October 2015 - Fran's Fitness Over 50

Don’t Get “Hangry!”

Do you get “Hangry?”

GORP: Good Old-fashioned Raisins & Peanuts (with a few chocolate chips!)

(That’s Hungry mixed with Angry.) I do. I get so hungry that I lash out at anyone near me. One word not to my liking, and “Off with their heads!”

Not nice, but I can’t help it. The worst thing is that I don’t know when it will hit. So the best thing is to be proactive.

Most days are routine, and I know what to expect. Breakfast at 6:30, lunch at 12:30 and dinner at about 7. I know what to expect, so I can plan for it. But some days are out of the ordinary. If I’m going to a dog show, for example, I never know when lunch will happen, if it does at all. So I bring snacks! Healthy snacks that I can grab when I’m taking the dog for a potty break between agility runs, or before we go into the obedience ring.

Old fashioned “GORP” is a big favorite! That’s Good, Old-fashioned Raisins and Peanuts. Healthy and filling, not to mention yummy. I might substitute almonds for the peanuts if I’m feeling virtuous. Or add a few M&Ms if I’m feeling daring! A handful of GORP and I’m good to go!

Or, for a mid-afternoon snack, I’ll have a carrot, or a few almonds. I just make sure not to leave the house without a snack and a bottle of water. (That’s my reusable water bottle with ice and our good Skokie tap water.)

Assess your pain

What kind of pain do I have today?

I worked out today, but I sure didn’t feel like it. My knee hurts. My hips hurt. But I powered through it, and I’m not sorry.

But, sometimes, we really have to ask ourselves if we’re pushing too hard. Working out 3-5 times a week for me is plenty. Some weeks 3 times, other weeks 5 times. And we really have to be in tune with our own bodies and ask ourselves how much is too much. Working out for the sake of working out, just because it’s on our schedule, sometimes defeats the purpose of that workout.

If I really had an injury to my knee, then I would have to ask myself if doing a regular workout would hurt that knee more. Should I just skip the workout and put ice on the knee? Today, I knew that I was on my feet a lot yesterday and the knee was just feeling that. And the hips always hurt from bursitis. So, I put the pain to the gauge from 1 to 10 – if it’s a 10, maybe I’ll skip the workout and put the heating pad on.

But today was just normal achiness so I worked out. And now I get to feel virtuous!

Schedule your workout

You may not like to do it. You dread it. But you know it’s important. Your workout. Change your mind about that. Find a workout that you don’t dread quite as much. And, perhaps, over time, you’ll come to tolerate it. And then, perhaps, to enjoy it.

I used to hate, absolutely HATE, lunges. I have bad knees, was my excuse. And I couldn’t lunge as low as I should. But, they were part of a workout that I didn’t mind so much, so I did them. So I kept doing it. My form got better – keeping my knees in line with, or even behind, my toes. Going lower. Ideally, your knee should be at a 90 degree angle. Your back leg should be really straight. And now, I can honestly say that I don’t mind lunges.

You can “not mind” your workout too. Keep at it. 3-5 times a week. Put it on your calendar. You’ll be healthier. You’ll feel virtuous for having worked out when you didn’t feel like it. And you’ll be more pleasant to others. My sister (and business partner) is out of town this week so my hours are a little longer. I usually work out after work, in the late afternoon. This week I could work out after I get home, but, realistically, I know that I would not have as much time as it deserves. So, I got up a little earlier and worked out before breakfast. And, yes, I do feel virtuous!

Do something for you

Every day, do something that’s just for you. You’ll go crazy, otherwise. Just for a few minutes, and it doesn’t have to be something monumental. If you have a garden, water it or pull a couple of weeds. I like flowers, so I take pictures of flowers I see on my walks. (Weather permitting. When flowers aren’t blooming, I look at pictures of flowers.)

Close your eyes and breathe. Don’t think, just breathe. If you can’t not think, then think of a place that makes you serene and happy.

Play with your dog. Throw a ball. Have a rousing game of tug. Let your cat chase a piece of string. Look at a favorite painting. Read a chapter in a good book. Draw a pencil sketch (if that’s what you like to do – I have no artistic talent that way, so that’s not what I would be doing). Just for a few minutes.

You’ll come back to your task, whatever that might be, refreshed and more productive. And it just takes a few minutes. Nothing outrageous. Something simple. But it has to make you happy. Put a little smile on your face that can last until the first irritating phone call, anyway.