At the age of 70 I retired. Happy days were ahead. I could do what I want, when I want and if I want to do nothing that’s okay too. I watched daytime TV, did the crossword puzzles, read the newspapers, and kept in touch with friends and family through email. I played some games on the computer and checked out the internet. Of course, I ate a lot because the food was there. When I did wander out, it was the mall or the supermarket where I could buy lots of goodies to keep me happy. When you’re retired, wandering aimlessly through the stores, spending money foolishly is not what you want to do. So what do you do? I didn’t want to be one of those old people sitting around waiting to die. I could see myself falling into a depression. Would you say I needed a new challenge in life!
The day of awakening came with a phone call from a friend. “The Parks Department has a Community Center nearby; they have all kinds of classes; let’s go check it out.” Now, I thought, what could I possibly do there? What I did find there was a low impact aerobics class that would help me take off the weight I had managed to put on. I joined the class, had a good time and met some really nice people. They were all discussing the line dance class they had joined and what fun it was. When I was about 10 years old, my brother who was five years older than I, used to practice his jitterbug on me and I grew up dancing during the wonderful era of the big bands. I didn’t get to dance much later in life and forgot how much I enjoyed it,
With a bit of trepidation I joined the line dance class. It wasn’t just country music anymore. They taught Mambo, Cha-Cha, Waltz, and I was in heaven. The only problem, since I was sure I knew how to dance, was thinking this was going to be soooooo easy! It turned out that I was the only newbie in the class and I also realized there’s no partner to lead me around the floor. At first I thought I must have turned stupid in my old age, but then realized that line dancing is mostly memory and my memory was not too sharp anymore. I was going to stick with it! The dances are a number of sets that are repeated during the dance and you have to be aware of the sequence, what steps come next. Fortunately, I did not take myself too seriously. Someone once said “dance as if no one is looking” so that’s exactly what I did. I laughed a lot, persevered and promised myself I would not give up. I finally did it! It all fell into place.
The moral of the story….. dance class is much less expensive than doctors and psychiatrists; it gives you a natural high! I lost weight; I lost inches; I started to eat healthier when I saw the weight loss and my memory has improved tremendously. I’m exercising my brain by learning something new with each dance. I learned so well, that at the age of 75, the Parks & Recreation Department offered me a job teaching line dancing. My students always compliment me on my youthful looks and demeanor; something I don’t mind hearing.
I just read that Socrates learned to dance when he was seventy because he felt that an essential part of himself had been neglected. Isn’t it funny that with all the aches and pains that come with age, I don’t feel a bit of pain when I dance? It must be that ‘natural high’.
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
Make Exercise A Family Priority
A Mom’s daily calendar is almost always overscheduled. Each day usually starts early and ends late. It may include lots of running in circles (at least it can feel that way). But, probably is lacking any real physical activity. With children returning to school, the schedule gets even tighter due to school requirements and events.
It may seem an insurmountable task to get your family into the healthy habit of regular exercise. Yet, with the disturbing recent obesity trends, it’s an extremely important habit to adopt. Studies have indicated that children are 40% less active than they were just 30 years ago. This has negative effects for kids in physical, psychological, and social areas.
So, being an active family needs to become a priority. Fortunately, it’s actually easier than you may think. With a little planning you can find ways to incorporate workouts into the time you spend with your children. Regardless of your children’s age, there’s a way to find time to workout (often even with your kids)! Here are some tips organized by age, which will add to your family time together and help to keep the whole family active!
Age: Infant through pre-school
Play a game of keep-away or tag.
Occupy them for even 15 minutes with a video or toy while you do some toning exercises like squats and tricep dips.
Grab your stroller and go for a brisk walk. Or, buy a jogging stroller for more flexibility. With a jogging stroller you can walk faster, jog or even run at a fast pace. And, for veteran rollerbladers, you can even use the stroller for some skating time. Don’t forget the kid helmets.
For younger children, you can use a back carrier to transport them while walking. This can burn even more calories as the extra weight makes it more challenging.
Turn on some music and dance together. Toddlers love dancing, especially when their parents join in.
Play hopscotch – yes, you will work up a sweat.
Push your kid on a swing. And, after every push complete one squat.
Use an infant carrier or bike trailer to enjoy a bike ride together.
Age: Grade School
Try rollerblading or skating together.
Spend an afternoon at a park with a playground, but don’t spend the whole time relaxing on the sidelines – join in on the fun. Spend some time swinging to help workout your legs. Try making it across the monkey bars – even just once (it’s a great upper body workout and you’ll be amazed that your kid does it with such little ease). Try some pull-ups using a bar on the playset. Do some tricep dips on a nearby park bench.
Get a small group together for a kickball or softball game.
If your child can ride a bicycle at a moderate pace, jog alongside of them.
Involve your kids while you strength train. Let them count your reps out loud for you and/or clock your rest time in-between sets.
Try a game of marble pick-up. Set up a circle (or more than one) of marbles. Compete with each other to see who can pick them up quicker following certain rules (e.g. not being able to bend from the waist but instead using a squatting technique to grab them). Adults will get an extra workout if they squat while balancing on just one foot.
On rainy days that force you inside, walk or run up and down the stairs. You might even make it a contest to see who can finish 5 complete rounds first.
Age: Teenagers
Register for a fun run (or walk) event and spend time together training for the event.
Set up an obstacle course in your back yard. Then try such things as quick sprints back and forth between two objects, hopping over a line of sticks, and running zig-zags around a line of cones.
Play tennis or basketball together.
Consider joining a community volleyball or softball team that includes enthusiasts of all ages.
Don’t just sit and cheer your kids at their sporting events. Every few minutes do some walking or jumping jacks or squats.
Learn how to do strength training exercises that require partners. There are dozens of options that work both individuals’ bodies. For example, partner squats where two people stand facing each other, grasp each other around their forearms and squat simultaneously as if sitting in a chair.
Implement a daily family walk each day before or after dinner.
Work together in the yard raking leaves, planting flowers, trimming trees.
Sure, you may have a very full plate but isn’t it time to throw out the “I’m a parent – I don’t have time to workout” excuse. Don’t focus on the frequency or irregularity of your workouts. Take the opportunities for physical activity when they arise. If you implement these above activities for just 30 minutes three times per week, you can easily burn an extra 450 calories or more!
Plus, working out sets a great example for your children that will teach them at an early age how important (and easy) it is to make physical fitness a part of daily life. Exercising with your kids also provides the extra bonus of spending quality time together.
It may seem an insurmountable task to get your family into the healthy habit of regular exercise. Yet, with the disturbing recent obesity trends, it’s an extremely important habit to adopt. Studies have indicated that children are 40% less active than they were just 30 years ago. This has negative effects for kids in physical, psychological, and social areas.
So, being an active family needs to become a priority. Fortunately, it’s actually easier than you may think. With a little planning you can find ways to incorporate workouts into the time you spend with your children. Regardless of your children’s age, there’s a way to find time to workout (often even with your kids)! Here are some tips organized by age, which will add to your family time together and help to keep the whole family active!
Age: Infant through pre-school
Play a game of keep-away or tag.
Occupy them for even 15 minutes with a video or toy while you do some toning exercises like squats and tricep dips.
Grab your stroller and go for a brisk walk. Or, buy a jogging stroller for more flexibility. With a jogging stroller you can walk faster, jog or even run at a fast pace. And, for veteran rollerbladers, you can even use the stroller for some skating time. Don’t forget the kid helmets.
For younger children, you can use a back carrier to transport them while walking. This can burn even more calories as the extra weight makes it more challenging.
Turn on some music and dance together. Toddlers love dancing, especially when their parents join in.
Play hopscotch – yes, you will work up a sweat.
Push your kid on a swing. And, after every push complete one squat.
Use an infant carrier or bike trailer to enjoy a bike ride together.
Age: Grade School
Try rollerblading or skating together.
Spend an afternoon at a park with a playground, but don’t spend the whole time relaxing on the sidelines – join in on the fun. Spend some time swinging to help workout your legs. Try making it across the monkey bars – even just once (it’s a great upper body workout and you’ll be amazed that your kid does it with such little ease). Try some pull-ups using a bar on the playset. Do some tricep dips on a nearby park bench.
Get a small group together for a kickball or softball game.
If your child can ride a bicycle at a moderate pace, jog alongside of them.
Involve your kids while you strength train. Let them count your reps out loud for you and/or clock your rest time in-between sets.
Try a game of marble pick-up. Set up a circle (or more than one) of marbles. Compete with each other to see who can pick them up quicker following certain rules (e.g. not being able to bend from the waist but instead using a squatting technique to grab them). Adults will get an extra workout if they squat while balancing on just one foot.
On rainy days that force you inside, walk or run up and down the stairs. You might even make it a contest to see who can finish 5 complete rounds first.
Age: Teenagers
Register for a fun run (or walk) event and spend time together training for the event.
Set up an obstacle course in your back yard. Then try such things as quick sprints back and forth between two objects, hopping over a line of sticks, and running zig-zags around a line of cones.
Play tennis or basketball together.
Consider joining a community volleyball or softball team that includes enthusiasts of all ages.
Don’t just sit and cheer your kids at their sporting events. Every few minutes do some walking or jumping jacks or squats.
Learn how to do strength training exercises that require partners. There are dozens of options that work both individuals’ bodies. For example, partner squats where two people stand facing each other, grasp each other around their forearms and squat simultaneously as if sitting in a chair.
Implement a daily family walk each day before or after dinner.
Work together in the yard raking leaves, planting flowers, trimming trees.
Sure, you may have a very full plate but isn’t it time to throw out the “I’m a parent – I don’t have time to workout” excuse. Don’t focus on the frequency or irregularity of your workouts. Take the opportunities for physical activity when they arise. If you implement these above activities for just 30 minutes three times per week, you can easily burn an extra 450 calories or more!
Plus, working out sets a great example for your children that will teach them at an early age how important (and easy) it is to make physical fitness a part of daily life. Exercising with your kids also provides the extra bonus of spending quality time together.
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