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Keeping Fit

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My mom (Nonny) is a jock.  She was very active as a kid and played many sports when she was in school (basketball, field hockey, tennis).  She got my dad interested in tennis after they married and they played consistently until his death.  She even played tennis the night before my baby sister was born.  Doubles and she was happy to tell everyone that they won against the other team.

So imagine Nonny’s disappointment when all three of her daughters turned out to be complete non-jocks.  I cycled fairly seriously for a couple of years (way before YA was born) and my baby sister runs occasionally, but for the most part, we are couch potatoes.  Of all seven grandchildren, only one has any spark of jock-ness: YA.  Swimming, gymnastics, running and weight training have been part of her regime over the years. 

Santa brought YA a 10-pound weight, so now she has two.  I noticed a couple of days ago that she has set up a “gym” in Nonny’s room upstairs.  She has her yoga mat, her weights, a big yoga ball and some kind of exercise bands.  This morning she had music playing on her phone while she worked out.

I admire her get-up-and-go.  While I’m doing the stationary bike at the gym occasionally (translation: every 4 or 5 days) and walking the dog occasionally (translation: if the sun is shining), I wouldn’t say that exercising is my top priority these days.  If would be nice if YA’s commitment to working out would rub off on me, but I’m thinking if it hasn’t happened yet, it probably won’t.

Have you ever had a “favorite” exercise?  If you could have your own In-home gym, how would you like it set up?

57 thoughts on “Keeping Fit”

  1. i like doing weights
    back and bis day one
    chest and tris day two
    legs get plugged in and shoulders depending on which one needs it is is screwed up
    riding the bike and or elliptical are something i need to be all in for. i have a program i plug in when i am
    my specialty is the executive trifecta hot tub sauna and shower. i can do that every day
    most recent club had a cold tub added i am familiar with from china. in thailand massage and sex are offered too . i love massage
    my favorite workout is sex but my efforts at daily silo workouts are just not the same as the good old days ahh the 60’s
    in clearing out the warehouse i did hang onto a universal gym a couple hundred pounds of weights and a stationary bike and at hole i havecrhecelipifcal and inversion table i also saved all my massage chairs, the prices i got for the bench’s and other gym equipment made me sorry i put it up. auctions kinda duck if you’re selling but i did get great prices on my forklifts
    my excessive program will lay low the 1st quarter with my being restricted to 10 lbs for 12 weeks starting in a couple weeks. that almost eliminates solo sex but we’ll see
    happy resolutions all

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  2. I need to do something like yoga, as I find myself stiffer and less flexible by the day. I also suspect arthritis, especially in my hands. I know the only way I would exercise on a regular basis is if I went to a class. That is not an option right now. I work hard in the garden all spring, summer, and fall, though.

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    1. I used to like aerobics classes. I don’t even know if they exist anymore. Before YA came along there was an aerobics class at Bally’s and the instructor’s name was John. He was great and I loved that class. Twice a week.

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    2. The lupus/arthritis specialist from the U wants Sandy to do Tai Chi. She is getting so stiff, almost immobile sometimes, but the pain keeps her from doing it. I need to start on it more to see what I can get her to do. It is her body not her mind that will put her in a care facility. But with all her colitis and limited diet, I do not see how they can care for her. So, Renee, I say get moving now. I of course used to bike; did twice around the world mileage in 11 years with one of those years off from back surgery. Then I went to VINE, senior citizen center, a wonderful place, to use their equipment. Have not been there for 10 months. Now you can sign up for times to come in on controlled basis. But by the time I try to reserve spots, they are filled, or the ones I have to have are filled. I need to be home from about 9:30 to 6.

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        1. You might be writing that with tongue in cheek, Renee, hinting that you should be exercising but are pondering your choices instead. I recently acquired new respect for contemplation from videos of a Raven solving problems. The bird, Fable, is often given puzzles to solve, with some food treat being the reward. At first she usually experiments with ways of manipulating the puzzle. When those random efforts don’t succeed, Fable retreats from the puzzle to enter “the contemplation stage” of problem solving. Then she moves in, solves the puzzle and enjoys her reward.

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  3. DIL has been restricted from all exercise for two months. She had Covid, and there was inflammation around her heart, and they don’t want her to risk anything with exercise.

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  4. I had the perfect exercise program when I used to walk the Fort Snelling/Minnehaha park area with my buddy Katie. The walk was a loop of 2.4 miles of surprisingly wild country tucked out of sight in a major metropolis. It featured scenic overlooks, wildlife, rugged hills, historical artifacts (from as early as 1820), a waterfall, sand beaches and the beauty of America’s grandest river. Katie got to point squirrels, play with other dogs and enjoy affection from people she adored. I got exercise, time in nature and a chance to socialize with fascinating people, some of whom became friends. When I wasn’t talking to friends I could enjoy news and commentary from MPR through headphones. For ten years the park was the happiest two hours of each day, and we almost never missed it even in challenging weather.

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    1. Santa brought me a new pair of yak tracks, as I had given my old pair to Nonny a few years back. This means Guinevere has enjoyed some more walking recently. Me too.

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  6. I would like a dance studio with a nice sound system. I’d have a playlist and maybe a video setup that would show some moves I could learn. I tried a Zumba class once, but I really disliked the music the instructor chose, and it was too fast paced for me. I would really need to select my own music. If you like the music, it makes you want to move. If you don’t like the music it just feels like work.

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  7. I see a lot of commercials these days for these mirror exercise things. I don’t have wall space anywhere for something like that and I really don’t want to look at myself while I am exercising. Every time I ever took a class of any kind I purposely placed myself at the very back.

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    1. I assume you knew placing yourself at the back sent a signal to the teacher. When I taught freshman composition at the U of MN, the good students sat in the front while the kids I needed to worry about sat in the far back. They were the ones who hated writing and were in my class only because they were forced to take it. I enjoyed the reliable way the weak and disgruntled students self-identified, making it easy to know which kids I had to work harder to reach.

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      1. Well that might be the case in freshman composition but I have to tell you in all the years I took classes, nobody ever worried about me in the back row.

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  8. And I am completely forgot to mention in my description of Nonny that on top of all her regular exercise, she was also a gym teacher for many years.

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  9. Think of all the sore muscles there will be today in Washington after all the contortions, twisting, bending over backwards, and flips in Congress!

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  10. My favorite exercise is golf even though the general perception is of golf as a game with little athleticism required. True for most. But I walk on a hilly course, push my own cart, and walk fast. Great HIIT workout, especially if I’m playing a solo practice round and no one is in front of me.

    I HATE running with a passion, but walking is probably my default favorite “true” exercise. Throw a canoe on my back and put me on a BWCAW portage and I’m a happy guy. Actually, BWCAW canoe camping/traveling is a great all-over workout. Arms, back, and core get exercised while paddling. Legs, back, and core get a workout while portaging.

    In winter, NOTHING beats XC skiing for me. Another total body workout with beautiful scenery and the chance to see wildlife if you ski in a natural area outside the big city. Just did my first ski of 2021 the other day at River Bend Nature Center in Faribault and came across two deer standing just off the trail. We had a staredown for a few minutes. I sang to them (Amazing Grace and Over the Rainbow). They weren’t impressed, but neither did they run away screaming with their hooves covering their ears. Trees were also coated with frost, which is always magical.

    My ideal home gym is a scaled-down version of what I use at my local fitness center (in the golf clubhouse). Mostly Nautilus machines, plus free weights and aerobic machines. I’d have a full complement of machines for weight training plus an elliptical trainer and maybe the rowing machine. Not crazy about treadmills. We have an old Nordic Track from about 1990, but I don’t care for it compared to actually skiing outdoors.

    Chris in Owatonna

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    1. Although you might not believe this, out here in Western ND we rarely have enough snow for XC skiing. It is semi arid, and windy to boot. I love XC skiing, but rarely have optimal conditions to do it.

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      1. I”m a little weird that way. ALways wished I could “talk to the animals” like Dr. Doolittle. I’m just dying to know what they’re thinking as they stare back at me. 🙂

        Chris

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  11. Morning –
    I’ve belonged to a few health clubs or fitness centers over the years. But never went enough to justify it. I’m the club owners dream; pay the feels, don’t use the machines.
    We have a stationary bike downstairs. It’s a good place to store stuff.

    I have always wondered why I don’t like walking more. Last night talking with daughter (she was having trouble going to sleep again so I tell her long, boring, meandering stories with no exact point, in my quiet, droning voice.) and I remembered walking home from the school bus and I hated that too. So I’ve always hated walking. Interesting.

    Of course when I was milking cows there was a lot of physical labor hauling feed, spreading straw or hay, climbing up or down the hay chutes or silos, carrying water, ect.
    These days so much is automated; riding in the tractor with the hydraulics controlled by my index finger… it’s hard to get a work out. And then comes those 4 loads of straw and no wonder I pull a muscle in my shoulder then.

    I’ve never been good at doing therapy or exercises. Can my home gym have a couch and large screen TV?

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      1. I walked a lot; out to the pasture to get the cows, out to check fences, out to the fields, ect. But It was never my favorite thing. These days I know it’s going to make my knees and feet hurt but I do still walk out in the fields or down in the woods sometimes. Given a choice I’ll take the 4 wheeler or gator.

        Anyone hear the interview with Bruce Springsteen on Sunday morning? The interviewer asked him how long he’d be able to keep doing live shows with all his jumping and leaping and on his knees and that the next day he must feel like he’s been hit by a bus? Bruce responded as long as he could and as long as he wanted to put up with feeling like he’d been hit by a bus. I thought that was very perceptive; we all put up with our aches and pains because it’s worth it.
        So how long will it be worth it? I’m still willing at the moment.

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  12. Because I wasn’t very good at anything in school PE, I thought I was clumsy and uncoordinated until I discovered folk dancing. Our group does a weekly zoom gathering, but it pales in comparison to actually being together, which we got to do outdoors in summer.

    We’ve rearranged the house for the Covid duration such that I can do Zoom t’ai chi and workout (both from our sr. center) in the “solarium”, which houses our computer. I have to move rocking and computer chairs aside, and there’s a cubby where I keep the free weights, exercise bands, yoga mat, etc. We both get up (no, really!) for Angelo’s 7 a.m class on Mon. and Wed. Husband uses the living room, similarly cleared, where he can see it on TV screen.

    Between that and walking maybe twice a week, I’m getting exercise more regularly than ever. I would like to do some biking, but don’t know where the heck I’d put that.

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  13. I was not in any organized sports back in my school days – there really wasn’t anything for girls anyway. I was much more of a music geek. My friends and I were active outdoors, though – biking and active play. In my 30s I was a work out freak at a club – high impact aerobics, step classes, Nautilus machines, etc. Boy, was I in great shape! I also developed plantar fasciitis which put the kibosh on most of that activity. Luckily the fasciitis resolved and hasn’t recurred. Since then regular exercise has been hit or miss.

    Like Chris, I HATE running. I am an avid walker and will walk miles at a time. When playing golf I always walk, pulling my own cart, but I play infrequently and only 9 holes at a time. One warm/hot weather activity I really enjoy is kayaking but, again, I don’t do it nearly often enough. I no longer downhill or X-country ski but do enjoy snowshoeing – will do that with a friend on Friday.

    This past year has been rough – too little exercise and too much stress eating has left me at an unhappy weight and feeling sluggish. In mid-November I embarked on an effort to get back in to better shape. I don’t diet but do write down everything I eat each day (including amount) and step on the scale each morning – keeps me accountable and much more likely to avoid high cal low nutrition food. My new exercise routine includes hand held weights and a kettlebell – working on strength as well as stamina. So far, so good – weight slowly coming down and stamina improving. I also need to start working more on balance.

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  14. I have always enjoyed physical activity. Gym classes were enjoyable and fun to me, possibly because I was reasonably good at it.

    As I’m pondering why so many people associate exercise with drudgery, pain, shame, guilt or other unpleasantness, I’m wondering why that is? Could it be that we are constantly bombarded with messages that makes us feel that we should be doing more, that whatever we’re doing isn’t enough or good enough? At the same time there seems to be a not so subtle message that if you’re a jock, it’s probably because you’re not academically inclined or gifted.

    Another factor, I think, is that sports so often are extremely competitive. A lot of people seem to have the mindset that if you’re not constantly improving or winning, why keep at it? Personally, I’ve lost more tennis matches than I’ve won; I’m pretty sure this is true, though I have never kept track of it, except in tournaments. I played simply because I enjoyed it; it was fun. Besides, it’s a lot more challenging playing with someone who is a slightly better player.

    I was never any good at ice skating, nor an accomplished cross country skier, but lord it was invigorating to be outside, getting some fresh air in the company of friends. During the summer, bicycling, rollerblading, and swimming were favorite pastimes.

    These days I get hardly any physical exercise. Arthritis in my neck and lower spine, plus a bad hip and knee, have pretty much put me out of commission. Even walking is painful. Thank god my mind is still reasonably nimble

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    1. I too loved ice skating, PJ, just for the joy of being out – esp. on a natural pond, lake, or stream.

      And I think you’re on to something with this – ” we feel that we should be doing more, that whatever we’re doing isn’t enough or good enough” – which takes some of the joy out of it. Also that many people’s schedules make it hard to find the time for any exercise.

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        1. Thank god I never had that to contend with. I wonder why that apparently was mandatory here? I did have some classmates who wore that kind of outfit, but I never did. Don’t remember why.

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  15. Just now got back with 7000 steps on my tracker.
    When I ran a crew of people, 10,000 steps a day were easily done. Now that I’ve been sedentary for two months, I’m sure to need two Advil tonight. Running was my favorite long ago. Moorhead-Fargo (MF not FM) has a running club, Lake Agassiz Pacers. We ran a 10K every Wednesday night. That was fun. One evening it had snowed and I was running along side an skilled marathoner. He was looking at my footprints and told me that my left print was turned out. He said that would add 100 yards to a full marathon. I’m deformed! Never did try a full marathon.

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  16. Update on YA’s workout space… she has just brought down the multi-colored lanterns (that we normally have outside during the summer) and strung them up. She says the overhead light is “too bright”.

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  17. I am back to work this week which delayed my Trail time. I have been walking outside here. The big water feature here that hosts the fountain of Fountain Hills has a trail around it. It is 2 miles around from my condo and back again. I also have been lifting weigts here at home, and starting back to yoga under my back went out Monday. That curtailed my activities.

    My blood pressure and heart rate were elevated earlier today when I learned of the insurrection in DC. Does that replace exercise?

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      1. I’m fresh out of expletives. I really need to replenish my supply, I don’t think we’re anywhere near the end of this mess.

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  18. I can’t get in to home workouts 😭 we are in lockdown in the UK and I usually go the gym and I love it. Home workouts are not the same. But, I need to stick with it! 😭

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