fookisan
Guest
The less you do...the less you will be able to do. I was reminded of this truism back in June when the public pool opened up. I generally swim in the pool during summer time and then just quit for the other 9 months out of the year when the outdoor pool closes at Labor Day. I felt that I do many movement related activities that are just as good as swimming such as weight training, jogging, yoga, mountain biking, cross country skiing, etc. Well, the day after my first day back in the pool my back was pinched as well as my shoulder. Apparently weight training, jogging and mountain biking is not the same as doing the backstroke.
I first leaned of this concept that the less you do...the less you will be able to do from my Mom. One day she got dizzy while bending over. My dad told her that he would bend over for her, so she would not get dizzy. Apparently he did not realize that the less you do...the less you will be able to do. Well, his well meaning help only encouraged more dizziness in Mom since the fluid in her ear that regulates equilibrium and balance would stagnate from less movement. Mom then complained about getting dizzy when she got out of bed. What was her answer? She would sleep in a recliner at an angle so she would not have to lie down and go through the dizziness. The angle gradually kept getting steeper until she had to sleep sitting almost upright. What is my response to all this dizziness? If something make me dizzy I do more of it and make myself even more dizzy.
On a walking trail I met a retired doctor the other day. He was bent over and quite distorted. I talked with him at length about his exercise program. He does plenty of walking - walking bent over which through gravity keeps going in the wrong direction. But he did no weighs training, no yoga or stretching, no work on righting his posture through various other mechanical methods. He was not distorted due to ill, health he was distorted from years of going in the wrong direction with his posture and his life. I planted many seed in him, but do not know if they will sprout. I've noticed many MD's that are supposed to be experts at health yet they fail terribly when it comes to themselves. BTW, what was I doing on the asphalt walking path? I was rollerblading and running my gas powered motoboard. (skateboard) The motoboard goes 30 mph and provides good speed training as well a balance and equilibrium training. (It kills you legs after 20 minutes of standing in the horse stance) I also get some fabulous stares from the local Ohio Valley people seeing a 51 year old with a gray goatee riding it! I tell them I'm from Los Angeles - so that explains it!
As we age we seem to lose many abilities. Now, losing some skills is fine, but losing most of them is not. Personally I have to be mindful of many areas as I like to be as well rounded as possible with my health. I was doing some rock climbing a few years ago near Malibu and did OK after I got warmed up. A year later after laying off all climbing, when I returned to the same place to climb I had knots in my stomach when I first viewed the climb. It looked scary to me, but once I got at it and started to climb, the knots disappeared. This also taught me that the less you do...the less you will be able to do. If I cant get some climbing in I try to pull out the ladder for some 2 story work or climb a tree
This year was reminded this same lesson the first time I got back on the high dive in June. The high dive seemed too high for me, so I stayed off it the last few years. This year I got back on the high dive. I do not do anything to brag about on it, but just going off it was a good improvement for me. Was hoping to do some back flips off the less high springboard, but did not get around to trying them this season. My regular diving improved in any case and At 51, I am grateful for any improvement. Guess I'll just have to dream about the back flips for now.
This weekend starts a local GNCC style dirt bike course opening. It is only opened for 7 days a year for public riding, so I do not get enough dirt bike action in any longer. The 2 places I rode at last year shut down, so have to curtail my dirt bike work. Dirt bikes provide much in the area of equilibrium, balance and speed training. Also provide much physical exertion and when you ride em you will feel it later. Doing wheelies is also great training for an old dog like me. One young neighbor lady came out her house to chase me down the street to scold me for doing wheelies in the street. What is the other option that would please her...a rocking chair and slippers? I hope to be doing wheelies down the street when I'm 80 if I live that long. Tonight when I got out my dirt bikes for the first time in a couple months was reminded of the less you do...the less you will be able to do. My back was sore and wrist got pinched a little when I came down from a wheelie in my backyard. When I go out tomorrow will wear some wrist supports and a kidney belt but will keep on keeping on.
Height training, speed training, balance and equilibrium training many areas to train ourselves. If you aspire to be a mountaineer there is cold training as well as high altitude training as good preparation. If you ski then speed training is good. But speed training on skis is different from speed training on snowboards as I found out last year. And speed training in snow sports is different from speed training while driving a motorcycle. and speed training while driving a motorcycle is different from speed training while sprinting the 100 meters. Cross training is important, but many activities do not exactly replace certain activities, so the moral of the story is do all that you can do, for a day will come when you cannot do it any longer and all you can do is watch. This year will seek out a public indoor pool for the other 9 months cause in addition to doing my weight training, jogging, speed training, mountain biking, cross country skiing, snowboarding and yoga - they are not the same as doing the backstroke.
Take Care,
Dan
I first leaned of this concept that the less you do...the less you will be able to do from my Mom. One day she got dizzy while bending over. My dad told her that he would bend over for her, so she would not get dizzy. Apparently he did not realize that the less you do...the less you will be able to do. Well, his well meaning help only encouraged more dizziness in Mom since the fluid in her ear that regulates equilibrium and balance would stagnate from less movement. Mom then complained about getting dizzy when she got out of bed. What was her answer? She would sleep in a recliner at an angle so she would not have to lie down and go through the dizziness. The angle gradually kept getting steeper until she had to sleep sitting almost upright. What is my response to all this dizziness? If something make me dizzy I do more of it and make myself even more dizzy.
On a walking trail I met a retired doctor the other day. He was bent over and quite distorted. I talked with him at length about his exercise program. He does plenty of walking - walking bent over which through gravity keeps going in the wrong direction. But he did no weighs training, no yoga or stretching, no work on righting his posture through various other mechanical methods. He was not distorted due to ill, health he was distorted from years of going in the wrong direction with his posture and his life. I planted many seed in him, but do not know if they will sprout. I've noticed many MD's that are supposed to be experts at health yet they fail terribly when it comes to themselves. BTW, what was I doing on the asphalt walking path? I was rollerblading and running my gas powered motoboard. (skateboard) The motoboard goes 30 mph and provides good speed training as well a balance and equilibrium training. (It kills you legs after 20 minutes of standing in the horse stance) I also get some fabulous stares from the local Ohio Valley people seeing a 51 year old with a gray goatee riding it! I tell them I'm from Los Angeles - so that explains it!
As we age we seem to lose many abilities. Now, losing some skills is fine, but losing most of them is not. Personally I have to be mindful of many areas as I like to be as well rounded as possible with my health. I was doing some rock climbing a few years ago near Malibu and did OK after I got warmed up. A year later after laying off all climbing, when I returned to the same place to climb I had knots in my stomach when I first viewed the climb. It looked scary to me, but once I got at it and started to climb, the knots disappeared. This also taught me that the less you do...the less you will be able to do. If I cant get some climbing in I try to pull out the ladder for some 2 story work or climb a tree
This year was reminded this same lesson the first time I got back on the high dive in June. The high dive seemed too high for me, so I stayed off it the last few years. This year I got back on the high dive. I do not do anything to brag about on it, but just going off it was a good improvement for me. Was hoping to do some back flips off the less high springboard, but did not get around to trying them this season. My regular diving improved in any case and At 51, I am grateful for any improvement. Guess I'll just have to dream about the back flips for now.
This weekend starts a local GNCC style dirt bike course opening. It is only opened for 7 days a year for public riding, so I do not get enough dirt bike action in any longer. The 2 places I rode at last year shut down, so have to curtail my dirt bike work. Dirt bikes provide much in the area of equilibrium, balance and speed training. Also provide much physical exertion and when you ride em you will feel it later. Doing wheelies is also great training for an old dog like me. One young neighbor lady came out her house to chase me down the street to scold me for doing wheelies in the street. What is the other option that would please her...a rocking chair and slippers? I hope to be doing wheelies down the street when I'm 80 if I live that long. Tonight when I got out my dirt bikes for the first time in a couple months was reminded of the less you do...the less you will be able to do. My back was sore and wrist got pinched a little when I came down from a wheelie in my backyard. When I go out tomorrow will wear some wrist supports and a kidney belt but will keep on keeping on.
Height training, speed training, balance and equilibrium training many areas to train ourselves. If you aspire to be a mountaineer there is cold training as well as high altitude training as good preparation. If you ski then speed training is good. But speed training on skis is different from speed training on snowboards as I found out last year. And speed training in snow sports is different from speed training while driving a motorcycle. and speed training while driving a motorcycle is different from speed training while sprinting the 100 meters. Cross training is important, but many activities do not exactly replace certain activities, so the moral of the story is do all that you can do, for a day will come when you cannot do it any longer and all you can do is watch. This year will seek out a public indoor pool for the other 9 months cause in addition to doing my weight training, jogging, speed training, mountain biking, cross country skiing, snowboarding and yoga - they are not the same as doing the backstroke.
Take Care,
Dan
