Balance

[tedj01]

TSandM, tai chi and qigong have been used in the past to help senior citzens in improving health issues including balance. I assume you have better medical search engines to look for studies than I have access to. I have seen a couple of studies/claims that they can also increase bone density. Both have increased my balance; however weak ankles still make balance interesting as they fail without warning.

 

[Hawkwood]

Give these items a look:

http://www.fitter1.com/fitterfirst-eco-boards.html

My wife and I use it for balance plus ankle strength for skiing. Works on core stability as well.

They also have an inflatable disk that that does much the same thing when you try to balance on it - with or without a balance board:

http://www.fitter1.com/fitter-active-sitting-disk-13.html

 

[cerich]

Lynne,

My best advice is to continue to work on your strength and also listen to your hubby!

Seriously now, his post is what made me post. Your various fractures make you a good candidate for getting bent, throwing hard work on top of it isn't going to help.

Dump your gear at the exit (so it doesn't float away. Get out of your gear, rest awhile and have a teammate help you move your gear.

Best,

Chris

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I have an issue with balance. Coming out of the water in my doubles,

I'm very, very frightened of falling, which doesn't help. I've already had over 20 fractures and a handful of ORIFs (bones getting pinned and grafted) and I cannot afford any more.

If any of you who do training for a living have any input on this, I'd be extremely grateful.

Is the increase in underwater safety associated with wearing the doubles significant enough to expose yourself to a higher risk of a crippling injury on the exit from a beach dive? That big second tank and manifold sounds to be a lot more dangerous than a pony, based upon the description of your personal physical limitations.

I now dive with a single primary tank (and pony) because I choose not to subject my back to the abuse of moving and lifting double tanks.

 

[Bill51]

Is the increase in underwater safety associated with wearing the doubles significant enough to expose yourself to a higher risk of a crippling injury on the exit from a beach dive? That big second tank and manifold sounds to be a lot more dangerous than a pony, based upon the description of your personal physical limitations.

I now dive with a single primary tank (and pony) because I choose not to subject my back to the abuse of moving and lifting double tanks.

Very good point. I still keep myself strong enough to do chin ups while fully geared up, but I have used a pony instead of doubles for several years (when practical) just because I didn’t want to abuse my old body with the weight and balance problems of doubles on land. I won’t bore you with the really stupid day I had when I discovered that there was a safety downside to doubles.

 

[TSandM]

The doubles are prep for cave diving.

I've had some of the same problems with a single tank, but of course, the added weight of the doubles has made it worse.

Dumping gear at the exit really isn't an option for most of the sites where I dive. Getting it up to the car, even with help, would be worse than just wearing it up the hill.

I guess I'll just keep working on strength, and maybe get a tilt board to play with.

 

[dsteding]

I'd buy a big dive boat and just dive off of that.

Yeah, what OE2X said. A big dive boat. With a heated cabin, a nice swim step and ladder and room for all my tanks.

[EDIT] Did I say all MY tanks, I meant all your tanks. My bad.

 

[do it easy]

I'm a fan of yoga, which will help with the core muscles and balance. It might lower your SAC rate too, but not much below zero.

Maybe you should just go to sidemount so that you can carry the tanks separately.

 

[dsteding]

HOWEVER, SHAME on all of you for not adding a very important point -- IT IS OK TO ASK FOR HELP!!! She has this "thing" that asking/needing help to carry 100 lbs of gear out of the water is not Doing It Right. To the contrary, having a teammate help is absolutely consistent with the philosophy of aiding a teammate when the teammate can use aid.

Some of her dive buddies are kinda big (6'1" and 215) and have no problem with helping her . . . I agree with you Peter, although I do understand Lynne's desire to be self-sufficient on this one.

BTW, I may be looking at a boat this afternoon (or tomorrow) which will take care of OE2's suggestion!

I think this is a great idea. So great I won't point out the fact that you started this post worried about your pocketbook

 

[dsteding]

I'm a fan of yoga, which will help with the core muscles and balance. It might lower your SAC rate too, but not much below zero.

If Lynne's SAC went negative, how do you calculate rock bottom?