later and we had another photo shoot.

Then I ran out of the Mall and went up Ke'eaumoku, turned left at Beretania where, you guessed it, we had another photo shoot in front of the Academy of Arts and the park across the street. A few homeless asked if I had a smoke. "NO!"

I turned right on Ward and then walked up the hill to Prospect. It was now quite hot and humid and I was reminded to drink lots of water. I ran again at Prospect and eventually turned up the Pali where it got cooler, windier and even a bit misty.

It has probably been five months since I drove the Pali and I never ran or walked it so I just had the map in my head. I felt good, the conditions were right and I just kept running with a few minute walks thrown in every now and then.

Yeah, we had several photo shoots. The Nu'uanu Valley is dramatically beautiful. The run up was uneventful with the most excitement coming when Beth-Ann stepped in some dog crap while taking some photos. She was not happy.

I was surprised to see the "Pali Lookout" sign two hours out from Magic Island.

Photos from Part one.

Today I'm in digital overload. Lots of photos and video to review. Lots more to come this week.
I want to thank a few people for helping me out. Beth-Ann, you were there from the moment I got up (even before that) and you were part of the adventure all day long and before and after with all the PR and even as assistant photographer and support vehicle driver. Thank you.
Bill, I felt better in the water just knowing you were there. Sorry you had the impossible job of trying to find me in all those whitecaps but somehow I think you understand.
David, what a gift those photos are. David Cornwell Photography
Lots of photos and stories to come this week.
My support team lost sight of me as I rounded Makapu'u and didn't see me again till after I got back to Magic island. That caused a lot of worry and drama. Next time I need to come up with a better plan so those on shore don't worry. I did however arrive at Magic Island exactly when I said I would and those who were waiting there for me were not surprised.
Here are a few photos I randomly pulled out of the hundreds.

I Raced the Sun - and Won

Started at 5:49am (sunrise.) Finished back at Magic island at 6:42pm. Beat the sun by half an hour. Lots to tell and photos too. It's 10:45pm now and I'm going to sleep.Check back tomorrow.