The Part I Like Least
The Part I Like Least
Hint: It's not curling up on the sofa with my laptop and blanky
The whole time I was a slave to the false, ever-changing, pop-culture notions of healthy eating, I was always exercising. Jogging was my favorite. But I was an expert at Jane Fonda and had the leg warmers to prove it. When my knees started going bad, because I didn’t know how to eat, I got an elliptical machine so I could still sort of run. I would go forever on that thing, music blasting from an oversized headset, singing along to prove I could, even at this speed/angle/resistance.
Sometimes I loved working out, sometimes I hated it, but I always did it. And I kind of thought, when I was very young and naive, there would come a day where I would be old, and would no longer need to worry about looking good. Ageist AF, right?
Well, here we are, and I’m a senior citizen, I think. 62? And what I love most is sitting. I write novels for a living, and blog in between, and those are jobs than can be done curled up on soft cushions with a cup of decaf or tea and a blanket on my lap, and a dog lying across my feet. Oh, or out by the waterfall in the sunshine, or in front of the fireplace in the winter. It’s so nice!
It’s actually not so nice
When we sit too much, our muscles begin to lose tone. The body is very efficient. Nothing goes to waste, everything is used or stored for future use. It will not nourish and support muscle tissue that isn’t needed. The muscle shrinks to match the body’s perceived need for it. If we never move, we are telling our body we no longer need the muscles that enable us to move. And our muscles shrink accordingly
We slow down as we age because we slow down as we age
What comes first as we age? Do we move less because it’s harder to move, or is it harder to move because we move less? We’re conditioned to believe we’re supposed to slow down. Grandma in the rocking chair is a pervasive image. But it doesn’t have to be. There are scads of senior athletes proving this.
We have to keep moving in order to keep moving.
The less we move today, the less we’ll be able to move in the future
Every time I, curled up on the sofa for my morning coffee-and-email-hour, shift my attention toward my work, I stop myself, get my butt up, and go to the standup desk with the treadmill underneath. I work there. I walk at least 45 minutes. At first I walked leisurely, but then, gradually I picked up the pace. Now I walk briskly and jog a few minutes here and there while doing work that allows it. I can walk briskly while composing new stories. I can walk even faster while editing them. I can barely move while working on graphics or art. I can jog while reading articles or viewing videos, say, for my classes. And I can stand still and work forever.
Some tips on walking while working:
Start slow, and work your way up. At first, it’s hard to do two things at the same time, but keep trying. Your muscle memory will take over once you’ve been at it for a few days.
Your watch or step tracker probably won’t count steps while you are keyboarding, because your arms are not moving. I once tried it on my ankle instead, and it was certain I had run a marathon. I don’t know what the answer for this is.
Resistance training can both prevent bone loss and promote new bone growth at any age!
Posts and articles about the importance of resistance training for older women have been popping up all around me as if trying to get my attention. As if the Universe is saying, “Hey, we need to see this.”
I always pay attention to things like that. So, I found an amazing workout I could do, online, with some light weight involvement, and I really enjoyed it. It was free. I could feel my abs the next day, so I know it was good.
I did the workout below, and have been trying others too. That doesn’t mean you can or should. I always recommend talking to your healthcare provider before, during, and after making gradual and sustainable lifestyle changes. They are your partner in health, and they will cheer you on, and carry what they learn from you to their other patients. So definitely involve them.
My tips for staying active:
I really love my Apple Watch, and there are other watches like it, and simpler fitness tracking bands, as well. I am able to set it to alert me if I have been sitting nearly an hour. I have to get up and move around for a little while to satisfy it. Whenever I do this, I make use of the time, do a few squats, or grab my little weights and do a few reps. I also do that every time I walk away from the computer, even if I’m at the standup desk. It adds up throughout the day.
A watch or fitness tracker will track your steps, unless you’re writing (See above.) This alone just automatically makes you move more. If you look and it’s less than your daily goal, you’re going to scurry around a little bit to get those steps in. It’s psychological. We’ve made it a game.
My watch keeps track of all sorts of other health metrics. I enable all the health data on mine, and I am fascinated by reviewing it all: my resting heart rate, average heart rate, energy burned and so on.
The watch has rings for activity, a blue ring for getting up every little while, a red one for calories burned from movement, and a green one for exercise. If I close all three rings every day for a while, it will suggest raising the goals a little bit. I always say yes to that.
Another tip: Get a water bottle you love and keep it full and by your side all day long.
The fine art of kitchen dancing
If you are living this lifestyle, you’re probably spending more time in the kitchen than you used to. I do not let this time go to waste. I either listen to audiobooks, or I put on music and dance my way through kitchen time. (Pause while chopping.) I tap the exercise button on my watch, to make sure it counts this joyful segment of my day, and it makes the cooking and cleanup much more fun.
I’m heading out to put on a big pot of veggie stew that will last several days as soon as I finish this piece. Just for the heck of it, I’ll drop my perfect veggie stew recipe at the bottom of this post.
We should do everything we can to increase our activity, especially as we enter our Empowered Goddess years. So park in the farthest spot from the grocery store, and if it rains, laugh. Use the stairs, not the elevator. Use the upstairs bathroom every single time, all day long. Work standing up. Sometimes I stand behind the couch (it’s L-shaped) with the laptop on its back.
Pay attention to your stride
As healthy declines, stride length shortens. So I pay close attention to how I walk. I take big, long strides. I hold my shoulders back and swing my arms. I keep my head up. I walk with strength and energy. When I’m not feeling strong or energized, walking outside in this manner will quickly bring those feelings on.
Pay attention to your balance
Stand on one foot. Try it with arms outstretched. Try it with head tipped back. Now try it with your eyes closed. Balance is directly related to muscle strength. Just trying to balance works the muscles it takes to do so. Yoga and other exercises that involve balance are beautiful additions to your lifestyle. Or you can make up your own.
Pay attention to your strength
Can you squat until your butt nearly touches the floor, and then rise back up without using your hands to push or pull yourself? Squats, and wall sits will help to power up your muscles so that you can. Can you do a pushup? Working with light weights will improve upper bod strength, as will doing modified pushups, from your knees, or on a staircase, with your hands up a few steps higher than your feet.
Pay attention to your flexibility
Can you bend, and stretch, and reach easily, or do your grab your back and yelp when you try? Gentle movement like or yoga or tai chi are also helpful for flexibility.
The payoff
Those of us who keep our muscles strong as we age (and we’re all aging,) have fewer accidents and falls, and an all-around better quality of life. Independence lasts longer, and health is better than those who do not exercise. (National Institute on Aging)
So do something. Make it fun. Add music. Be creative.
Together, let’s get off our collective asses and MOVE!
Stew Recipe Below
Sources Cited
CDC. “Physical Activity Benefits for Adults 65 or Older.” Physical Activity Basics, 25 Mar. 2024, www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/health-benefits/older-adults.html.
National Institute on Aging. “How Can Strength Training Build Healthier Bodies as We Age?” National Institute on Aging, 30 June 2022, www.nia.nih.gov/news/how-can-strength-training-build-healthier-bodies-we-age.
BONUS! My perfectly seasoned stew recipe, which probably appears elsewhere on this site, but not exactly this version. (It’s ever-evolving, my stew.) This is a BIG BATCH.
Perfectly Seasoned Veggie Stew
Ingredients
5 medium or 4 large russet potatoes
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions
1 package frozen peas
4 large or 5 medium carrots
5-7 big leaves of Swiss chard, kale, spinach
5-7 stalks celery
5 medium or 4 large white button mushrooms
7 cloves garlic
2+ quarts reduced sodium or sodium-free vegetable broth (enough cover veggies + a little more.)
1/2 cup pearl barely
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons reduced sodium tamari
2 teaspoons sage
2 scant teaspoons rosemary
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Method
Wash all produce thoroughly. Leave the skins on the potatoes, but scrape the carrots. Stem the greens and chop them fine. Dice everything into bite sized pieces.
Throw into the biggest stew pot you have or a crock pot. Cover with the broth, add all other ingredients.
Stovetop: Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer stirring frequently. Start checking veggie tenderness at 20 minutes. Carrots take the longest, leave them a little cris.
Crockpot: Set on high for about 6 hours.
Speed Crockpot: Bring to a boil on the stovetop, then dump into crockpot to finish. I haven’t timed this but I know it’s way faster.
Pssst. Autumn is breathing down our necks.
I think we all need more thrillers, don’t you?
