One of the perks of buying a Blue Cross
Blue Shield Medicare supplemental policy, besides the insurer helping pay my
medical bills, is a quarterly magazine that has articles on how to promote
better health and a longer life, namely by we, older folks, behaving in a
proper and recommended manner.
The Spring 2017 issue has an article
entitled "6 Ways to Spice Up Your Exercise Routine". Well, the title
piqued my interest since my routine is pretty much walking a couple of miles in
a circle and adding an occasional weight-resistance exercise like lifting the
15-pound dumb bells in my office. When I do lift those weights, I first have to
blow the dust off them.
The first recommendation to “spice up” the
routine is to join the legion of people playing Pickle Ball. I can see that
such activity would be great for a retiree, but in my case I don't have a lot
of leisure time. Well, actually I do, but I like to use it in a more leisurely
manner than this "blend of tennis, ping pong, and badminton." I've
spent a good portion of my life "getting out of a pickle". Does that
count as exercise?
The second way is to step up your walking
routine. Apparently I'm not doing mine in a proper manner. I need to find
different venues than the quarter-mile track that goes around the football
field, which happens to be conveniently located only two blocks from my house,
or the nearby shopping mall. I'm also supposed to vary the pace, mixing real
fast and then slowing down. I've tried that and the effort resulted in knee
pain. I'm afraid that if I push the issue, I'll be undergoing knee surgery and
then I'll go for several months at a snail's pace. Not mention the pain that
such a procedure causes. Does this magazine writer really understand the
possible ill effects of pushing the physical envelope?
Number three is to challenge both your
body and mind. The author recommends Yoga, although the suggestion is to start
off with a gentler version. Is sitting in a chair, staring at a computer screen
with all of the Facebook postings, and, by doing so, contemplate life's
complexities and oddities qualify as a challenging meditation experience?
The fourth way to jazz up our exercise
routine is "Make you home sparkle and shine." This, let's be honest,
is just a clever way to put a nice spin on housework. Well I'll refer that to
my wife. I mow the lawn with a push mower, so I'll say that I'm already
accomplishing this one. My lawn might not sparkle and shine, but it usually
looks trimmed and tidy.
The fifth suggestion is to "Add
something new to the mix." Well, as they say, "Variety is the spice
of life," but there's something to be said for the benefits of a familiar
routine. The suggestion in this section includes taking up ballroom dancing.
Maybe I can, as an alternative, "twist the night away." Will this
qualify as mixing things up?
Finally, the article suggests that we
"Bond with a buddy." Having an exercise partner, they explain, makes
you more likely to stick to your exercise routine and stay motivated. Another
way of putting this might be that "misery loves company." I think
this bonding works great for the ladies. But with us men, there's that
competitive gene. You'd start off with a nice, easy walk and suddenly it's a
race to the finish line. That might be good as far as exercise goes, but the
stress could kill you.
No, I think I'll keep walking round in
circles by myself. I might not get anywhere special. And, true, it's more bland
than spicy. But I'll have the comfort of knowing that "in my end is my
beginning" and “in my beginning is my end."
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