Excercises

Well Jim B posted his wonder of the world but he don't know that he was more than a wonder in terms of inspiration to me. Without him knowing it i owe him a great deal for sharing many moons ago the fact that he does exercises daily and i guess we all see the benefit he gets from it.

So ya all know that i had my op this week but ya all don't necessary know that 6 months or more ago now. Linda and i made a decision to sign up at a local gym and go regularly. Which we have done. I initially found it very difficult to get into the swing of going, i got put off all physical activity in my time in the army. And frankly it took Jims small comment to get me to come round to recognizing the value.

The initial driver was to loose weight, i figured Allen made such a thought provoking comment when he talked about being overweight and drew the analogy to carrying a dewalt planer around with him. That analogy hit me in the right place right between the ears.

I figured it was time for change. I figured if i got going may be able to put off the op. First few months were tough going. We got a personal trainer to start. For me being the character i am, the very thought of going to gym, hiring a personal trainer and sitting on those bicycles and treadmills and weight machines was just not something my hero figures would do in my mind. John Wayne as a hamster in a treadmill just don't cut it for me. And being totally honest until i am past the initial 5 minutes of getting going even now after all this time, I still cannot believe where life has taken us.

But i had to fess up to myself that well I was not John Wayne and was not living a life on the good old homestead where comfort cooking and loads of food could help get you through the physical day.

However my friends when i was over with the actual surgery and got to the first hospital physio therapy session the benefits of the work i had done at gym became clear to see and you did not need a phd. The first thing the various physios said you been practicing or something. Sure it was a booster.

But we have always eaten pretty healthy food with loads of fresh everything and good quality. We prefer it to the convenience foods in the frozen isle or even to eating out. However that's not enough. Also our portion size has been way too big.

Cutting back i lost 12 pounds and then hit a plateau and now had the op.

But i thought it important to share with ya all the merit and value of altering ones outlook and getting in some exercise each day. Then today given i am now at home, i said to Linda we actually need to expand on what we have been doing. Its not just excising a part of the body i feel, we need to make sure we cover the whole body.

Why? Because when you do need to use a walker you need those arms in good shape too not just the one leg.

My pain and speed of recovery i believe is going very well, not only due to the modern miracle of modern medicine and the hands of the doc that did the op, but to the effort i put in to prep work for such an event. And lets face it none of us plans these events but given our general age group we all heading down pretty much the same road.

There is no question that it takes a lot more effort to shed the pounds as we get older and not do it in a manner that sheds muscle but gets rid of the fat. But let me tell you its well worth the effort from one who is experiencing the benefit as i type.


Now for a bit of humor i think i am going to approach some government grant group and lobby to get a grant to start a gym for John Wayne wanna bees that had a wake up call. At least we could have some western movies playing in front of the gym machines to motivate one and take the mind off the boring exercise.

i can hear JW say something along the lines that either lead or follow and get out of the way pilgrim in the screen right in front of you as your jogging on the tread mill

It is a wonder how something that gives us such a reward is so hard to do. I have a set of modified yoga moves I do every morning to loosen up and build core strength. It is amazing how fast your back will start to complain when you neglect your gut muscles. Then with more or less success depending on mood I try to do a mile or so on the treadmill while watching woodworking videos on the tablet 3 to 4 times a week (sometimes twice, sometimes not . . . shame on me). Then a little strength training focused on muscle groups I use in the shop; mostly upper body and grip.

When I do it more regularly I feel way better so why do I fall off the wagon a half dozen times a year? Stick with it Rob. The payback is great and if you find the secret to staying motivated despite "life" getting in the way, please let me know what it is ;-)

You know I've been doing the diet and exercise thing also, nothing too hard, but found that every little bit helps and you really do notice it when you've not done it...feels like something is not right.

Exercise is useless with out improved eating habits. Eating modification is more effective when you include some of the "bad" things you enjoy (like beer!) so the craving is eliminated of subdued. When at work, I get in 8-11 miles a day, so my obvious failure is in the eating chapter of the life book. Tai Chi is also something I really like while Stacey gets out the yoga mat.

glad to hear you're moving along nicely Rob