…the body, not house…
My initial exercise plan arrived from the physiotherapist, plus the link to take it forward. We had a look at the exercises. They were all right, but I need a pair of dumbbells and a kettlebell in order to do some of them. So we had a look at what was available and didn’t have the first clue where to start. I remembered once being told we could use 2 tins of baked beans instead of dumbbells, and those weigh around 400g + the weight of the can. So I thought half a kilo would be a good place to start on the dumbbells.
My back woke me up at 4am, again. But this time I told it to shut up and stop moaning because there was nothing wrong with it. It completely ignored me, so perhaps I have to work on my mindset a bit harder. I reckon the muscles have deteriorated and I need to get them working again.
We both struggled to get up yesterday morning. Too many late nights. So I skipped the housework/garden hour. Again.
First job at my desk, then, was to submit this month’s submission to 12 stories in 12 months. I did that and then went and read 3 stories by other members and gave them feedback. We’re supposed to read and comment on at least 4 stories, so I’ll go back again over the course of the month and do a few more.
Then I had a look at dumbbells and kettlebells. I found a set of bone-shaped dumbbells starting at half a kilo, so I popped the smallest set in my basket. They’re pastel pink, which is a bit unfortunate as I’m not a pink person. Then I found the kettlebells in the same range. The smallest one of those was 4kg, but at least it’s teal coloured. Those will be here tomorrow. I’ll start the exercises on Monday when I’ll also start a regular walk, starting short and easy and building up to something longer and slightly more challenging, said she hopefully.
I’ll either have to rejig my existing day to replace a work hour with a movement hour, or start my day an hour earlier. There’s no way I can do that with the kind of late nights we’ve been having lately. The dog is coming to stay on Friday evening again, for the weekend, so we’ll be taking him out on Saturday and Sunday anyway, and I’ll take him for our walk on Monday morning too, before he goes home.
I’m already building little exercises into my day, like standing on one leg for 10 seconds each while the kettle boils, or 10 heel lifts while I’m running a tap and waiting for the water to warm up, or getting up and down out of a chair 10 times without using my arms, or stepping up and down on the step 10 times each side after feeding the birds, etc. The spondy exercises are floor exercises and they take around 15 minutes. As they loosen my hips, I’ll probably still do those.
I’ve started to take collagen too, and already my legs and hips are feeling looser. Too bad my skin hasn’t started to show signs of improvement yet…Skin is supposed to take 4 – 8 weeks to improve. By then I’ll have to stop taking it again as you’re not supposed to take collagen while sunbathing, and the light therapy treatment for my skin is UV. I’m hoping it *will* work so I can cancel the light therapy. I’m really not bothered about having a sun tan for Christmas.
So, anyway, back to work…and back to editing. And I carried on with the editing until it got too dark to see.
It takes will power to keep up the exercises, doesn’t it. I keep trying new things but it is so difficult to find the time to fit it all in. I keep thinking I must make more effort but there always seems to be something more important. At the end of the day, I’d rather go and do a session in the garden.
Absolutely. It’s not only the time element with me, it’s the boredom. Like you, I’d sooner go for a walk, although that won’t address the strength issues in my legs.
Are you starting with an hour, or working your way up to an hour? Remember that you’ll be sore the first few days, and your back will complain some more, too. Remember to be kind to yourself (something I always forget). Once you get used to the routine, it starts to feel good. But those first few days can feel discouraging.
I’m starting small then building up. I’ll have a dog to walk in that hour as well, so I can see me doing different exercises on different days.