Fitness goals

[cjsmith]

I'm missing anything to do with physical fitness in my life.

My foot problems make many activities challenging or downright not worth it. For well over a decade, I've just ignored the whole physical fitness realm. But I'm getting tired of being a complete couch potato.

I guess the first step is to decide what my goals are. Do I want to build a STRONG body? A STURDY AND RESILIENT body? A FLEXIBLE body? A body that MAY AGE WELL?

(Note the total lack of "slender" or "sculpted" in this list of possibilities. As long as I'm still carrying breasts around there's really no point making any minor optimizations to the rest of me, and besides, I think I am past the age where skin shrinks.)

Those of you who do or who consider doing physical fitness stuff: what are your goals?

Comments

[jenett]

I swim twice a week, with the basic goal "do not die as soon".

I swim because it's the one exercise I will actually sustain for long periods. (I have cranky lungs, and walking gets complicated: I worry a lot I will go too far and have trouble getting home safely, and I turn out to find treadmills really tedious. Swimming, I just have to make it to the end of the pool, and I can modulate the intensity stroke to stroke if I really want to.)

I swim twice a week because there's a certain amount of associated fussing with clothing and showering after (long hair, so even with a swim cap, the chlorine needs to come out). And because I exercise before work, and I can only get myself out of bed at 5:30 (so I can leave for the pool at 6, swim from 6:30 to 7, be at work by 7:30) so many days a week.

[noelfigart]

^5 from one long-haired swimmer to another.

[cjsmith]

*nod* "Do not die as soon" is the goal I adopted shortly after my feet went bad. Unfortunately, it turned out that for me, not dying as soon wasn't worth swimming.

(One thing that contributed to my stopping swimming was all the associated fussing. I too have long hair. For a half hour workout I'd spend easily an hour and a half, which had to be at times the pool was available. Also, I had to walk barefoot on concrete for all told about a quarter mile (my local Y has HIDEOUS layout if you are female-bodied). With my feet that was excruciating. Those two things eventually became deal-breakers.)

It's too bad, because swimming does seem like one of those things that can be done with various kinds of injuries. As we age, injuries become more and more expected.

[jenett]

Ugh, yeah, that layout sounds awful.

My gym, it's just a quick duck across the hall into the back door of the women's changing rooms. (Men's changing rooms are upstairs)

I've got my routine down to 'get up, put on swimsuit under clothes, do the final lunch prep, wander out the door', then stripping back down to the swimsuit when I get to the gym (20 minute drive, because it's near work, not near home), put on the swim cap and goggles, and go swim. Then after I swim, I grab my bigger bath sheet towel and a turban towel, go shower, and spin-dry my suit. By the time I'm back at the locker and dressed, my hair is about 2/3 dry, and 5 minutes with the provided hair dryer gets me enough of the rest of the way.

I do pay more for my gym because they provide hairdryers (and a lot of other stuff: shampoo, conditioner, etc.) and because at the times I go it is not horrendously busy. Trade off!

[cjsmith]

Wow, yeah, if the time cost for me were like yours, and if my feet didn't hurt or maybe even if the Y had a good layout, and if my hair would dry 2/3 in less than 12 hours, and... yeah, that would change the equation! :) Swimming really does seem like a wise choice. Whole body, some level of cardio (not quite like running but I know I won't run again and I have to let go of that), doable with arthritis and bum knees and that sort of thing.

[nosrednayduj]

Apparently I have a goal of bicycling at least 2000 miles in a year. (More on that in a future post.) I try to "do something for at least 20 minutes" every day. Mostly this involves feet in some way (biking, walking, skating, stair stepper), but I also do yoga, which does involve feet, but there are modified yoga things that can be done on a chair or kneeling. In actual fact, I manage to "do something" for more like 45-60 minutes every day (with occasional 2.5 hour outliers like today), but partly that's because I work part-time. In fact, that one of the REASONS I work part-time! How I use my extra 2 hours a day: one hour for sleep, one hour for exercise.

Anyway, I recommend trying to find some yoga practice that can give you modifications where you're on your feet less. I went to yoga for a group outing (organized by someone else) about 12 years ago, decided to go back a few weeks later, discovered after I'd been going regularly for a month that my back had stopped hurting. Cheaper than a massage! Surprisingly, I found the mindfulness bit helpful as well. I am less frustrated by things I can't control than I used to be. I breathe through traffic.

I would say Hatha yoga would be the thing to start with. That's the kind where you hold a pose for 10-20 seconds, then do another pose. I do Power Vinyasa, which means "flow", so you're moving more quickly between poses It may be harder to get modifications figured out on the fly. When I started I had fewer injuries so I didn't need much in the way of modifications; after spraining my ankle and messing up both knees I now need mods, but I'm experienced enough to figure them out. Don't go to Bikram yoga. They are drill sergeants and averse to modifications. I found them kind of interesting as an anthropological study, but they're not my cup of tea.

So I didn't answer your question. I want a body that's more flexible and will age well. Strength is useful but not a goal.

[cjsmith]

Yeah, any yoga instructor that can figure out what to do with a person who can't do Downward Dog would probably earn lifelong loyalty from me. :) I've looked a bit and eventually gave up.

I should probably think more about what "age well" actually means. Hmmmm. Less injury-prone (flexible, somewhat toned, good at balance)? Cardiovascular activity?

[noelfigart]

For health, I am trying to lower my blood sugar levels, so there's the diet part. For actual physical fitness:

1. Swim a mile comfortably
   
2. Walk two miles without feeling tired afterwards
   
3. Lift a standard copier paper box of books comfortably
   
4. Wrangle a snow-blower after a two foot snowfall (I live in Northern New England)
   
5. Be able to stack a couple of cords of wood in a day (see previous)
   
6. Be able to help push a car out of a ditch (again, see previous)
   
7. Be active enough that I think driving to a grocery store is a silly waste of gas. This means being able to carry a heavy back pack full of groceries about a half a mile.
   
8. Be able to lift a suitcase over my head into the overhead compartment on a train or airplane
   
9. Be able to run from one end of an airport to another to catch a flight on too close of a connection.
   
10. Be able to give a four to six-hour lecture on my feet being physically active and animated the whole time. (I teach computer applications as well as rant about physical fitness. If you’re not active and animated, you lose your audience quick).
    
11. Be able to change a 5 gallon water jug in a water cooler without spilling water all over the floor or throwing out my back.

[cjsmith]

In other words, be able-bodied! ...I've already lost that one, though, so I need to think of other goals. Things that would still make sense were I in a wheelchair. I'm 15 years later than when the Stanford neurologist thought I'd be in a wheelchair, and (except for one summer long past) I'm still not in one, but I do need to plan.

[noelfigart]

Have you considered talking to a PT about it? Seriously, it's their job to help people work with disabilities and define what's a good level of fitness given a specific condition and to find appropriate goals. (IIRC, it's your feet, right?)

FWIW, if I don't work out, I can lose many of the above abilities easily. I'm keenly aware I'm temporarily able-bodied. (So is anyone who lives long enough, but you get my point)

[cjsmith]

Oh, the number of PTs I've talked to. I think I need something like Yelp (okay, without all the kickbacks that basically make Yelp a lie) for health practitioners. I need a GOOD PT. And a GOOD yoga instructor and... and and. Y'know. When I think too long about this, I get angry that such a fundamental thing isn't already out there in widespread use.

[noelfigart]

I hearya.

Being an outlier when you need services from a busy professional is a pain.

[cjsmith]

Mmmm, that's a very good way to sum it up!

[amaebi]

My fitness-activity goal is to do at least 8000 steps a day on average, and that's easy at this property. My body-goal is to maintain capability and to minimize soreness.

[cjsmith]

*nod* Minimizing soreness is another tidbit I hadn't put in my possible list of goals!

[wcg]

I recommend the AGE WELL goal. For me that involves a lot of walking and other foot related stuff you can't do. But I think there are options, like swimming, that would work.

[cjsmith]

What does age well mean to you? I think I need to noodle on this more. (Swimming is unfortunately a no go because of schedule and because it involves a ton of walking.)

[wcg]

To me it means keeping my physical and mental health as good as I possibly can for as long as I can. In terms of measurable daily goals that means 10,650 steps (aka 5 miles), being active for at least 5 minutes every hour from 10 am until 10 pm, and burning at least 2600 calories a day according to the Fitbit app.

Can you pedal an exercise bike? I'm thinking of the kind that has toe clips, so you don't just push down with the bottom of your foot but also lift the pedal with the top. If you can do that it might be a good solution for you. If not are there any aerobic exercises that you can manage?

[nosrednayduj]

Also consider hand-cycles. Some gyms have stationary ones; there are also "go on the road" types. They might cost $$$$, but if you land that high-tech job you're seeking that shouldn't be a problem...

[cjsmith]

I looked into those back when I actually had a wheelchair. At the time, they seemed like a lot of money for a fraction of the goal, but now... I don't know how long I'll be bipedal and maybe it's smart to get started on those arms.

[nosrednayduj]

This morning I went kayaking for my exercise. Boats are a very nice way to sit and get upper body exercise. Are there canoe and kayak rental places on the bay? Obviously this isn't a useful daily plan for your geography but it could be a way to get occasional exercise and have fun on a weekend. Gyms also have indoor boat simulators, though usually it's rowing machines, which require feet. I don't know if there are some canoe or kayak simulators that would not require feet.

[cjsmith]

Kayaking sounds SO FUN. There is a lake about 20 minutes from me (without traffic) that will rent kayaks in the summer. I've been canoeing there but haven't tried a kayak. I will totally check it out.

[excessor]

The goals change as we age. I don't know for sure, but I think I'm older than you are. The goal used to be “Get laid more often,” but these days it's that plus the following:

• Maintain range of motion.
• Pay attention to systems, not just body parts. For example, dental health is directly related to coronary health.
• Be solidly healthful so that if or when I'm hospitalized, I have enough strength to lift myself from the bed or move myself to a wheelchair or have enough endurance to handle periods of stress.
• Be able to fit into my clothes.

Strength, endurance, and flexibility are keys to feeling better, keeping depression away, and being able to move.

[cjsmith]

Mmm, bullet point three is a good thing to think about - part of "age well", I expect. And I hadn't thought of "keeping depression away" as a goal but darn it, it should be!

(FYI, I'm 51.)

[excessor]

I know depression. I can feel it coming on and I've learned that one of the best things I can do is to not stay in my Vulcan head but to do something physical. It actually helps a lot.

I'm a tad older at age 58. But what motivates the other comments is in watching my dad. He's 82 now and has had a few recent surgeries. Even though we have talked extensively about it, he doesn't follow through on getting exercise. So when he had a hip replacement two Mays ago, he had a hard time because he didn't have the upper body strength to push himself off a chair (or toilet) and couldn't move in a hospital bed. And these days, while healed from the surgery, he still has a hard time walking because he has allowed his limitations to dictate his range of action. So he parks near the entrance of stores. He has to rest many times at Costco. And yet he's fully aware that when he can no longer do his daily duties of grocery shopping and cleaning and watching tv, we'll have to find some kind of assisted living, to which he is vehemently opposed. You can't have it both ways.

You're far from that, and yet at this point in our lives, now is the time to build foundational strength to keep us on our own.

[cjsmith]

Wow. Watching your dad go through this... I've watched my mom go through some bad injuries, but she's not quite where your dad is (yet). I'm sure it's eye opening and tragic all at once. :(

[zahraa]

I started doing aerial dance because I had plantar fascitis and couldn't dance on my feet anymore. I never thought that an injury would lead to better fitness, but it did. I thought I had core from belly dancing. Ha-ha-ha. NOW, I have core. And even upper body.

My goals? To do the 1-arm hang from a hand rather than an elbow. To climb an 11a so I can get a lead belay certification.

[cjsmith]

Aerial sounds amazing. There's some about 45 minutes from me. Definitely on my bucket list.