The Great Pumpkin may not Deliver

[digitS']

Don't try telling Linus that!

How are you going to deliver on your own expectations for good health during the off-season? Good healthy food? Sure. Exercise?

I did a couple of days of Walking the Indoor Mile when the wildfire smoke made outdoor life hazardous. Last week, with the rain, windstorms and freeze - I was back for a few more miles. Today, with its sprinkles, back to the indoor walking and arm "exercises."

Booker T & the MG's "Time is Tight" got me started. I finished with some Dave Brubeck then, Canned Heat "Let's Work Together." Didn't cut any corners! Next week should be a busy week finishing up the gardens for winter and bringing in the roots. Bad weather, I'll be walking the Indoor Mile. How about you -- plans for staying in shape?

Steve

Ah, come on
Ah, come on, let's work together

Well now, make someone happy
Make someone smile
Let's all work together
And make life worthwhile

Let's work together
Come on, come on
Let's work together
Now, now people
Because together we will stand
Every boy, girl, woman and man

 

[flowerbug]

... How about you -- plans for staying in shape?
...

my brother came over today with a truckload of wood that was the boards from his deck that he's having replaced. when this topic was first mentioned to me i told Mom that it would be ok if they took all the screws/nails out of the wood. of course that didn't happen. so my exercise for today was removing nails from a truckload of wood. it started raining about halfway through so i backed his truck partway into the garage and finished up. my brother borrowed Mom's car to go visit his son and watch the football game. personally, i think i had more fun... Mom hauled the wood out back and used it on her project she wanted to finish up. we have two wheelbarrows sitting full of the last of the wood out near a pathway so it can get taken to wherever some day soon, but not today...

note, we argued very hard about pulling out the nails but i really just said no way was i going to let those boards get put out back with the nails in them and then i started pulling nails. Mom said it was stupid, but i replied "Have you ever stepped on a nail?" i have and it wasn't any fun. i also almost stepped on one last year here and that ticked me off as i'd been saying for a long time to not do what Mom did. so i read her the riot act again. this after sifting the nails out of the dirt in places where old wood and pallets had been burned but they didn't get the nails out of the ashes so they were left in the ground and i was always not happy when i found them. so since then i've been enforcing a burning ban and trying to get the mess cleaned up when i can find them. i think we've largely improved a great deal. plus removing all those old rotting pallets and most of the wood/nails that i could (not all could be done but i know where they are and it's not a place where there will be foot traffic or digging now - so they've been sequestered for now until some future date)... etc. well anyways, all to say, yes, i've got plenty of chances for exercise for the next month or so with all the gardens to continue to get put up for winter and then after that i'll likely turn back into jello again.

what i hope for is that i can at least get back into some Tai Chi. i once practiced it a lot and it was good for me. a few more trips to the massage lady and perhaps some chiropractor work and i'll start up gradually. just have to turn it back into a habit...

i hope you can keep up your walks and exercises.

we used to walk up and down the road three miles almost every day. Mom started walking last week again, but only about a mile. i went with her once. i really get enough exercise here as it is this time of the year, but once we get into the colder weather then walking becomes more useful and i have more time...

 

[digitS']

 

[digitS']

This will be Winter #6 for me to walk a regular Indoor Mile. Not today! Sunshiny day, I dressed too warm but it was nice to be out under the blue sky. Looked at the river - very low.

People don't talk very much about their health. I suppose that lots of things are embarrassing but it leads to unknowns and misconceptions. Here's an example: I'm sure that I was told as a kid that some people limp because of a problem with their leg. I know that it never occurred to me the origin of the word. You know - limp - until my leg went bad. I mean, I was no kid when injuries meant that I could no longer lift my foot. Foot drop, they call it - real imaginative term .

I was reading an article in the Library Journal, this morning. It introduced a list of books on chronic illnesses. The article pointed to a study of CDC stats that 60% of adults in the US have a chronic illness. Of course, some of these health problems, a person can live with for years or a lifetime. Some problems have modern treatments, others are just impairments that they limp through life with ...

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

sadly they are saying they're not going to have The Great Pumpkin on t.v. this season as the peanuts people have sold it to some on-line streaming service or the like... boo...

 

[Zeedman]

People don't talk very much about their health. I suppose that lots of things are embarrassing but it leads to unknowns and misconceptions. Here's an example: I'm sure that I was told as a kid that some people limp because of a problem with their leg. I know that it never occurred to me the origin of the word. You know - limp - until my leg went bad. I mean, I was no kid when injuries meant that I could no longer lift my foot. Foot drop, they call it - real imaginative term .

For some reason, that description leaves me waiting on the other shoe...

How about you -- plans for staying in shape?

I've gotta admit, staying in shape is turning out to be a greater challenge than expected. The garden kept me busy all Summer, but other than cleanup & spreading leaves, that's finished. Most of my planned winter activities have "gang aft agley". DW & I can't really go anywhere or gather with friends until the major Covid outbreak in our county has passed (150-200 cases a day now). That decision was validated when DS called to tell us this week that he & his lady are both sick with Covid.

I've never been big on workout equipment, my job always gave me enough activity to stay fit... but with gyms presently out of the question, its obvious that I'll need to invest in something.

 

[flowerbug]

For some reason, that description leaves me waiting on the other shoe...


I've gotta admit, staying in shape is turning out to be a greater challenge than expected. The garden kept me busy all Summer, but other than cleanup & spreading leaves, that's finished. Most of my planned winter activities have "gang aft agley". DW & I can't really go anywhere or gather with friends until the major Covid outbreak in our county has passed (150-200 cases a day now). That decision was validated when DS called to tell us this week that he & his lady are both sick with Covid.

I've never been big on workout equipment, my job always gave me enough activity to stay fit... but with gyms presently out of the question, its obvious that I'll need to invest in something.

Tai Chi doesn't need special equipment or clothes. there are good dvd's and videos available. i haven't even really looked on youtube, but i bet some are out there that are worth watching. i'm always willing to answer questions based upon my own experience, but i do not consider myself a formal teacher.

the other thing, get out for walks, with the DW, holding hands and sharing the time together.

 

[digitS']

@flowerbug , you should be more specific.

Most exercises are booooring. Repetitive movement, ugh!

I had a Tai Chi cd that was so boring that I threw it away.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

@flowerbug , you should be more specific.

Most exercises are booooring. Repetitive movement, ugh!

I had a Tai Chi cd that was so boring that I threw it away.

Steve

@Zeedman may have more tolerance for it than you there... i dunno... all suggestions are just that, suggestions...

when i first took up Tai Chi i really needed something to help me out to learn to relax and fall asleep. after a few months it helped and i was much better. i haven't practiced Tai Chi much in years, i'm sure i've forgotten some chunks of it, but could pick it up again and i'm thinking about that for this winter. i just need to make it a habit even if for only a half hour here or there. it moves a lot of muscles i don't use much in the winter and it would surely be a good thing for me to do.

 

[Zeedman]

What I'm looking for will most likely be some combination of repetitive motion (for joint mobility & cardio) and weight and/or resistance (for muscle strength). I've actually thought of Zoomba, DW & her friends were really into that at one point, and it can be a lot of fun.