http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-chi-finding-exercise-that-fits.html
Green Chi: Finding Exercise That Fits
My three sisters and I get together with our families for a week’s vacation at the Cape every year. There are so many of us so it is a free-for-all. We have great meals and fun whale watches and the whole experience is (mostly) a cherished time for cousins, aunts, and uncles alike. I thank my mother for starting the tradition 30 years ago after the first of us married.
As we get older, the conversations between me and my sisters have edged away from raising children to issues of aging, and how to fit in exercise, deal with our cholesterol levels, gray hair, and other age-related concerns. We discuss the issues in a supportive way, wanting each others’ company for years to come.
They’ve been on my case in recent years because I spend too much time at my desk and don’t get enough exercise. I agree. It’s got to stop! But how and with what approach?
One sister was urging that I join a gym or use the treadmill, and I say, yes, yes, you are right, but then I cringe. Why would I want to be inside a smelly old gym if the weather is gorgeous? Even if the weather isn’t gorgeous, isn’t it better for me to get outside and have some real light? And a treadmill at home is OK if it is raining, and in fact I have one, but I also cringe at the artificiality of it, the energy use, the un-naturalness of it.
I do love my energy-free rebounder, and use that frequently, but then I realize that the rebounder doesn’t help with weight-bearing exercise that I am supposed to get, and return in my mind to the gym. And then I cringe again.
Returning from the last family vacation this year, after discussing all these exercise details again with my sisters, I had an epiphany. I want to be outdoors. I want to move my body. I want to do weight-bearing exercise.
Hello, garden! Hello, outdoor chores! The next morning I worked in the garden for an hour, and walked the dogs for 45 minutes, all before work. The next morning I could hardly move my body I was so stiff, but it sure felt great. I was outdoors, growing food to eat and flowers to enjoy, pulling weeds and carrying rocks. What more could a doctor want of me? And none of it took energy, either to drive to the gym or run exercise machines.
Now all I have to do is to keep at it. That, with everything, is the hard part.
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Kabin
Konteyner
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I'm sorry to hear that your protein shake was so bad. There are many on the market, so try another. I LOVE GenSoy Chocolate with 1 c. non-fat milk and some berries or a banana. Yummm. As far as weight bearing exercise, YOGA is the best I've found. I'm extremely lucky to live next door to the Y and can walk over two or three times a week - one of which is Saturday morning to catch a yoga class. Between that and power walks as often as I can, I manage to keep my weight down. Not skinny, but down to a very manageable weight (133ish). My real drawback is I love to drink a couple glasses of wine in the evening, which sometimes affects my balances poses! Oh well, hey, I'm being real here. Just do it, like they say. It has to be convenient and pleasurable. I don't do a whole lot else, except I try to walk to work most days (about a mile) and eat a healthy diet. I really live by something I read in one of my many books on health, nutrition (and spirituality) that "You are what you eat, and you eat what you buy." So true.
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Isn't rebounding somewhat weight bearing? Also, if you want, you can add LIGHT weights (hand-held dumbells or ankle weights). It's a thought . . . Good luck!
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That's a great article. It's funny, I've been becoming more green in all of my habits and living. And today I had a protein shake that I used to drink, and it tasted so synthetic and terrible. I thought to myself, "I can't drink this?" I'll be having a cup of green tea in few moments to get things back in order, and I love the idea of doing more exercise outdoors. Thanks!
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