Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Mini Horses]

Age = muscle loss. No getting around it. I have physical job work, farm work and still lose strength.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still in pretty decent condition but, your muscles just melt! Takes a lot to offset the natural aging progression. Hormones just quit producing for us.

 

[Baymule]

Age = muscle loss. No getting around it. I have physical job work, farm work and still lose strength.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still in pretty decent condition but, your muscles just melt! Takes a lot to offset the natural aging progression. Hormones just quit producing for us.

No kidding! It’s hard to accept that I’m no longer 10 feet tall and bullet proof. I used to sling 50# bags of feed on my shoulder with no problem. I quit doing that when osteoporosis was found in my spine. Figured crunching my vertebrae might be a bad idea. I have lost some height, where did it go????

 

[fuzzi]

I can't squat, have had knee issues all my life. So I have to bend, but then I stand up and slowly bend backwards to stretch the muscles and ligaments in the opposite direction.

Raised beds not only help with squatting/bending, but the soil stays looser, no hard digging, shoveling that can aggravate the back.

 

[SageHill]

Exercises for your back sounds like a good idea. It will keep you limber and able to function. Use it or lose it. I just bought an exercise Matt at Academy. My daughter had two, one was a thin, roll up type and was not comfortable at all. Might as well been laying on the concrete with no matt at all. It was a yoga matt. The other was a foam matt that folded up and made my back feel supported. MUCH more comfortable! So I bought one like it. I’ve found Pilates videos on YouTube and just started doing exercises. 1 day of exercise, 1day to recuperate. LOL this will be my second day to exercise.

Imagine my surprise (and horror) when I struggled to do a simple sit up! How did I get so out of shape when I’m outside working so much? Leg lifts, one leg at a time are ok, trying both legs as leg lifts—dang nigh impossible! AAARRGGHHHH!

I am using these videos, they are low impact, controlled breathing, and not overwhelming. I did 15 minutes my first workout and was slightly sore. The knee replacement makes getting on my knees pretty uncomfortable, but the thick foam matt sure helps mitigate that.

Oh damn - now you're going to make me try and see if I can do those - thinking I'll get around to it.

 

[Ridgetop]

Several years ago DH and I decided to do a Beginners Easy Yoga class with a friend. We dutifully bought yoga mats and showed up at the class in loose clothing. We got places at the back so no one would notice how out of shape we were. After class we could barely walk to our cars. The following week, DH said he couldn't hear the instructions from the back so we got places up front. As we huffed and moaned our way through the class we noticed several irritated looks from other classmates - all of whom were effortlessly holding intricate stretching poses. Finally the instructor took us through the relaxing exercises at the end. As my friend and I lay there contemplating death, we became aware of a strange noise. DH had fallen asleep and was noisily snoring. My friend said later that if we did those exercises every day - we would be dead in a week. I don't think we finished the class.