Yesterday I spent a half hour with our fitness instructor, Brandon. He has picked out a few residents to work with on their special problems. We have graduated from the exercise class appropriate for beginners, which is attracting few new ones.
I think he wants us to be models for other residents to follow; residents who do not see fitness as necessary in an environment where everything is done for you. You need to be active to age well over time and then to die quickly.
About a year ago I found myself walking down the hall, placing each foot directly in front of its former location, shifting my weight from one leg to the other, rather than placing one foot ahead of the other, Indian fashion, as I had been told at less then 10 years of age. It just happened. I was not even thinking about walking. This was the result of a number of exercises in a fitness class.
But there was more to it than just walking. To hold the pelvic girdle in place so as not to waddle, as one of our city cousins did, to our amusement, requires strong muscles in the lower abdomen. That has taken me a year to acquire.
In the past six months, I have experienced walking correctly. I have two exercises that place my shoulders in the correct position. I can recalibrate by just facing a wall in about three minutes. The problem is I must be very conscious of each step.
Yesterday that changed. I knew that I have been crouching, walking with my legs bent a bit. There were several exercises leading up to yesterday, related to the knees and everything attached there to.
Yesterday we worked with ankle weights. It is like the big mud boots we wore as little kids. Repeating the first step, in the same exercise, without weights, let my feet fly into the air, to my surprise.
I could see again my solo flight. “Watch out. It will get up fast.” And it did. Instead of lumbering into the air, the little fabric covered aircraft leaped off the runway and up to the altitude needed to leave the airport traffic pattern shortly after clearing the end of the runway. You never forget looking back to turn left and seeing no one in the back seat.
This time it was my knees that were different. “Look at me. Stand there. Look to your left in the mirrors.” I was standing perfectly straight without being ware of it. My legs were straight. My back was in alignment. It felt good.
I noticed my knees felt different. They still do. They are unlocked. They feel like gimbals that can move in all directions instead of rusty hinges. My lower legs are almost weightless.
My new 13 inch MacBook Pro, computer, that I just finished a few hours ago transferring my old machine into, is also helping. It is positioned at the correct eye location with a $20 keyboard on the desk.
Success requires practice with both mental and physical memory. Individual parts make up the one final performance when under the direction of skilled managers. Things must be done so they build on one another and with such effort as to not over-do. “If it hurts, stop.”
Each person needs to learn what feels right when doing things right. Only then can you benefit the most from instruction. Just mimicking the motions does not cut it.
Our bodies are surprisingly pliable even at 88 years of age. Therefore many exercises must adapt to the ever-changing body. The fitness instructor determines your current state and monitors your exercises to build on that base. This is different from doing more of the same thing to follow body development.
The lack of instant success, rather than long term incremental gain, is one reason residents avoid fitness programs, When the process is so seemingly easy it raises doubts that, “Doing this” seems imposable to have a desired benefit.
Twice now I have experienced a new me: walking and standing correctly. I discovered it happening. I did not see a gradual development.
Now to finish what is left of my back pain that can be managed collectively by a melody of chiropractic (monthly), physical therapy (finished), fitness exercises (daily),and mediation, tai chi, and yoga (weekly). We will see what another year’s application and practice brings at Provision Living at Columbia.
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