Moving On

Re-inventing ourselves is a life-long process; some times are more dramatic than other times. Ruts have a limited shelf life for me. I like to move on to new things and do a lot of stuff that change places I go and activities that appeal to me. Friends and acquaintances come and go, hobbies come and go, and life is as changing as waves on a shore. I love the ebb and flow of day-to-day events and seeing what is around the next corner.

Retirement is wonderful in the way that it opens so many doors, it is hard to choose the next door. Sometimes I like to sit myself down and have a chat with myself. Where am I going? What do I want to do next? I have a "meditation" chair where I sit and contemplate my future.

Recently I made a major change and we older people don't adjust to changes well as a rule. At least, that is what I heard someone near me say to another silver-haired gent with whom he was having a profound conversation.  I was shamelessly eavesdropping. I have to agree, it takes a bit of assertive, maybe aggressive effort to decide what to do next and where to put my efforts. My major change was to move from one gym to another.

After two weeks of attending the new gym for two hours plus each morning, I find I am more than a little pleased with the decision for many reasons. I can already see the benefits of my efforts and it has almost become like reporting to work every morning. I try to follow a schedule and arrive at around the same time even though I don't pressure myself and I relax with it. It keeps me centered to have a routine to follow on weekdays. Three days a week, I work out on over 20  pieces of Life Fitness equipment, then I walk on a treadmill as fast as I can for three miles. On two days a week, I don't do the equipment, but I walk four miles and try to do that in one hour. It really works up a sweat so I can't forget to take along my towel.

I like the treadmills because they have individual TV screens and cable TV so I can watch CNN, or major networks, or movies, etc. Sometimes I set that on closed caption and watch the news channels in the morning while listening to my music on my own MP3 player. I am so occupied with my music and the headlines, I barely notice that I am exercising. My next change will probably be to expand into some new cardio machines like ellipticals, bikes or rowing machines. I like variety so I will try some new stuff again soon.

I don't know what it means, if anything, but I am seeing a lot of faces at the new gym that I used to see at my previous gym. How interesting.

I am meeting new people and I enjoy the conversations with other people who like to exercise. The early morning crowd includes many other retirees so I can relate to them and we have some things in common. However, it has a big age range which is good too. I don't want to exercise where there are only old people or even where there are only women. I think the decision to try a new location has been an exciting change and it inspires me to look for a lot of other new things to do. 

I don't find it daunting as an older person to "change" things. I find it invigorating.

Physical Fitness and Little Red Nothings from Vicki's Place

Last week, research said sun exposure was bad for us. This week, research said we need more vitamin D so we need either more sun or food supplements. I’ve lost track, is coffee good for us this week or bad for us this week?

The mythology of weight loss and effective exercise is extensive. Everyone would like to be slim and fit, but what is the best method to choose? It is hard to evaluate all the theories and determine which will give us the most "bang for the buck." If I am going to spend my valuable time exercising, I want to know what I can expect in results before I spend a year doing something that might turn out to be worthless. I want to be able to lose weight quickly and as easily as possible even though I know I have to be realistic. Gaining weight is easy, losing weight isn't going to be as easy.

Research says we need to exercise to be healthy and a half hour of walking every day is good. Today’s research says interval training is the way to go. We have to avoid building up body memory by doing the same thing over and over. So now, we are supposed to jog or do sprints, and alternate with walking for a total period of twenty minutes to have effective exercise. I’ve walked for miles to nowhere on a treadmill so I could fit into those "little red nothings from Vicki’s place", but research says no pain, no gain. I think I get it. If my exercise program is comfortable, it isn’t effective. If I keep my body guessing and make it work harder, the pain just means my body will get in shape, but it won’t like it. A few aches and pains aren't the same as an injury. It isn't necessary to injure the body to lose weight and to get into shape if the appropriate exercises are used.

Endless cardio exercises can be replaced by interval cardio exercises for greater weight loss. More effective strength training workouts that are shorter in time spent, but greater in intensity can also result in weight loss especially around that hard-to-lose middle zone of the body. High intensity strength training with dumb bells and body weight exercises can improve muscle tone, overall fitness and energy levels. Body Mass Index (BMI) can be lowered by combining interval cardio with strength training resulting in a healthier, leaner, toned body.

The research is in and help is on the way. There is a better way to shape up, and lose weight to fit into those "little red nothings from Vicki's Place."