It’s a new year, new resolutions, but same sad statistics. Here’s a short video I posted today on Facebook. A man in northwest Indiana lost his mom the day after Christmas because she lost her balance while taking out the trash and died of hypothermia. She had been waiting to see a doctor for balance-related issues. Granted, some balance issues need medical support and prescriptions, but it’s been proven that simple exercises can improve balance dramatically. Just a couple of minutes every day in the comfort of your own home can improve balance. Especially in the winter, this is so important. Much of the country has seen slick conditions in the last week. If a couple of minutes a day can help to prevent a fall, wouldn’t you want to do that?
Lazy? Procrastinator?
Yup, that’s me! My sister says I’m not lazy, but here it is, more than a month since I’ve posted here and I feel terrible about it.
Paper and pen!
I have tried to be consistent, but obviously that’s not working on its own. I need help! So I’m going to be using a real, paper, appointment book, and using pen and ink, to remind me every day to write. I may not post here every day, but I’ll be writing and polishing.
They say that you have to do something consistently 30 times or so before it becomes a habit. The same thing, at the same time every day. I’ve gotten to the point where exercise has become a habit. I don’t enjoy it, but it’s a habit, and I feel like something’s missing if I miss more than a day of exercise. I don’t even have to schedule it on my calendar.
So, I’ll be writing my little heart out every day at 9:00 in the morning for about a half hour. I don’t know the topics, yet. Very often I just “write off the cuff,” as it were, and that could be the problem. Too often I think to myself, “I should write a blog post,” and then can’t think of a topic… What might work is keeping a topic list and consulting that when nothing occurs to me.
Organization module?
I’ve toyed with the idea of having an “Organization” module – heaven knows I need one that works for me. I’ve tried many, and have been enthusiastic about it at first but it becomes too much and I drift away.
I’ve discovered that part of “Fitness” is having a fit mind – and if I’m completely disorganized, I feel that I’m falling down on my fitness.
So, anyone out there who’s reading this – how would you feel about including “Organization” as part of “Fitness?”
Feed a cold?
Apparently what I was feeling was not that I didn’t want to work out – it was actually a really bad cold. And I’m just not used to being sick. I can’t even remember the last time I had a cold. I eat right. I drink plenty of water, so perhaps my immune system is a little stronger than many others’. People around me can be sneezing, hacking, snorting and blowing their noses, and I don’t catch their nasty germs.
Until now.
A good friend was visiting from Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. She stayed with us for a few day, and we love having her. Usually. She complained of starting to feel sick the day after she arrived, so we fed her chicken soup and she took some Chinese herbs. And she was feeling better in a couple of days.
Those were apparently mighty strong Minnesota germs. The day after our friend left, my sister came down with a cough and cold. And then a couple of days later it hit me.
Like a ton of bricks.
I hate having a cold. When I have a bad one I will use up an entire box of tissues. My nose will not stop running. Where does it all come from? I hate to be in public, just because I’m so disgusting! I hate needing a tissue against my nose all the time… but I hate dripping more. And eating is ridiculous. Forget about eating around others! Nasty!
And then the sore throat. That was just adding insult to injury. When I was younger, when I got sick it started with a sore throat. This time the sore throat kicked in when I thought I might feel better in the next day or so. It could have been post-nasal drip (there was certainly enough drip for that!), but whatever led to the sore throat it was just disheartening. I really didn’t want to take anything for the sore throat because all the lozenges out there taste so horrible. And tea with honey only helps as long as the tea lasts. And gargling with warm salt water is a temporary and messy solution.
And then the cough. Yes, I’ve had some fun over the last week.
Fortunately I think I’m over it now and can go back to my regular life. I’ll try not to complain too much any more.
But I wish our friend had left her Chinese herbs with us…
I really don’t feel like it…
Being an adult means …
Don’t feel like it. No how, no way. But part of being an adult is doing stuff you don’t want to do.
We had a plumbing problem a couple of days ago. One of the drawbacks of living in an older house is old plumbing. About 10 years ago we re-piped most of the house with pretty new copper pipes because we redid a bathroom and had to open walls. All the galvanized pipes that were reachable were replaced.
But the kitchen was not included in the re-pipe. So the kitchen had 60-year-old pipes. And those pipes were prone to clogs. We’d been able to deal with those clogs up until a couple of days ago. Nothing we did solved the problem. We could not reach that stubborn clog.
We undid the pipes we could reach and cleaned them out. We tried using a water blaster. Nope.
Next day …
So we put the problem on hold until the next morning because there wasn’t anything else to do that night. I washed the dishes in the bathroom and my sister called the plumber. The dogs were confused…
And now, we have brand new pipes in the kitchen.
But the point is that our plumbing problem was not going to go away by itself. And nobody else was going to solve the problem. We had to be adults and figure it out.
What an adult does
Besides being able to do what you want to do when you want to do it, being an adult means making sure the bills get paid on time. Taking the dogs out on schedule.
Being an adult means eating healthy (most of the time) so that you can live a long and fulfilling life.
And being an adult means working out when you really, really don’t feel like it.
And when it’s done it won’t be weighing on you. You won’t have to remember it for tomorrow.
And being an adult means you get to do everything all over again tomorrow.
Add strength to your routine
Your exercise routine, that is! As we age, it is increasingly more important to keep your muscles in shape. We don’t want them to atrophy! Yes, cardio work is vital, but it’s been proven that a combination of cardio and strength is most effective for overall fitness.
Body weight exercises are effective!
I have a set of free weights at home, because I work out there. But using your body weight can be effective as a tool also. A push-up is an amazing exercise that works the entire body! And a modified push-up is almost as good. Start with 3 sets of 8 push-ups from your knees. Hands should be directly under your shoulders. Make sure that your stomach is as pulled in as it can be, your body a straight line from knees to head – keep your butt tucked under! I started not being able to do a full push-up. I started on my knees and when that became too easy, I progressed to one leg straight, switching legs periodically. And when I could do that without a problem, I tried full push-ups. Not for a whole set, but maybe one full push-up per set. Push-ups are great for the arms, the back, the abdominal muscles – you name it!
Planks!
Planks and plank variations are great total-body strengtheners too! Stay in that full push-up position for 10 seconds. Work up to 30 seconds. And then a minute! These are especially good for the abdominal muscles.
Uh oh! Triceps!
Our triceps muscles are a major concern for many women, especially. A good triceps exercise that doesn’t need special equipment actually uses a chair. Sit on a chair that doesn’t move (no office chairs here!). Slide forward and support yourself with your hands on the front of the seat, arms close to the body. Slowly bend your elbows and rise back up again. Feel those triceps?
Use that equipment!
If you belong to a gym, or are lucky enough to live somewhere with a fitness room that has equipment, try it out! Those machines can give an awesome workout. Just make sure you get good instruction from someone who really knows how to use them. You don’t want to hurt yourself trying to get fit!
Got sleep?
We all know that sleep is important for our health and fitness. And we don’t get enough of the right kind of sleep. We have trouble falling asleep. We have trouble staying asleep. And then we have trouble getting back to sleep. Lack of sleep affects our health. We’re sluggish, don’t move as much, eat more. Our productivity is diminished.
About sleep
There are three phases of sleep: light, deep and REM (rapid eye movement). We usually start with light sleep and move to deep sleep. Then it’s back to light sleep and REM, when we dream.
The cycle
Deep sleep happens most during the first part of the night usually, and is very hard to wake from. You’ll spend about a quarter of your night in deep sleep and a quarter in REM, which is easy to emerge from.
Deep sleep helps you feel rested
You can survive on just light sleep and REM, but deep sleep is the phase that helps you feel most rested. It’s what we crave from spa treatments and pills
Pills won’t do it!
But we can’t rely on pills to take us into deep sleep. Too often when we wake from a medicated sleep we feel foggy.
Try a cave!
If you want real deep sleep, turn off all your lights. Make your bedroom a cave.
Meditation works too! If you’re new to meditation and have heard of its benefits, try guided meditation – send me a message and I’ll email you one of the short guided meditations I’ve created in mp3 format. They’re restful and soothing (and free). Just the thing to help you sleep!
A Cautionary Tale
I went to the dentist the other day – nothing earth-shattering there. I do it every 6 months. (All those pearly whites are my own!) I really like my dentist. She’s a cool lady and she talks about stuff I’m usually interested in – books, dogs, music, card games (well, not that interested, but OK) and roller coasters (definitely not interested in going on them myself, but I have a horrified fascination in others who enjoy coasters).
But this time I learned that she doesn’t have any dogs at the moment and probably will not be getting one in the foreseeable future. The good doctor rescued senior Labrador Retrievers and cared for them for their remaining lives. What a good thing! But she told me that at about the same time that her last one passed away, her husband had a bad fall and broke his hip and his wrist. He’s out of rehab now, but will probably need a walker for the rest of his life, sadly.
Too close to home
This is getting too close to home! I recently wrote about my conversation with Kathleen Cameron, Senior Director of the National Council on Aging regarding the seriousness of falls and how they can be prevented. https://fitness-over-50.com/2017/07/prevent-falls-my-interview-with-kathleen-cameron/
I asked my dentist what she does to maintain or strengthen her balance, and she said, “Well, just keep up my strength, I guess…” Not good enough. You can prevent falls by improving your balance!
Our bodies change as we age
As we age, our bodies change and lose the ability to balance. Even if you work out regularly, even if you eat right, your balance will diminish unless you specifically do something about it!
Can you commit?
Practicing Yoga is good. Tai Chi is also good. But these practices must be continual. You have to really commit to them in order for your balance to show improvement.
Maybe not, but you’ve got 2 minutes a day!
But you can improve your balance in as little as two minutes a day. Exercise your balance. Do specific balance exercises. Join the “Balance for Fitness, Balance for Life” community on Facebook which gives you an exercise a day to perform. Like standing on one leg while brushing your teeth. This is an older picture – Booker is bored with my routine now and doesn’t feel the need to supervise.
I know it’s helped me! I recently fell – stepped on a rock the wrong way at night in a parking lot. It was extremely painful, and I thought my knee would be injured badly. But the only damage was a scrape on my shin that was gone in a couple of weeks. (I do have a scar as a memento now because I never keep scrapes covered for as long as you’re supposed to…)
So, the moral of this tale is, don’t fall and need a cane or walker forever! Practice your balance!
Don’t let them squash your joy!
I’ve talked about the ups, and downs, and more downs, and frustrations of dog training here. It’s part of my life, so I talk about it. I train my Boston Terrier, Booker in Obedience. I’m holding him in the picture to the left. To our right is the judge at the Obedience Trial where we earned Booker’s Novice Obedience title.
Doing Obedience with a Boston takes a great deal of patience and consistency. You don’t see many at Obedience trials. You see lots of Golden Retrievers and Border Collies.
Bostons are goofballs. It takes about 3 years for their brains to start to settle in. All they want to do is play, eat, play, sleep, and play some more. To earn an obedience title on a Boston takes a whole lot of persistence.
And now that we’ve earned the first regular title in AKC (American Kennel Club – the organization in which Booker is registered), I aim to continue and progress to the next level. Which will take even more training and practice and persistence and patience and consistency.
Back to the main theme…
Booker and I earned that title in 3 days this Spring. Since we earned the title all in one year, we’re qualified to enter the AKC Obedience Classic. Every dog that earned a title all in one year is eligible to enter the Classic.
As any user of Facebook does, I was scrolling through my groups and newsfeeds today. And there is a long discussion that the Classic is nothing more than a money-maker for the AKC.
That may certainly be one reason to hold the trial, but I’m not looking at it like that.
The Obedience Classic is a venue to show how proud the competitors are of the work they put in. Proud of their dogs and their training. It’s a chance for all of that training to be recognized in a venue where people may observe that might be inspired to train their own dogs.
The Classic is held at the place where the Agility Invitational and the National Dog Show is held. But people who may get tired of the noise could stop in to watch some of the best teams in the country compete. Watch the bond these teams have – person and dog – nothing better!
So, for those who say that anyone can get in to the Obedience Classic, and that it’s nothing more than a regular show, I don’t buy it. It demonstrates the love and passion a person has for their dog!
Much more than just a vegetable
I’ve been re-introduced to the wonders of cauliflower! We’ve always just steamed the florets and added a pinch of salt and perhaps a bit of butter, but I learned that you can do so much more to it!
The Health Benefits of Cauliflower
Cauliflower contains Sulforaphane, which is a cancer-fighter, helps to reduce blood pressure and improves kidney function. It also contains Sulfur which is an anti-inflammatory and helps to remove toxic substances from the body. This versatile vegetable also contains multiple antioxidant phytonutrients. One serving of cauliflower contains almost a whole day’s recommendation of Vitamin C. It also contains Folate, Vitamin K, Fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids! Wow!
I mentioned that a key property of cauliflower is fighting inflammation. Inflammation can contribute to many debilitating illnesses, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and even cancer. Reducing inflammation also stabilizes blood sugars, helping to manage and prevent diabetes.
Studies have shown that cauliflower, when consumed once a week, helps fight colorectal cancer. And cauliflower doesn’t have to be cooked! It’s been shown that eaten raw, cauliflower binds with bile acid to help cholesterol levels.
Not Just a Side Dish
Steaming cauliflower and eating it just like that is still a great option. And steaming is much better than boiling cauliflower, according to the experts. When boiled, many of the phytonutrients are left in the water.
Besides mashing cauliflower and adding a bit of butter and a dash of salt as a healthier alternative to mashed potatoes, I’ve got to try ricing cauliflower! People swear by it! And using it as a pizza crust. A friend says you can actually pick up flattened riced and cooked cauliflower like bread!
What happens when you skip a workout
Life happens! We’ve all been there. You have an early meeting, or a late meeting, you had to work late, or you have to take the dog to the vet. You usually work out on the weekend and you have a dog show. And you miss a workout. Guess what? Nothing happens!
Good news
Yes, nothing happens if you miss a workout. But don’t think that you can slide and miss a few! Not much happens in one to three days. According to “Tone It Up” trainers Karena Dawn and Katrina Scott, resting for a day is encouraged. Don’t beat yourself up, just get back on the bandwagon and take up where you left off with your workouts.
Too often missing a workout starts a cycle – “I missed one workout, and nothing happened. I didn’t gain any weight. I feel the same, so I think I’ll go shopping today.” Or, “I already screwed up, so I’ll eat more chips.” Don’t do it! Shift your thinking. Instead say, “It’s OK that I missed one workout. My body needed the rest. I’ll crush it today and feel virtuous.”
Bad news
Liz Letchford, MS, ATC, PhD candidate and personal trainer says that missing a workout for more than three days starts the spiral of “performance decrease.” While this is most observable in weight trainers, all of us can experience it. That’s because the connection between your muscles and your brain becomes weaker the longer you don’t use it.
The Timeline
- 3 days – as long as you don’t change your diet drastically, not much happens.
- 10 days – you’ll start to lose muscle tone.
- 2 weeks – you’ll start to lose muscle mass but not necessarily strength. (On vacations, try to fit in a couple of workouts to maintain your rhythm, so it’s not as hard to get back in the routine when you get home.)
- 3 weeks – you’ll experience a loss in anaerobic power. You’ll notice it in running up the stairs or running to a building from the parking lot.
- 4 weeks – you’ll start to lose aerobic capacity.
- 6 weeks and beyond – you’ll notice a definite loss in power and you’ll feel more tired.
The Bottom Line
Definitely take a rest day every now and then. Enjoy it! During that rest day do some stretches, or exercises on the foam roller (my personal nemesis). Don’t defeat yourself with your diet on your rest days, and get right back to your regular workouts!
credit: Dominique Astorino