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- Category: Current Issue
At my last doctor appointment check-up, it became apparent that with the past year of experiences added to my chronological age, I needed to get off the couch and start an exercise program.
It was January and cold outside, making my desire to go for a quick-paced walk, five days a week, challenging. Given my newly found fear of germs and angst for anything that involves squeezing myself into something form-fitting, I resisted joining a gym. However, with my cholesterol climbing and an extra 10 COVID-first-and-second-wave pounds turning into an extra 15 (or maybe 17) COVID-third-wave pounds, I could no longer justify putting off an exercise routine.
In my not so distant past, I used to be a runner, but injuries lead me into becoming a walker. Since in my distant past I was an active athlete, I always enjoyed exercising and felt good about how much I was taking care of my health. If I put on 5 pounds, I could simply cut back on what I ate for a few days and the extra weight would simply disappear.
Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore so, with my ever supportive (and somewhat insistent) husband, we joined a gym and the exercise routine began. I thought that by working out five days a week for 30 minutes at a time, I would soon be back to my 40 something-year-old self … Silly me!
The first thing that happened after I had been working out for a few weeks was that my hip started to hurt. It had been bothering me a little bit in the past year or so, but the exercise exacerbated the situation. This resulted in me not necessarily cutting back on my frequency and duration in exercising, but rather in my intensity. This then resulted in me barely breaking a sweat at the gym and looking more forward to the program I could watch on the big gym TV, rather than the positive endorphins I would experience.
This also resulted in me going to see my orthopedic doctor just to make sure that I was not their new hip replacement candidate. Good news. I just have very tight IT bands, most likely due to my years of being a runner. Bad news is that at my age, it is not an easy fix, so I went to physical therapy to learn the exercises necessary to loosen these very tight muscles. I can report that the pain has gone away, but I am not sure if it is because I have loosened the muscles or because I have not yet increased my exercise intensity. Maybe it’s just because I am taking comfort in the fact that I do not (yet) need a hip replacement.
I have been regularly exercising now for nearly 4 months. I have noticed that my appetite seems to have increased and despite my (mostly) healthier eating choices, my weight has stayed the same!? I might have even put on a pound or two but since my cholesterol is down, I am telling myself it is all muscle…
Sweat! Sweat!
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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