Life is a plethora of choices I love calling life a smorgasbord. You can go to this table and have a little bit of this, and go over there and have a little bit of that, then dive at the dessert bar.  Today I feel like talking about a big part of the human smorgasbord, and guiding young people. Todays is sex education day. No not sex, AHHHHHHH help help!  Being a health instructor I do see many things that bother me, and are half-truths presented at the entire picture. That is unethical at least, and a bold lie at worst.

Sex education would be very easy if we were amebas, you eat, you split into two, eat more, and split in two again. Even if we were dogs it would be easy, female dog reaches estrus, male dogs smell it, come hit that, then puppies are born.  Do we humans get it that easy, NNNNOOOOOOO! But we can keep perspective on it. I teach sex as I do life. It is another set of choice you will have to make, the more true information you have, the better your choices will be.  So I am going to “fail” abstinence only sex education.

Before any of you release the attack dogs on me, remember I said abstinence ONLY education. First lets examine where healthy sex education and abstinence only education agree. Sex education for young people does and should encourage abstinence. No pregnancy, no infections, no other issues. Now we will branch off where we disagree and where ab-only education fails.

The journal of adolescent health showed that 85% of young people break the until marriage oath. ( people under 20) Not having any other education than don’t do it until married guess what, they go straight to unprotected intercourse. Well we know what is going to happen with unprotected intercourse. So what happens next? Government and busybodies go up in arms over the teen pregnancy rates, and demand more abstinence education to stop the screwing.  The same journal article shows that billions are spent on ab-only education, thing is we the people are financing more and more failure.  Promoting something that is a proven failure confuses me. See no sex, heard no sex, speak no sex is not human nature, and to ask a young person, or any person to fight millions of years of hard wiring is ludicrous. 

The options? Abstinence does include (coughing) masturbation. (whew I said it and the sky did not fall). It is a very valid choice for young people, and is not evil, nor will you go blind. Your body is not filthy, your thoughts and urges are not dirty. They are part of being human. It is really no different that eating or breathing. So you are not going to hell or going to go blind. 90% of all people admit to having done this, 10 % lied about having done this.

Even with in the realm of young persons first romantic relationships it is a sound choice. All kid these days have cell phone, why not call each other while alone, and talk about XXX? Even if they go so far as to (bleep) in the same room, they can agree to a "one must be dressed" contract. They gain the human intimacy, they get the urge out of the way, no pregnancy, no infection, no harm. To counter the argument that this will lead to intercourse faster than abstinence. No, the young people are not thinking in all or nothing. It actually teachs young people negoation and relationships skills. (J Am Psychoanal Assoc. 2008 Mar;56(1):123-46.)

The next option is (if I can say it), “going down.” (wow  I have a filthy mouth today huh? smile) Again they can have a one-person dressed agreement and the others gets to be the “treat.” This does carry more risks, as we are now as high as lottery odds of infection or pregnancy, not zero. It can be mixed with option one to give more things to do other than have intercourse.

Of course next we hit the on the hot topic of news shows. Condoms. There is a mountain of research that demonstrates that this barrier is 98% effective when used properly. They always have been 98% always will be 98%. You get to be far more intimate with your partner, and the risks are now 2 in 100. Actually you still have a higher risk of a car wreck than infection or pregnancy.  Of course those are mathematical odds, children of broken condoms will attest to that.  The odds are not better than outer-course, they are better than unprotected sex, big difference.  But in the universal scheme of things it is far far safer than unprotected sex.

So with young people having options they know of they can make better choices. Virgin until married is a valid choice, being a responsible person with your body is also a choice, neither is completely wrong or completely right. As a health fitness profession I am ethically bound to provide accurate information to empower people.

We need to remind young people, actually all people. It is your life, it is your body, you are in command, you own your decisions. Not some government official, not some yap dog on TV, not some local official, not someone who wants to screw you, nobody is more qualified to say what happens to your body. Everyone has an agenda including you, but we know where the lines are and where when they are crossed.  Anyone who tells you that you are not qualified to make your own choices is not on your side. They are only interested in their own agenda. The first thing any manipulator will do is limit your choices. Life is not that small, don’t let the small brains convince you other wise. Informed consent is your right, and anyone with your best interest in mind will see you have it.

MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

I can laugh now safely. Our daughter can home with her project from art day. Here is how it went.

“Mommy I made a picture of you.”

“You made a picture of mommy, awww, let me see.”

“It’s a pig!? You think mommy is a pig?”

“Yeah oink oink oink”

Poor Becky looked like she was about to cry. She had to regroup and excuse it as a kid thing. It was a very nice pig, circles cut out of construction paper for body, head and piggy nose.  Of course I was totally supportive, and was in no way about to bust out laughing.  BAWHAHAHAHAHA! I also kept all comments to myself, snickering. Would a sane husband really walk up to his wife and ask her to squeal like a piggy? Why do all women have the exact same "watch it buster" look?

Yesterday was also my sons 6^th grade end of year send off. It was pleasant, all had pizza and soda with other snacks. They handed out awards, my son got most likely to be an author, and a commendation from the principal. Not bad.

Geez, all this and we are just now at the half way point? This was the easy half, ABC &1-2-3. No cars, dating, drugs, grades for career placement, each year gets more important as we go on. EEE GADS!

Other than no Gifted education this year, the year went by ok. It was my son’s least favorite year.  We got along with his teacher well that made it better.  The only call we got from the school was when the nurse was lecturing about sex education, and made a mistake, my son caught the mistake and corrected the teacher in front of the class.  The nurse was wigged out because someone that young should not have that type of knowledge. The teacher and principal calmed her down, and told her we both have health degrees. Nobody got accused of inappropriate stuff.

Sex education! AACCK! The only sex ed we got in school was a shaking pointy finger saying “don’t fool around.” Yeah that worked well, my Jr year every girl in the senior class was pregnant, no I am not kidding. We just tell him what is what openly and honestly. We do strongly encourage abstinence because of the logic in that. No pregnancy, no disease, no other issues. It is easier to do college without a kid, and once you have a career you will appear highly attractive to potential mates.  He makes funny sarcastic comments any time a sex scene happen on TV or in a movie. “They ruin a perfectly good show with sex, and some girl waving her butt, lets get back to the show.”  It is so funny but, that will change soon, and I will miss it.

I am very proud how we always get compliments on how well our kids behave and are fun to be around. I hope to keep it going. Who invented parenting anyway? No vacation, no sick leave, and you do not get performance feedback for 18 years! What a silly system. I will be 89 years old, and still worry if they are ok. Sigh!

My running is progressing nicely.  I reached my  goal of 10 miles yesterday.  Yaaay.  That goal along with my goal of 30 miles a week. Ultimatly my goal is 45 miles a week, and a 15 mile weekly long run.

I stated a bit slow with achilles tendinitis from my first three weeks.  Blowing the achilles can end any running hope i have, plus being miserable.  So over December and January I used the bike and ran minimally. I finally got my legs flexible and strong enough to handle the extra mileage.

From all the research I can find it seems with running there are a few magic numbers, or milestones. First is 15 miles a week. This will keep you in a health fitness standard, and add about two years to your life, manage weight. The next milestone is 30-35 miles. This level will reverse damage done to your arteries, and your blood lipid profile will be excellent. The final milestone is 45 miles. This qualifies you to physically run a marathon. Runners who ran under 40 miles per week have Troponin in their blood after a marathon, and sigh of oxygen deprived heart muscle. When doctors think you are having a heart attack they look for Troponin in your blood.  This can explain why some athletes suddenly keel over during a marathon.

Barring any long term illness or injury I should be marathon qualified by this time next year. It will be this fall before my long run hits 15 miles. It will probably be another year before I regain elite status and can consider Boston marathon, or Bah-stan, I probably should not go back east if I am going to make fun of accents.  No I am not going to run many marathons, I will mostly be in the 5K-10K range.  Boston is just a life dream for most runners.

This fall I will incorporate more plyometrics and resistance training. Running is all about power to weight ratio, ballistic training brings that.  I am a good 15 pounds lighter than I was in January.  I hope I can complete a marathon when I am 80 :).

HUMMMM.. With all the election stuff, seems all over blog land people are asking and thinking about character, morals, & ethics. News reports of "family values" politicians playing around with call girls, and stuff. CEOs looting company assets and retirement plans to line their own pockets.  Politicians making promises we know are bogus, but yet allow them to do their plan, and somehow forget to hold them to their half.

Like with Clinton (the mister) as soon as you think of him, you then go right to the Monica thing.  Though neither he or she ( the misses) will confirm it, some folks who are personally close to the Clintons imply they have an open marriage. That changes the rules alot. Except you should not play at work, geez. 

It seems with politicians, and those who are looking to romantically date or simply befriend someone it is like you are extending "character credit."   Then with a normal marriage the wave of euphoria wears off, and you realized you married a human, who can drive you up a wall.  Then politicians to dumb human things, other do down right dirty illegal things feeling they are above the law. Reality sets in over time no matter what.

Watching westerns character was a big part of the story.  Back then people fought and died over reputation, honor, and the like. Many samurai stories adapted well as westerns because of that theme.  A John Wayne character saying "me and him go back a long ways" said a lot more than just the words. 

Seems the only real truth is action. There is truth in dishonest action. What someone does day to day is the reality of who they are. People do first what is important to them, the rest is just details. Some guy who says his wife and kids are important, but is at the bar until 11 every night, makes you wonder. Where a guy who is at home with his family never has to say anything. 

In fitness you know how much time we spend talking about fitness? HAHAHA! If people could move their bodies as much as they move their mouths we would be the healthiest nation on the planet.  We could run the Kenyans into the ground, and out lift the Eastern Europeans.

I wonder how many stupid sob stories judges get from repeat offenders? How sorry, how stupid, how it will never happen again, three arrests ago.  Maybe I could get on the pop culture bandwagon with my life coaching, and market instant character repair. Here you are now a good person on a silver platter, yippy hurray!  "Here is Betty, she used to do drugs and beat her kids, but after 30 days on my program, she is a saint."  I think part of who we are is the restitution we pay others and to our selves. Like fitness, I have no magic bullets.

As I got older, maybe not wiser, but definitely older, I find it rewarding to walk the walk.  I am so far from a saint it is ridiculous but I do believe there are certain things we must challenge ourselves to do and to become to be human beings.  Pop culture talks of building self esteem, and helping others build theirs. That comes from real accomplishments. No you can not be the best and fastest all the time, but you can get yourself to the game. If you do what it takes day in and day out the odds say you have to come out a head.  If you do what you feel passionate about you really can't lose.

Ok, something I never thought I would dread, and don't dread in most ways, did manage to happen yesterday.

My son told me a dirty joke!

Never mind him! I am not old enough for for him to be telling dirty jokes! AAAAAHHH!

He is always telling me "hey dad want to hear a joke?" Typical school yard stuff, that has not changed for years he tell me the classic oldies. What is funny is him intrepreting the jokes for me, from his point of view.

But yesterday! When the joke started with "This space alien walked by two nuns" Any joke with nuns is doomed from the start.  He saw my expression change with two nuns, then warned me it might be a bit risque~, yes he uses words like risque~.

Before he tried to explain it to me, I manged to cut in and remind him that it is ok with me, but many others will not appreciate this humor, and to be very careful. I do not want a call from the school. 

I know boys become young men, but geez, there is never prep time for parents to adjust!

I discovered my Spouse reads my blogs. SO now I can send her a Valentine for free, and be a real cheapo.

Muhahahahhaha!!