resilience Archives - Fran's Fitness Over 50

How to resist the temptation of the couch

My sister said it the other day. “I understand how people just don’t get up.” It was one of those days when the knees, hips, and back were creaky. After a certain age we all have those days. You know your knees and hips are going to hurt when you start to get up. And then when you’re most of the way standing, your back feels like it’s going to give. It’s certainly tempting to just sit. Read a book. Drink a beverage. And not get up. But at some point, you’ve got to. And you know that the more you sit, the worse the pain and creakiness will be. And yet, you still sit. Here’s how to resist the temptation, get up, and be productive.

I’m not going to give you platitudes. Yes, you’re going to be creaky. That lessens, but it never disappears. But the more you move, the easier it is to move. And Newton’s first law of physics should also be our first law of getting older. A body in motion stays in motion. The more you move, the easier it will be to move. And the easier it is to resist the temptation of the couch.

And, the more active we are, the more resilient we are as well. When we think nothing of getting up and doing something, the better equipped we are to tackle hard projects. And the more we’re willing to take the extra steps to reach our goals.

If you sit at a desk working, set a timer to go off every half hour. Get up. Move around. I tend to sit for way too long at my desk. And then, even though I am quite active throughout the day (think about a 13-year-old dog wandering the house – Where’s Booker?! Is he wearing his pants?!) I still get stiff. Enter the timer.

And drink lots of water if you’re sitting. You’ll have to get up to go to the washroom. Cause, effect. It’s certainly easy to resist the temptation to stay sitting when nature has an urgent call.

And exercise. The Centers for Disease Control recommends we each should do 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise every week. It keeps our heart healthy, our lungs filled with oxygen, our muscles and joints lubricated. Add to that a couple of days of strength work to keep our muscles and bones strong. It sounds like a lot, but if we incorporate some of that into our daily activities, it will keep us healthy and less creaky.

But, I will say that some days it’s tough to resist the couch.

One change at a time

A few years ago it was all the rage to see how much multi-tasking you could do. Remember? Dust some furniture, have a meaningful phone conversation, train the dog – all simultaneously. But do you remember what happened then? Nothing was done well. The furniture had to be dusted again. You had no recollection of your conversation. And the dog went on their way, not learning anything. The takeaway? Multi-tasking doesn’t work. Focus on one thing at a time.

Keep everything else chugging along

The same goes for achieving big goals. Work on one thing at a time. You’re more assured of success if the rest of your life goes chugging along the same as it has been. So you can focus on the big thing you want to change.

Too much disruption leads to failure

Leo Babauta of zen habits says that trying to change multiple things at once doesn’t work. “Your focus gets spread thin, and in the long run you end up failing to stick to any of the changes.” Haven’t you found that to be the case yourself? You want to eat healthier at the same time you want to get more sleep. Where is the time you should be sleeping, planning your healthy meals, and shopping for the ingredients? While at the same time doing everything else you had been doing before.

Something’s got to give. You may try it for a week or so, because you have to shop anyway. But then you find that you don’t have time to prep and bake Wednesday’s veggie lasagna, and you stay up until way past midnight on Thursday trying to catch up on the work assignment you need to finish by Friday because you had to take the cat to the vet.

One change at a time leads to success

Something’s got to give. A more sensible solution might have been to switch out one or two meals a week for healthier options for a month, not have a wholesale change. Or going to bed 15 minutes earlier. The change you make for that month will stick. And then you can add another change, once this thing becomes a habit. You’ll be in the mindset of getting more things done, and you’ll feel great about being successful with the change you made.

One thing at a time works. If there’s no deadline, you can make that change stick.

How to Juggle Your Week & Your Fitness Goals to Fit it All In

I’m a big fan of planning the week ahead late on Friday afternoons—it just helps me feel on top of things before the weekend hits. Usually, my schedule is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. For instance, my Tuesday and Wednesday nights are always blocked off for teaching Rally classes to some amazing pups and their humans. I usually see a private client early on Saturday, and three afternoons a week I have errands for my sister’s and my online business. Here’s how to juggle your week and your fitness goals to fit it all in. It’s how I do it, and, yes, I get them all in.

Enter monkey wrench

Last week was a prime example of how some things can put a monkey wrench into the plan: my sister and I spent five solid hours making homemade dog food on Thursday, and then I had a board meeting for our dog obedience club that evening since I’m the Treasurer. By Friday, I was absolutely pooped and I knew I wouldn’t be good for anything other than regular work.

Because of all that, my usual Thursday workout sadly didn’t happen. I was actually at a really exciting part of my audiobook, so I was bummed to miss it! But I try not to feel too bad—I exercised earlier in the week, and honestly, running up and down the stairs all day Thursday totally counts as cardio, right?

Planning around a fitness goal means setting priorities

The big takeaway for me is that planning around a fitness goal is really about setting priorities. Some “life things” just have to take precedent. If you have the luxury of being able to reschedule appointments, definitely do it! But for those non-negotiable events, you just have to work around them.

Since I’m not exactly a fitness fanatic who jumps at the chance to exercise, scheduling my workouts is imperative. If I don’t put them on the calendar, I’d definitely find a million other things to fill that time. It’s all about making that appointment with yourself. Making the appointment can actually motivate you to do it. You know it’s right there on your calendar so your brain gets used to the idea. Then it accepts the fact. And gets you up and moving.

The exact how-to

Here’s how to juggle your week and your fitness goals. And, like a jigsaw puzzle, get all the pieces to fit. Use a calendar. (Even the Mayo Clinic advocates scheduling your workout!) I live by my Google Calendar because it’s always on my phone. If you like colorful things, use that to your advantage and block out your time with pretty colors! I always schedule the “can’t-miss” things first (like doctors or business meetings), then family and friend commitments, and then—critically—the workouts. After that, I slot in meal planning and the fun stuff. It makes the “me time” feel like a real treat!

Type 2 Fun – What is It, and Why Bother?

Type 2 Fun is actually not fun. Not fun at all. Well, maybe, thinking about it was a little fun.

The fun that you think about later

What kinds of things do you do for fun? Go on. Okay, I’ll go first. Reading a good book. Cooking. Needle work. Puzzles. Training my dog. I train my dog in competition venues like obedience, rally and agility. I find the training loads of fun. My dog learns fun stuff, and our bond is stronger than ever. Competing with my dog, though? Putting all those hard lessons to the test? Not fun. Until later, when I go back and think about all the great moments we had. We may not have qualified for a ribbon, but there were lots of great and fun moments. Experts call that Type 2 Fun.

What ever possessed me?

Type 2 fun is the kind of thing that you wonder as you’re doing it, “Whatever possessed me to try this?” It’s the kind of thing that may not be fun at all in the moment, but then when you think back, the experience stands out and you relive the shining moments. Like when my dog was able to hold a 1-minute sit when I was across the competition ring. And he could hear my sister (his aunt who he loves) in the ring next to ours, with her dog. Not fun at the time. Lots of fun thinking back on it.

Not necessarily physical activities

Tori-Lyn Mills, a licensed clinical professional counselor with Thriveworks in Columbia, Maryland, clarifies that Type 2 fun can be physical, like hiking, skiing, competing in a 5k race, or it can be a mental challenge, like learning a new language or skill.

Rebecca Moravec, a licensed professional counselor, trauma therapist and founder of Full Bloom Counseling, says that we all need more Type 2 fun in our lives. It has all sorts of benefits for our bodies and our minds.

Sense of accomplishment when we meet the challenge

Type 2 fun offers a challenge, and when we meet that challenge, it’s deeply satisfying and gives us a sense of accomplishment. And that’s a boost for our resilience. She says, “Our brains are ‘prediction machines’ with a primary job of survival, not happiness. We’re constantly asking, ‘Is this safe, is this familiar, is this worth the energy?’ And type 2 fun doesn’t check any of those boxes.”

A boost to our self-confidence

It’s novel and exciting, and sometimes a little scary. Not dangerous, but challenging. Trying something new gives us a shot of self-confidence as well as dopamine. And type 2 fun is integral in achieving big goals.

So, when faced with a challenge, just remember – it’s type 2 fun.

Uncertainty can provide opportunity

We humans hate uncertainty. When I’m faced with uncertainty, my brain kind of jitters. I know I’m not alone. If a repair person gives me a four-hour window, it’s frustrating. If my website goes down and the hosting provider doesn’t have a clear-cut answer as to when it’ll be fixed, it’s scary. At least one neuroscientist, though, says that uncertainty can provide great opportunity.

A shocking result (literally)

There’s a study out that shows that people are more stressed when faced with a 50% chance of getting an electric shock than when faced with a 100% chance. The certainty lets you prepare for what you know is coming. We don’t want to face the ambiguity of not knowing. And how can you prepare for something you’re not sure will come?

Easier to pick up the pieces?

In some ways, it’s easier to pick up the pieces after a calamity. The worst has happened and we can deal with it. We can form a plan and move on to putting that plan in motion. That’s what our resilience can do for us. And to make our resilience even stronger, neuroscientist Maya Shankar says rather than define ourselves by the things we can do, we should define ourselves by figuring out why we do those things. Your why can help you get through those tough times. Shankar delved deep after a hand injury ended her concert violin dreams and discovered that a love of human connection was at the root of that dream. She was able to shift successfully into an avenue that let her keep those human connections.

Embrace your shiny object syndrome!

And Shankar also tells us to embrace the distractions we come across in our lives. They can give us the break we need to let the uncertainty or chaos settle. We humans can get used to just about anything. And by giving ourselves some time, we can let our brains figure out how to deal with it. We’re usually told that confronting the bad stuff right away is the way to get through it. And that works for some of us. But if you’ve tried that and it just scares you more, set it aside for a bit. Let yourself be distracted. Go follow that shiny object. When you come back to face the hard stuff, you might be more ready.

The sneaky reason we seniors feel the heat more

It’s not just you. We seniors feel the heat more now than we used to. Yet another thing we lose as we age (besides our hair, our eyesight, our hearing, and our sense of balance) is the ability of our sweat glands to regulate our internal thermostat. Our sweat glands become less efficient, so we feel the heat more. And some prescriptions we take can also affect our body’s ability to cool itself. In extreme heat, we can become warm without even realizing it, and that could be dangerous.

But before you vow to not leave air conditioning for the foreseeable future, know that you don’t have to stop doing the things you love to do. You may have to modify them a bit and make some accommodations to your physical reality, but don’t stop.

You’ve all heard the advice to drink more fluids when it’s hotter, and that’s good advice. It’s always wise to stay hydrated. But when it’s hot, you may not realize that you need to take a drink of water before you’re thirsty. And ask your doctor if any of your prescriptions can affect how you feel the heat.

You’ll see more folks out walking really early when it’s hot, and that’s sensible. Do your walking before it gets too hot. And you may also want to take it a little easy on extreme heat days. The Centers for Disease Control has a Heat Risk Tracker that you can check just by entering your zip code to see how your area may be affected.

The clothes you choose to wear can make you more comfortable, too. Fabrics that breathe, like cotton, help keep you cool. And clothes that fit you more loosely help as well.

So, don’t let the heat scare you. We feel the heat more, but if we’re prepared we can still enjoy the summer months.

Get mobile

I turn 71 next week. Scary. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, researching fitness topics over the years, it’s that we all want to maintain our independence as we age. We want to be able to do the things we want to do when we want to do them and not be tied to someone else’s schedule. This increases our resilience. And, of course, ties into our healthy aging goals. We need to be mobile, to maintain our balance, and have the strength to carry ourselves and the stuff we take out of or into our homes. You know that I’m a fierce balance advocate. (Join the Balance for Fitness, Balance for Life group on Facebook for daily 2-minute exercise recommendations.) And I’ve talked about incorporating strength work into the exercise programs we do. But what does it mean to get mobile?

Joint mobility means how well an individual joint or a group of joints—like your shoulders or hips—can move. A healthy joint is able to move more and move better, and it’s less likely to cause pain or get injured, according to the Silver Sneakers blog. But how well we move throughout the day requires full body mobility, and that means that all our parts have to work well together.

We need good posture to keep our back straight and shoulders unhunched, a strong core for power. And we need good balance to keep us sure-footed.

Flexibility helps with that movement. If we can touch our toes, then our hips and legs are working. But to truly get mobile, we’ll need some more dynamic exercises that work multiple parts at once. Lunges get those legs working. Go slow and easy with them at first, making sure your knees don’t go past 90 degrees. If you can see your shoelaces over your knee, you’re doing well. If you need a stick to help at first, use it. Do 8 to 10 on each side.

Another good mobility exercise is bird dog. On all fours with hands directly below shoulders and knees directly below hips, lift opposite limbs. Left arm and right leg. And hold for a bit. Lower slowly and switch. Do 8 to 10 of those.

Chair pose works the core. Tighten it, stand with feet shoulder width apart, raise your arms for counterbalance and lower down as if you’re hovering over a chair. Hold for about 5 breaths and stand up. Repeat a few more times.

These are just a couple of mobility exercises. There are so many more. Don’t forget that a part of staying independent is to get mobile.

We can be as flexible as we want to be

As flexible as we want to be

Do you look back fondly on the days you could tie your shoes without sitting down? Don’t accept as a fact that you’ll never be as flexible as that again. It might take some time, thought, and care, but we folks over 50 can be as flexible as we want to be. In fact, when done with focus, stretching can help us avoid pain. As an example, if the muscles in the front of your legs are too tight, it can lead to movement limitation in our pelvis and hips which can lead to lower back pain.

Becoming flexible can help prevent muscle and disk strains, shoulder strains, and backaches, according to WebMD. Working on your flexibility is also good for improving your balance. But don’t try to touch your toes the first time you try a stretching routine unless you’ve been doing that for a while. Start slowly and work your way up to the big stuff.

Static stretches first

You may want to start with static stretches – that is, holding a position for up to 30 seconds and then relaxing. And repeat a couple more times. But don’t bounce into the position – this can lead to injury.

Isometric Stretches

Isometric stretches are similar, but when you’re in the position, contract the muscle you’re stretching. Contract and release a few times while you’re holding. This can be hard, since we’re not always aware of the specific muscles we’re working. I know I’m not.

Dynamic Stretches

Dynamic stretches incorporate movement. Things like head rolls, leg swings, hip circles, and walking lunges are examples of dynamic stretches. Repeat for a certain number of repetitions, say 10 or 12.

If you decide that you want to incorporate stretches into your daily routine, decide when you want to do them and stick to a plan.

We’ve talked about goals and plans before – make sure that your plan is reasonable and achievable. Decide on the specific stretches you want to do, and reassess after a few weeks to make sure that you’re still getting benefits from your new routine. If you want to delve deeper, you can check out classes that focus on stretching and flexibility like Pilates, Yoga, and Tai Chi.

Use the stream for your fitness

We’re all so used to that little circle in the corner of our screens now – the commercial count-down. Those commercials are annoying, yes, but rather than be annoyed, use the stream for your fitness.

Social media calls this movement snacking – the idea is to move in the time it would take you to get a snack. This snack can counteract the effects of sitting too long. You know the feeling – when your knees and back are stiff when you stand up, you know you’ve been sitting too long. My sister and I tell each other to stand up at our desks when we’ve been deep in concentration all morning. And when we forget, if one of us gets up and our knees are stiff, we exclaim that we’ve been sitting for too long.

And these short bursts of activity can help regulate your blood sugar, boost your circulation, and enhance your focus.

Your movement snack can be as simple as just standing up and sitting down (without using your hands, of course) for the 90 seconds or so of the commercial break. Stepping from side to side is another good move. Marching in place with raised knees will get your heart rate up a little too. If the commercial has good music, dance to it. That’s a great movement snack. It really doesn’t matter what exercise you do, as long as you get up and do something. And if getting up isn’t an option, then sit up straight and move your feet side to side. Raise your arms overhead and lower them. Do some biceps curls even if you don’t have weights. Make a fist.

After consuming these movement snacks, you’ll also find that your energy level is higher. It could be that you may not fall asleep on the couch after dinner.
If there’s no commercial timer on the stream, just set your phone’s timer for 2 minutes. I’ll bet you’ll see a difference in how you feel with just a few days of using the stream for your fitness. You’re doing something good for your healthy aging and your resilience. In just a few days, you’re creating a great healthy habit. This is a good way to practice self-care. You’re making sure that you’ll be around for those who need you.

Stop scrolling and start balancing

How much time do you spend waiting in your kitchen? Waiting for the microwave, waiting for the water to boil, waiting and stirring the pasta sauce. It can be relaxing, but aren’t you just wasting that time scrolling through your social media feeds? You could actually be using that waiting time to be improving your balance and stabilizing your core. Stop scrolling and start balancing.

Story time – why focusing on balance is important to me. You’ve probably seen ads from perky young trainers who advise their older clients to work on their balance – a simple 30-minute program to improve your balance. Guess what? Not gonna happen. Working on balance is not the most fun thing. And if you have to do it for 30 minutes at a time, you’re only going to do it once. And that won’t help anything. You probably know someone who’s taken a fall, so you know you need to start working on your balance, but a half hour at a time?

A few years ago (okay, more than a few…) I lost my balance and fell, wrecking my knee and triggering bursitis in both hips. That hurt. I couldn’t do my regular workouts for a while, so in my extra free time I started researching why people tend to fall more as they age. It turns out that it’s a natural phenomenon. We just lose stuff as we get older. Hair, eyesight, hearing, sense of balance. But, unlike hair, eyesight and hearing, balance is a “use it or lose it” thing. You can actually improve it. And, it really doesn’t take that long.

I should know. I do 2 minutes of balance exercises every day. Standing on one foot for a minute while I brush my teeth, and then the other one sometimes gets messy, but bathrooms wash. Some days I do more, but most days just those 2 minutes. And my balance has improved.

When you’re starting to develop a new habit, it’s hard to remember it some days. That’s why stacking the new one (a balance move) on an old one (brushing teeth) is so helpful. Pretty soon you don’t even have to think about the new one, and it just feels wrong if you miss it.

So, use that counter if you need it to stabilize yourself. Stand on one foot. Make sure your back is straight, your hips are level, and your core is tight. You’ve got a built-in ballet barre to help you with your balance moves. And if you don’t need to hold on, so much the better. Use your formerly wasted time – stop scrolling and start balancing. You’re not only improving your balance, you’re improving your resilience, too. Those who’ve fallen and not done anything about it are more likely to become isolated and withdrawn. But not us – we’re out there. Independent and able to do what we want, when we want.

And if you want more variety, download Your Week of Core-Centered Balance Moves. Simple but effective.