Day #465 Silver Sneakers Report

I’ve been taking the Silver Sneakers classes now for three full weeks, and I thought you'd like a progress report.

The first day I barely made it through the class, as I’ve already mentioned.

By the end of the first week, I had a pretty good routine down. I’d take the class, then get on the treadmill and walk one mile, keeping my heart rate at about 135 for a good cardio workout. It took me a little over 26 minutes to walk the mile.

Last Friday (after two weeks of classes), I could do the mile in 22 minutes, AND I’d increased the incline from 1 (wimpy) to 4. Love those readouts!

This week I’m still using only 1-pound weights during the classes, and I’m still doing the “beginner” phase of all the exercises. I still have to hold onto a chair back for most of the balance routines, but I’m not quite as exhausted by the end of class. 

The treadmill’s getting a bit easier, too. I’m not pushing it too much, just trying to keep my heartbeat at a steady 130 beats per minute. The 135 was just a bit much, so I was smart enough to back off a bit. 

A couple of days ago, I did the mile in a few seconds over 20 minutes.

So, this is turning out to be a good decision. 

BEEattitude for Day #465:

       Blessed are those who find the best nectar and pollen, for they shall reap the benefits.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart 

Day #448 Silver Sneakers Report

Well, I did it.  I went to Body Plex yesterday and swiped my Silver Sneakers card.

Then I looked around at all those machines – and headed for the cycle room. I know how to do that without accidentally pulling the wrong muscle. I haven’t ridden on a bicycle since I wrecked my bike in 4^th grade by slamming it into a brick wall. Not intentionally. There was a spread of gravel on the pavement, and when I tried to turn to the left, the gravel helped my front wheel slip out, straight ahead. Where the wall was.

I limped home, dragging my twisted bike along with me, and never got another bike throughout my childhood. You break it, you do without it was the philosophy in my family.

Still, yesterday I thought I couldn’t go wrong on a stationary bike. They keep the lights low in that room—apparently so nobody can see what anyone else is doing during the classes. I didn’t have to worry, though. I was the only person in there.

I looked at the clock, climbed on, slipped my feet into the stirrups, and started to pedal. I made it for ten minutes before my legs were completely jelly. Fortunately I didn’t collapse when I stepped off the machine.

I made an appointment for a one-hour orientation so I can use the other machines.

And then I went and sat in the sauna for a while.  Ahhhh! Love that exercise!

BEEattitude for Day #448:

       Blessed are those who move with joy, for they shall fly happily throughout life.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart

Day #442 Silver Sneakers

Bees don’t need an exercise program. They work hard all their life long. Once they start flying out to forage, they simply don’t stop except at night. They must be in great shape.  Unlike me.

But now I find that there’s an exercise program for us old farts – it’s called Silver Sneakers, and I’m going to try it out next month.

Today I visited a gym up the road a ways. I’ve never been in a fitness center in my whole life. I’m not against exercise, it’s just that I could never figure out why somebody would pay to go to an exercise place when they could just walk around the neighborhood three or four times a week.

Right.

The trouble is, I haven’t been walking around my neighborhood even once a week. There are some big noisy dogs who get out of their yards periodically. I don’t want to take the risk.

There aren’t any dogs at the fitness center.

There’s a sauna, though. And a dance-exercise class (an easy one designed for people who have trouble running upstairs).

I’m starting next week. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

BEEattitude for Day #442:

       Blessed are those who dance through life, for they shall have healthy hearts.

_______________________________ 

The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com Please buy them from an independent bookstore or directly from my website.

my eBooks for Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Fran+Stewart