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Fitness Weekly Discussion
What have you been doing lately for your own fitness? Try out any new programs or exercises? Have any questions for others about your training? Want to vent about poor behavior in the gym? Started a new diet or have a new recipe you want to share? Anything else health and wellness related?
I'm going to Seattle tomorrow and should get to do some of their patented outdoorsy stuff. Besides that, the only new thing is my Fitbit. I recognize that it's not at all necessary, I just enjoy seeing the metrics.
Crazy coincidence I'm headed up to Seattle tonight! Have you ever been before? Any recommendations on what to check out?
I only went once last year for a job interview. I'm going to check it the tour of the old underground city they built over after a fire. There's also the space needle, which is surprisingly expensive to go up in ($30 IIRC). I suppose it's worth doing once.
My friend is touring me around so I don't know the full itinerary.
Slack week - I got my major exercise day in, but missed more regular swimming and aerobics.
Partly travel, partly just needing more recovery time from super-slow weightlifting. I've been seeing very substantial strength gains, around 5 - 10% per week, but the fatigue and DOMS were killer this week, as well as increased arthritis pain from weather changes and hours spent in the car. The weights are actually helping with range of motion loss from arthritis, and I can do most swimming strokes properly now - on balance, super-slow is great.
I go to the gym 3-4 times a week. Mostly weightlifting, trying to gain some weight.
Been considering switching to calisthenics as I'm getting older and think it'd be easier on my body. Starting to have really bad back pain. Anyone have experience with this? I like doing bodyweight exercises like leg raises, pull ups, dips, etc. at the end of my workouts already, but that's about all I do.
Also would like to do yoga regularly, went to my first (and only) class last year and really enjoyed it. Been doing this 15 min yoga / 15 min meditation video on youtube which is really nice, but would like more professional training/setting.
Where's the back pain located? Lower back? Do you do any core strengthening exercises?
Mostly my right shoulderblade area. Think I deadlifted with bad form a couple years ago, so I do lighter weights now for everything to be safe. What are examples of core strengthening exercises?
Oh shoulder issues. You may need to see a doctor or a PT to really get that resolved - shoulders can be troublesome for a lot of different reasons.
Core exercises would be anything that utilizes the abs, obliques, or lower back. Crunches, leg lifts, ab wheel, bridge, plank, etc. If you were having lower back pain this would make more sense to strengthen, but since you indicated it's a shoulder issue I'd recommend stuff to build up the supporting structure there - so biceps, triceps, deltoids, and the rotator cuff muscles.
Thanks for the suggestions! I will try working on that.
I can't recommend aquatics highly enough for arthritis and back pain. The ability to do aerobic and range-of-motion exercise with your joints mostly unloaded is immensely useful. I started an aquacise program with flex and aerobics classes at the local Y after the arthritis diagnosis. Damage had already been done, but it turned out to be perfect preparation for hip replacement. I'd already been doing the physical therapy as flex exercises; the doc said I was in the 95+% percentile for recovery. You just have to get comfortable with the notion that many of your classmates will be 70+ year-olds; it's not competitive at all.
Swimming was the next step, and if you're already in good shape, that can be great for back problems as well. My mother kept up 5 km several times a week into her eighties, and maintained full mobility with even with horrible spinal arthritis.
I wouldn't give up weight training. Keeping up muscle and tendon strength, as well as bone density, becomes more essential as you get older. Just check and be very careful about your form. The research isn't in yet on super-slow weightlifting; my experience is that it does encourage you to be very conscious of the forces on your joints and spine, and gives you time to adjust your form while you're lifting. I'm trying to lose weight, but there's no question that I'm gaining muscle mass much faster with this technique than standard weightlifting.
I've had the experience of yoga aggravating back and joint pain. If you do undertake it, seek out instructors with some physiatry experience, not just people who are into Ayurvedic woo. However, I'm stupid and push things past pain - YMMV, listen to your body.
Thanks for the info. I was never a good swimmer although I had lessons when I was young and would do it weekly. I developed a weird allergic reaction to chlorine and get these red semi-itchy splotches all over my chest so that's the main reason I try to avoid it. Doctor said it's normal when I told him about it. Seems to flare up if I'm in a pool for more than 10-15 minutes unfortunately. Gets really bad if I go warm to cold water or vice versa (like jacuzzi to regular pool).
My condo has a nice pool on the roof that I've never used, so may be worth a shot again and see what happens. Probably been 10+ years since I last went in a pool for more than 20 minutes. I have a fast metabolism still, so it's hard for me to keep weight on. Got sick a month ago and was in bed for 2 weeks and lost 15-20 pounds so I'm working on gaining it back, up 10 pounds again so far (water weight I'm guessing).
Also noted on the yoga thing, a friend with back pain previously said yoga helped him a ton which is why I was considering.
I hear you about the chlorine; I was afraid of similar skin problems going back, but the YMCA pool I go to uses salt water with minimal chlorine, and that helps a lot. Regular use of non-drowsy antihistamines helps, too.
As to yoga, I found hot yoga, with an instructor who specialized in restorative yoga for injuries and arthritis, was of most benefit. Unfortunately, I haven't found someone similarly skilled where I am now. There's a big Ayurveda-oriented yoga school, but I was really put off by their program.