Last year I crossed a huge milestone. I turned the big 50. I often have people tell me I do not look it, which is nice to hear, but I
assure you there are days when I feel my age. The past six months or so I’ve been besieged with numerous aches and pains. My doctor tells me I have bursitis in my hip, osteoarthritis in my thumb and tendinitis in my rotator cuff. Or as I like to say, I’m falling apart. In April my doctor convinced me that a steroid shot was the best remedy for my shoulder. I questioned whether or not I would gain weight as I had been able to maintain my current weight for nearly a year. While it is not my optimum weight I am at least able to look half way decent in my clothes. She assured me that no, I would not gain weight as it was a localized shot, so I gave the go ahead.
I won’t say my doctor lied, I will just say that my body tends to react differently to medication than most people. So over the course of the next month I proceeded to not only gain ten pounds but my hormones have been so out of whack that I even Oliver, my dog is walking on eggshells. So in an effort to help with the unwanted weight, help the mood and hopefully keep my limbs flexible, we decided to check into the YMCA.
About a week ago my hubby and I were out running errands and had touring the Y on our list. Well it so happens that on the way to the Y we just happened to pass Dairy Queen. For some reason the two of us have a hard time, just passing the place, so we got ourselves an ice cream and continued on our way. Unfortunately the Y is only a couple blocks from DQ so there we were sitting in the YMCA parking lot eating ice cream. Two people passed by our car and we burst out laughing, realizing we each had hid our ice cream as they walked past. I guess we both felt a bit self conscious eating our unhealthy fair in the gym parking lot.
After we toured the facility we were given a free pass to see if we like it. I knew we would like it, I just was not sure if my body could handle it, as I, a person who normally walks three to five miles a day, along daily yoga have been having difficulty walking a single mile.
I started the free trial on Tuesday. I decided to partake in the water Jogging class as it sounded as if it would only utilize the legs. While for the most part the class did concentrate on the legs there were also a lot of arm movements. If any move was too painful I modified it until it no longer hurt. I made it through the workout and was sore afterwards but not so much as to dissuade me from going again the next day.
One Wednesday I opted for the therapy pool. They call it that because the water is heated above the norm which apparently helps with movement. I got in and did my thing, which means that I dog peddled back and forth the length of the pool. It is less strenuous than actual swimming yet still gets the body moving. Going forward was painless for the most part but reversing the movement was a bit of a challenge as that movement hurt. I did this for thirty minutes until the pool started to fill for the 9am class. That class is a stretching class so I decided to join in. I was able to do most
everything but some of the noodle movements were still too painful. That
evening I was less sore than the day before, which I took as a good sign.
Thursday morning when I got to the Y there were no parking spots in the front lot. I circled the parking lot once before heading to the back lot. After parking I started the trek to the building. On the way there I was nearly plowed down by a guy zipping through the lot. The guy circled twice, before giving up and heading to the back lot. Then As I neared the building I saw it, a coveted parking spot, right up front near the building! My first thought was, I wonder if I could get my car and park before the space gets
taken. My next thought was duh, you are going to the gym to work out, a little walk in advance is not going to kill you!
Only after I entered the building did I realize that not only did I open the door with my right hand but that I did so without flinching! That was a big milestone.
I made my way to the therapy pool, did my pre-workout routine then proceeded to join in on yet another stretch class. This one used light weights which I was able to use
without issue. I think I only had trouble with two of the moves. My arm felt
better on Thursday than it has in months, so much in fact that without thinking
I attempted to move a box of books and was immediately sorry I had. I found
myself back to where I was at the beginning of the week and the arm even woke
me several times during the night.
Friday morning I debated on going to the pool as I was still sore from the box fiasco and we were under a tropical storm warning. I woke up and it was raining and I debated hard about going. I then laughed. Here I was worried about a little rain when my ultimate plan was to get into the pool. What, was I afraid I would get wet? I went in early and just did my back and forth routine for about forty minutes, then sat in the sauna for a bit before showering and heading home, after a brief stop at 7-eleven to get my morning foo foo drink.
So I survived my free trial and it is safe to say this will be a good fit for me. Last night Hubby and I drove to the Y and officially joined. As we pulled out of the parking lot hubby made a right and drove straight to Dairy Queen where we celebrated joining the gym with a chocolate ice cream…
assure you there are days when I feel my age. The past six months or so I’ve been besieged with numerous aches and pains. My doctor tells me I have bursitis in my hip, osteoarthritis in my thumb and tendinitis in my rotator cuff. Or as I like to say, I’m falling apart. In April my doctor convinced me that a steroid shot was the best remedy for my shoulder. I questioned whether or not I would gain weight as I had been able to maintain my current weight for nearly a year. While it is not my optimum weight I am at least able to look half way decent in my clothes. She assured me that no, I would not gain weight as it was a localized shot, so I gave the go ahead.
I won’t say my doctor lied, I will just say that my body tends to react differently to medication than most people. So over the course of the next month I proceeded to not only gain ten pounds but my hormones have been so out of whack that I even Oliver, my dog is walking on eggshells. So in an effort to help with the unwanted weight, help the mood and hopefully keep my limbs flexible, we decided to check into the YMCA.
About a week ago my hubby and I were out running errands and had touring the Y on our list. Well it so happens that on the way to the Y we just happened to pass Dairy Queen. For some reason the two of us have a hard time, just passing the place, so we got ourselves an ice cream and continued on our way. Unfortunately the Y is only a couple blocks from DQ so there we were sitting in the YMCA parking lot eating ice cream. Two people passed by our car and we burst out laughing, realizing we each had hid our ice cream as they walked past. I guess we both felt a bit self conscious eating our unhealthy fair in the gym parking lot.
After we toured the facility we were given a free pass to see if we like it. I knew we would like it, I just was not sure if my body could handle it, as I, a person who normally walks three to five miles a day, along daily yoga have been having difficulty walking a single mile.
I started the free trial on Tuesday. I decided to partake in the water Jogging class as it sounded as if it would only utilize the legs. While for the most part the class did concentrate on the legs there were also a lot of arm movements. If any move was too painful I modified it until it no longer hurt. I made it through the workout and was sore afterwards but not so much as to dissuade me from going again the next day.
One Wednesday I opted for the therapy pool. They call it that because the water is heated above the norm which apparently helps with movement. I got in and did my thing, which means that I dog peddled back and forth the length of the pool. It is less strenuous than actual swimming yet still gets the body moving. Going forward was painless for the most part but reversing the movement was a bit of a challenge as that movement hurt. I did this for thirty minutes until the pool started to fill for the 9am class. That class is a stretching class so I decided to join in. I was able to do most
everything but some of the noodle movements were still too painful. That
evening I was less sore than the day before, which I took as a good sign.
Thursday morning when I got to the Y there were no parking spots in the front lot. I circled the parking lot once before heading to the back lot. After parking I started the trek to the building. On the way there I was nearly plowed down by a guy zipping through the lot. The guy circled twice, before giving up and heading to the back lot. Then As I neared the building I saw it, a coveted parking spot, right up front near the building! My first thought was, I wonder if I could get my car and park before the space gets
taken. My next thought was duh, you are going to the gym to work out, a little walk in advance is not going to kill you!
Only after I entered the building did I realize that not only did I open the door with my right hand but that I did so without flinching! That was a big milestone.
I made my way to the therapy pool, did my pre-workout routine then proceeded to join in on yet another stretch class. This one used light weights which I was able to use
without issue. I think I only had trouble with two of the moves. My arm felt
better on Thursday than it has in months, so much in fact that without thinking
I attempted to move a box of books and was immediately sorry I had. I found
myself back to where I was at the beginning of the week and the arm even woke
me several times during the night.
Friday morning I debated on going to the pool as I was still sore from the box fiasco and we were under a tropical storm warning. I woke up and it was raining and I debated hard about going. I then laughed. Here I was worried about a little rain when my ultimate plan was to get into the pool. What, was I afraid I would get wet? I went in early and just did my back and forth routine for about forty minutes, then sat in the sauna for a bit before showering and heading home, after a brief stop at 7-eleven to get my morning foo foo drink.
So I survived my free trial and it is safe to say this will be a good fit for me. Last night Hubby and I drove to the Y and officially joined. As we pulled out of the parking lot hubby made a right and drove straight to Dairy Queen where we celebrated joining the gym with a chocolate ice cream…
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