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Precerpt from Grandma's NInja Training Diary (Leaver) - Of Spiders, Stairs, and Ninja Instincts

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  The following is a precerpt (book excerpt prior to publication) from  Grandma's Ninja Training Diary  (Leaver & Renz). Of Spiders, Stairs, and Ninja Instincts Last week, I learned an important lesson about physics... and pride. I'd just lugged 40+ pounds of groceries up 17 stairs, both hands full, feeling like the domestic Hercules. As I approached the door, I spotted an intruder: a spider crawling just above waist height. My options? Put down the bags and squish it like a sensible person… or attempt a ninja-style door kick with one leg while gripping two unevenly weighted grocery sacks. I chose violence. I got the bug. But physics got me. When my foot hit the door, the force reverberated like a bad plot twist. I staggered backward, bags swinging, and slammed my wrist into the railing. I didn’t fall. I recalibrated mid-collapse, channeling every ounce of aging grace and stubborn dignity. The wrist puffed up. I thought: “It’s broken. I’m doomed.” My doctor, on th...

PRECERPT: Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: It's the Food, Stupid

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Precerpt from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: The Secret to Losing Weight: It’s Not Just Eating Less There is no question that beyond serious muscle training, I needed to lose weight. The weight, though, did not just disappear, though I tried hard to eat less—a lot less. Thanks to Brittany, my trainer, I learned that it really was not how much I ate, but what I ate.      Like most people trying to lose weight, I thought cutting calories was the answer. If I just ate less, surely the pounds would melt away. But instead of feeling lighter, I felt exhausted, cranky, and constantly hungry. Brittany took one look at my food choices and explained that my body wasn’t getting what it needed. It turns out that the key to weight loss wasn’t starvation—it was nourishment. I had to shift my focus from eating less to eating right. More protein, more fiber, and fewer empty carbs. More whole foods, fewer processed snacks. Instead of a tiny bowl of cereal that left me hungry an hour l...

Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: Some Things I Learned about Walking and Running -- As a Grandmother and Otherwise

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  Ninja work requires strength, especially upper body strength. That is obvious to any who watch Ninja Warrior games, and I concentrated on upper body strength at every session with my trainer. But there is something else. When I began my ninja training, my bone tests showed mild osteoporosis, not atypical for my age. After a couple of years of strength training as part of my "ninja training, my bone density tested normal. The strength training added to the density of my leg and upper body bones. Walking took care of the spine. I used to think that walking was boring, and that walking was simple. You just put one step in front of the other over and over again, and soon you are striding along, losing weight and gaining health. Then, I learned about High-Intensity Interval Training , varying speed over time. My cup of tea. I could mis things up on an outdoor walk and distract myself from boredom by playing with the controls on the treadmill at the gym: fast, slow, almost-running, st...

Precerpt from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: Body Awareness, the Most Underrated Superpower

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  Precerpt (excerpt prior to publication) from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary -- There’s something incredibly humbling about needing to pause 2/3 of the way up a hill you’ve walked daily for years—especially when that hill is notoriously brutal, a football field long at a steady 30-degree incline. I’ve always taken pride in breezing past younger walkers as they gasp behind me. So, when I suddenly had to stop mid-hill for breath, I noticed. And I paid attention. When I mentioned it to my doctor, I half-expected a shrug and some comment about age or the difficulty of the climb. Instead, he took me seriously. “Any change without a clear reason is worth investigating,” he said. He was right. It turned out that my iron had plummeted from a healthy 40 to 29, well below the normal 35 average for my age—overnight. We’re still figuring out why, but I’m now on iron supplements and grateful we caught it early. Why? Because I listened to my body. That’s the heart of body awareness, and it’s on...

Precerpt from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: "Help! I've fallen and can't get up!"

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  The following is a precerpt (book excerpt prior to publication) from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary (Leaver & Renz). "Help! I've fallen an can't get up!" I see articles all the time about people falling and being unable to get back up. It’s a common fear—and for good reason. I lived that reality when my 300-pound husband fell and I couldn’t lift him on my own. Strong as I am, I’m not dead-weight-a-foot-taller-than-me strong. Firemen came to help, twice in one day. That second fall sent him to the hospital, where scans revealed stage 4 Cancer of Unknown Primary—no symptoms beforehand. During his final months, falls became frequent. If I was out grabbing groceries or medicine, he’d be on the floor for long minutes before help arrived. He lost 50 pounds, but I still couldn’t lift him alone. It took neighbors, phone calls, and coordinated hoisting to get him back up. Now, my doctor frets over my own risk of falling, especially with osteopenia—courtesy of omepr...