Some of you know, that about 2 years ago my fitness routine took a sudden >hault< when I realized that that small pain I had in my knee (with swelling) was a much larger issue in need of greater inspection, physical therapy and ultimately surgery. So, I’m 35 at that point and wondering, well, when can I get on the run again? I’m missing my kickboxing class right now! Put me in coach!!
Since then I have gotten back into shape on the bike, in the pool and just plain old living around NYC. Molly is a big inspiration for getting to the Y, a huge bonus you all should get one!!
Fast-forward to Sunday. I felt some back pain as I put my drunken self to bed on Saturday thinking… damn heels, why did I run to the subway in heels? Owww. Turns out I REALLY hurt my lower back, which was (I think) to do with the huge cleaning task I tackled early on in the day Saturday. I was out on the fire escape washing windows, loving my new apartment and ignoring the pigeon shit everywhere. I also ignored how difficult those windows and screens were to open and close… and I think that’s what did it. Normal human operation – opening and closing windows – up and down, inside and out. It happens every day, right? Washing the soot off the glass! I should be able to do this without warming up, stretching or having to see a SPECIALIST!!??
Boo. I can’t help but feel… aged. I am not overly bummed, not like I’ll-never-clean-again type bummed… but am taking this as a call to arms to really get myself into better shape, front-back-top-bottom so that as life dishes out dirty windows… I can tackle those and whatever else comes my way. That is, without having to resort to prescription drugs the next day.
Take care my people.
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3 comments:
This might be old news, but can I stress how important stretching is? The shit that we carry in our ham-strings and quads, especially, can really affect the back. Limbering up the hammies can take a lot of strain off the lower back (and I need to remind myself of that - def gonna stretch today!).
Hope you're well, Cath!
xo
I second that emotion soul brother.
As I was saying to CB last night, all these little aches and pains from slight tweaks can really turn into bigger problems if we don't take precautions. Part of my main exercise motivators is the fact that my dad was super fit in his early forties and then hurt his knee and stopped exercising almost altogether and gained a lot of weight and has now had both knees replaced. He started dieting and exercising this year (his 69th!) and has lost almost 50 pounds. So we can do it any day any time of our life if we want. But we have to be wise!
Go team F&F!
hey cathy, i totally hear you on this one! this is why i just upped my personal training sessions to 3 times a week and am trying to run every other day when i'm not having PT. i am getting closer to 40 every day, and my two role models for this are my dad and my step-dad:
-my step-dad goes to the gym every morning at 6am, he eats well and drinks maybe 1 glass of wine a night. he is trim, healthy, and looks about 55. he is 74 years old.
-my dad, on the other hand, is probably 30-40 pounds overweight, he eats lots of processed food and drinks at least 3 glasses of wine a night, if not more. his knee recently blew out as he was standing in the bathroom shaving, probably from the weight on it, no other factors involved. he has no muscle tone and his health is deteriorating. he is 70 years old.
my step-dad has always been really active, playing tennis and windsurfing until just the last 5 or so years, but still he and my mom go sailing every weekend in her little sunfish, which they pull out of the garage together, load onto a trailer, launch, and pull out of the water. so he is fit enough to handle not only normal tasks, but stuff i wouldn't want to do like lifting boats out of the water! my dad, on the other hand, has decided that he doesn't need to be fit anymore, and as a result his health is just getting worse every year. i saw him recently and it bummed me out so bad, since it's not necessary to just let your body fall apart, as my step-dad shows.
sorry for the long post, but i think these two guys are a real cautionary tale, as well as a huge inspiration for all of us to keep our bodies in shape now since it WILL pay off in the long run... the number of pills my dad takes every day alone is enough to convince anyone that exercise is GOOD!!
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