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

[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.