When I was young, I was very athletic. We used to call active little girls like me Tom Boys and although that may be not be considered politically correct nowadays, it was appropriate 60 years ago. Since that time, exercise for me has been on an A La Carte basis; whatever activity accompanied the latest diet and exercise program Du jour. I’ve bought more Gym memberships that I didn’t use and invested in more spandex that I didn’t wear than I care to admit to. Don’t tell me none of you have ever been guilty of this because statistics say otherwise.
As part of my Wellness Program with Carolina HealthSpan, I met with Thomas Cardo, fitness instructor, who performed a Biomechanical assessment and designed a workout program for me. The assessment was enlightening to say the least. Isn’t it interesting the things we tell ourselves as we get older? For instance, we think we should live in a ranch style house so that we can avoid stairs. Well, climbing stairs is actually very good exercise and I recommend you do it as long as you can. You’ll maintain your leg muscle strength and help your balance as well. I had no problem going downstairs for the meeting with Thomas and a couple of other guys from CHI; it was all the other things he asked me to do that were challenging. I was surprised that he could perform the assessment without using any special equipment and that he could do it in my home. He tested things such as Spine angle, Pelvic tilt, Pelvic rotation, Overhead squat/Body weight squat, etc. and on and on for about an hour. I recall reminding him “you do know that you’re talking to somebody 40 yrs. older than you, right?”
During this time, Kevin was filming the action and Seth was sitting across the room pretending to work on something else, Ha! I may have to offer a huge bribe to ensure that film never sees the light of day. After the assessment, Thomas pronounced that “everything was firing” and I took that as a positive. He came back the following week to instruct me in my workout routine. Ugh! Lots to work on. We will reassess in about 6 weeks and I’ll admit this will be the hardest part for me since I don’t like to exercise and it will take real discipline to do it. I can’t relate to exercise enthusiasts in any way and I REALLY don’t like to sweat. By the way, be careful if you let someone take notes that describe the actual workout exercises; some of my husband’s stick figure drawings looked like the chalk outlines from a crime scene. Trying to re-create the routine was hilarious.
My individual strength training program focuses on upper back range of motion, core strength and functional multi joint movement training with low intensity interval training. I am more interested in building my core strength and overall flexibility than losing weight; but I do want to shrink my middle. I think, finally at 69.7 yrs. of age, I accept my size as just perfect for me. It’s about time; wish I had done it sooner rather than trying to live up to some clothes designer’s idea of feminine perfection. I think today’s fashion models look like they could use some good home cooking, but that’s just my opinion as is this entire article. Isn’t it kind of the folks at Carolina HealthSpan to allow me to voice my opinions freely? Thank you! —Joh