Wordy Wednesday: June 5, 2019

I may not say it to you but this is what I think.

When Exercise Goes Too Far

AAM Monday: Getting Back in the Groove

Tomorrow will mark 8 weeks since knee surgery and I've missed the activity of exercise and movement. While PT was great, when it ended I knew I needed a different kind of movement in addition to the various knee exercises I still am doing.

Sunday, I signed up once again for my local city gym. It's a great deal, especially for seniors, with a rate of $233 a year for us geezers.  My local senior center which is closer and walkable (now!) is free but they only have one exercise bike, one elliptical and two treadmills.  Being able to snag time on one of those is pretty hard as a lot of people who use them stay on for an hour. The senior center hours are also limited - 8-4 Monday through Friday. While I am not ready to take advantage of the gym's 6am opening, and probably never really will if I'm honest, it's nice to know that both the hours and the days are much more extensive and that I can always use the rubberized indoor track if, by some fluke, one of the many many bikes or elipticals is not available for a while. I used to have a favorite stair stepper but I saw that a lot of the equipment is newer so I'll have to ask for guidance to find the one that best suits my knee.

I found out that the Sunday hours do not start til 11am but the three large basketball etc courts are fully occupied all morning. Yesterday they were filled with tween-age girls lacrosse games. Yes, this is Maryland! I would have liked to have had a couple of shots of the games and the girls and parents after the games but I respected their privacy.

Sadly, as I'm still not able to get up or down onto the floor for exercises, I can't take advantage of the free Pilates and yoga classes. So, I will do what I can during this next stage of recovery. Back in the groove once again.

AAM Monday PL wk 25

No not week 25 yet. This is week 28 for me and that means my exercise classes start again. This semester I am taking water aerobics and pilates and yoga.  All low impact and hopefully classes that will benefit my knee. I believe the water aerobics will give me enough cardio to make my heart happy too.  I recall having a water class while we were on vacation and trying to run in the pool is both hard and really really funny as I and my classmates couldn't stop laughing as we tried to run and just never got anywhere. Laughter is good medicine on its own. Monday is water aerobics so today, I hope, is a good laugh day too.

Now week 25. Amazing how long ago that seems....

Project Life: Week 17

Somehow, I am having a hard time getting the Project Life pages done in the following week. I think that's due to the various times I'm out of the house doing some form of exercise. When I get home from aerobics or Tai Chi, I'm either exhausted or mellowed out. While I certainly do feel better, other than my right knee, I definitely do not feel like doing much more for an hour or two.  Who are these people who feel energized after sweat dripping exercise??? Not me for sure. At least our weekends have included some fun things lately, but once again, I've been out of the house a lot. No big deal but just something I'm noticing.

In any case, I did get week 17 done last night. Not like it's very far behind at all. And this week I can get onto week 18 ...while I still remember what I did!

If we have some heavy rain this week, I can get back to some of my River Cruise postings. Otherwise, it will be garden work for me. I pray for rain!

AAM Monday - Back on the Chain-gang

My exercise break is over and the new semester of classes start up again today. One thing that makes no sense to me is that in the dead of the dark winter, our aerobics class started at 08:15. Now as we have sunlight before 07:00, our class starts at 08:30. Shouldn't it have been the reverse? or does that make too much sense.

Monday's are my full days.
08:30 aerobics
11:30 Tai Chi
13:30 Chair Tai Chi
Today throw in a Doctor's appointment at 09:00 so there will be no aerobics for me today. I don't like missing the first class but it is what it is.

original

No, we won't have matching outfits, nor will we be outside. But we will look like this set of west coast geezers. Wednesdays I have Aerobics and regular Tai Chi and Fridays I have only Aerobics. So the week gets easier and with more free time for me. I like that. btw, the Tai Chi instructor teaches straight through about 4 classes a day. I bet she's teacher'd out by Friday and so her classes are only two days a week, or one for that chair one.

As my house is only about 3 blocks from the center, I shall soon start walking to and from the classes. However, I don't know what I'm going to do about that hour between the Tai Chi classes. Is it enough to walk home and back...for??? or do I bring a book, my iPad or something to do for that time. Oh yes, bring some lunch? I also am not sure if I'll really stick to the chair Tai Chi. That one was added after I signed up for the beginning Tai Chi. As a Senior, I can take as many classes as I like once I pay my $80 registration, so I signed up after a demonstration so that the class would be a go for those people who cannot stand. Right now, I can stand, but it will be interesting to see how I feel after an hour of it!

Anyhow, despite a bit of whining and sniveling, I am glad to get back to the exercise routine. I know it's good for me and I actually have come to ...dare I say it...enjoy it. ;-)

Travel With Me Tuesday January 8, 2013

I really don't know where Monday went.

I suspect it had to do with my first aerobic class or any gym experience in over a year. Thanks to my punk ankle and knee, I have become more out of condition than I have been in a long time. Exercise was out of the question for quite a while and even walking hurt.  btw, my Nana always used the word "punk" to describe something sick or ailing back in the 1950s. I've never heard anyone else use that term that way. Anyone else recall that use of the word?

But Monday's 1 hour class left me exhausted, but yes with a boatload of endorphins, and the usual post exercise feeling that I could sleep for the rest of the day. I didn't but I wanted to. I also ended up sleeping til 07:30 this a.m. so the body has its own trick of getting its way.

A lost Monday meant no Monday post even though I did make some headway into my 2013 365/Project Life. I'm starting out with 365 because it's somewhat easier with a basic template. I like PL but I certainly am not into filling up all those squares with a zillion items. My supply list is usually under 5 items, not the 25 or so that some others use. I'm fine with that and I'm not a salesperson for any digi store as the creative team members are. I like the look at times, but I know it's not me.   But even that one page didn't get finished. I think I started something else but seriously...cannot remember. Thank God we had leftovers in the fridge or it might have been carryout for us. Fortunately, we have some good non-chains near us for that.

So the TWMTuesday has just one shot of food from our Italian trip last spring. Seriously, is there any bad food in Italy? I don't know about you but I get updates on my iPad apps every frickin' day. Yesterday was Picframe.  If you don't have it, go wild and spend the $0.99.  Well, well worth it. When I got the update, I thought I might as well use it again. This time I did the rounded corner style. Fun for a change tho I miss the borders. Maybe I could have done that also but the brain was not fully functioning since the body snatched all the energy with that exercise fol-de-rol.

If you had been with me in Italy in May, you would have eaten these things, among many, many other goodies.  Is there another reason to go to Italy???

1. Amaretti - not from the familiar red tin. Isn't this design cute?
2. Not ravioli, but I do forget the name of this shape of pasta.
3. A lunch of a cheese selection as well as a selection of dried, cured meats. Be still my heart.
4. Nice peppers that I cooked for my husband. Just enough heat in most of them to make him happy with the odd one being HOT!
5. My absolute favorite pastry - La Sfogliatella (lobster tail). I ate them every time I saw one!

Next week, I'll try to get back to the ongoing saga of the Rhine/Danube cruise. It may be the only way I get myself to scrap it!

AAM Monday -Them Bones, Them Bones

Well this Monday is starting off with a visit to the Doctor. I go quarterly to have the results of my bloodwork read. I can't say my diet has been that good over the past four months, nor has there been any exercise. Once my torn Achilles tendon healed, I was able to deal with my knee pain. That turned out to be a torn meniscus (what the heck was that I wondered?). It turns out to be the gel like substance that is between the bones in the knee.

these are younger legs than mine

Well mine is not between the bones, rather it has pushed out to the side and is torn in addition. Oh joy...This means I have bone hitting bone and sometimes that sure ain't fun. Cortisone shots have helped but the next option is knee surgery. I'm not anxious to go there but at the same time, while I am no great lover of exercise, I have to acknowledge I do feel better when I do exercise. Mostly when I'm done but I had come to the point of almost...almost...looking forward to it the mornings I went to the gym. You know the bennies...increased energy, a feeling of accomplishment, a steadying of the scale numbers, fewer food cravings. Sigh. I once had those but then even walking much started to hurt.

Well, today my doctor and I will have our periodic chat. She is one to say...Well, Maureen...do you think you could try x, y or z??? in a kind, Quaker type of voice. I mentally roll my eyes, and mostly say yes. I don't know what today will bring but I'll try to say yes.

AAM Monday

Intention isn't everything. Or so I've come to believe. Kind of.

Last December, I had come to the realization that I was a couple months into my 65th year, and feeling tired and much less than fit. The clothes were getting tighter, the muffin top had obviously had some yeast added to it, and I did not want to continue on this path. I really didn't want to change my lazy, carefree ways but carefree was not so free anymore.

So I made a mental decision, and went off to London where I did get back to some walking. Not a lot but I held my own during that trip, and didn't expand out of my clothes at least. That in itself was good. Shortly after I got back, I heard about a new city gym from my dear friend Judy. My dh was away and I promptly went over and signed up. I had a session with a personal trainer and started going daily. I liked having the option of bikes, treadmills and ellipticals to vary the workout every 10 min. It was still too dark and cold to walk outside in the am. A week or two, and I was enjoying it. Then it snowed. Oh man did it snow. February was kind of a lost month with a lot of white all around our house. A lot.

However, with my dh away again, I did the shoveling for snow round 2. I took it in measured stages, rested flat on my back - ok, on the couch, in front of the fire, watching Netflix between shovel sessions. We had a LOT of snow, blizzard level snow this February, but I and my back survived. I ate less too.

My dh returned and I finally was able to get the car out of the driveway. Yeah! Freedom!! I went back to the gym, to the same workouts I had done and went home feeling great.

The next morning I could barely get out of bed, and had to get my dh to put my shoes on for me so I could go to the Dr. for some periodic blood work following the annual physical. My life became a heating pad and a back as tight as I'd hoped for my stomach muscles. (ok, I never hoped for that much...I know me and sixpack abs are not on my Wishlist.) In the physical, I had mentioned periodic pain in my right knee. The Dr. said it seems to be arthritis behind your knee but I'll send you for an e-xray to be sure. She also said stay off the bikes and eliptical. What???? this leaves me only the treadmill...ugh.

The back pain (locked tightness) continued and at the prodding of my dh...insistence!...I went back to the Doctors. I was given a set of back exercise, an appnt for a back x-ray, and a referral for a physical therapist. It is now March and where is the progress I had hoped for?!?!? My intention was there but somehow there was a disconnect between my head and my body. However...diligent daily repetitions of the back exercises, and walks on the beach or sessions in the resort gym have me back to relative normalcy. I found that my knee hurt more when I only walked so I added the recumbent bike and short sessions on the elliptical. I still have a tight back and hips in the am but I can dress myself and use the toilet with ease. Yes, the latter was an issue with a stiff back. Men can just shake but women wipe. Think about it or don't.

So here it is the real Ides of March, and have I made any progress since January? Well, holding my own is about it and in some ways I guess I'll have to be ok with that right now. I am eating less, and not enjoying that but I am sticking to some exercise every day unless I am sitting in a car on I-95 for 10 hrs.

Oh, I forgot to mention that my cholesterol #s had gone up according to that blood work. No relation to what I decided to do but a good reason for sure to pay more attention to my health. I guess I'm just starting a life habit and it feels like a lot of unintended roadblocks along the way.But it is what it is. It just isn't what I wanted it to be.

Aches and age?

I do hope those two are not seriously connected for me.

I had been having a very good time at the gym recently, enjoying my morning workout there, and sticking to the Personal Trainers guidelines. Then came snowmageddon 10, and my workouts became shovel, shovel, shovel. Ok, shovel time mixed with on the couch, fireplace on, under the comforter time with Netflix's Wire in the Blood. Then my dh came home from Oklahoma, and I happily turned the shoveling over to him. So over a week away from the gym. I missed it!!

Back to the gym Monday and all was fine. Tuesday, my ankles ached as I walked the circuit. That was new! I also added my biweekly strength training, never going beyond what I had been doing. I felt fine when I left but by afternoon I felt like I was coming down with the flu...fortunately not gastro but achy all over. I slept on and off all afternoon and evening, and soundly through the night.

Weds am, I woke up with a seriously tight and painful back and hips. Mostly rest and heat all day, and this a.m., almost as bad. More heat, some JinShinJyutsu and it feels somewhat looser. This is really dismaying as I have had the enthusiasm and the get up in the a.m. willingness to get serious about exercise.

I'm not used to feeling like this and I don't like it! Ok, time for more heat and willingness to do what has to be done. I just don't know what that is right now.