[Tart Cherry Jam]

I love this exercise and I do it standing:

30 seconds hold

3 times on each side

Likewise, you can do it while cooking. I use my microwave as the timer.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

And here is my favorite stretch:

30 seconds hold

3 times total.

I set the time on the microwave to 40 seconds to give myself time to walk from the microwave to the doorway.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

@Soupe du jour: these stretches take a total of 12 minutes of net time and are an amazing insurance against repetitive hand and arm injury, which all of us computer users badly need. I hope you enjoy. They were boring to me at first but I grew to love them because I love the sensation of twisting or stretching. Plus, when I do them during the time that I otherwise would spend simply waiting for my food to cook, it is not boring at all.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

I do not have time for strength training exercise today. I need to cook. But I will do the stretches ^.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

Originally Posted by JaneOnceMore

I was reading how ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) can be considered exercise. Since i've been neglecting mine, i decided i would get them under control before i pursue swimming. I have a heap of laundry to do and i haven't been showering regularly. If i do ADLs i accomplish something, rather than swimming, where those chores just remain neglected. To that end i took a shower tonight! I tried to do it mindfully instead of being in such a darn rush all the time in there. It's so niiiiiiiiiiiiiice to be clean and have fluffy hair! Aces!

You can also shower after swimming, assuming you will be swimming in a swimming pool. Kill two birds at once.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

Cooked a huge pot of beautiful soup that will last me a week. Did all the stretches ^ while cooking.

[Soupe du jour]

Thanks, Tart Cherry! I will be trying some stretches and more mini exercise during my cooking and other places.

A couple times, I told my husband how my great grandmother used to do the above every morning and night, even in her bed. I saw her do so several times and remember a couple of her exercises. I often visited her in her bedroom (she lived with my grandparents) because we had more privacy to chat there. My grandmother (her daughter) would interrupt a lot, plus wasn't nearly as nice or interesting. She also liked rubbing her back on trees to ease its pain. She was physically able into her 80s. I've always wished that she lived long enough for my hubby to meet her. She died only a couple years before.

[JaneOnceMore]

Originally Posted by Tart Cherry Jam

You can also shower after swimming, assuming you will be swimming in a swimming pool. Kill two birds at once.

And maybe once i'm done that i can run a marathon.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

Originally Posted by Soupe du jour

Thanks, Tart Cherry! I will be trying some stretches and more mini exercise during my cooking and other places.

A couple times, I told my husband how my great grandmother used to do the above every morning and night, even in her bed. I saw her do so several times and remember a couple of her exercises. I often visited her in her bedroom (she lived with my grandparents) because we had more privacy to chat there. My grandmother (her daughter) would interrupt a lot, plus wasn't nearly as nice or interesting. She also liked rubbing her back on trees to ease its pain. She was physically able into her 80s. I've always wished that she lived long enough for my hubby to meet her. She died only a couple years before.

Oh, I had a wonderful great-grandmother, too. She lived into her 90s. I often remember her with warmth. What a great experience you had as a little girl watching yours do her exercises, even in bed.

[Rosi700]

Hi @Tart Cherry Jam I think that it was really wise of you to start a habit thread.

I have already done the habit work, earlier, and have combined all the habits into a planner for the whole week! It is there for me to step right into if I have been sick or have had a backlash.

I wish you and the others posting here well with the establishing of good and important habits in your lives.

[Soupe du jour]

Originally Posted by Tart Cherry Jam

Oh, I had a wonderful great-grandmother, too. She lived into her 90s. I often remember her with warmth. What a great experience you had as a little girl watching yours do her exercises, even in bed.

It is so nice to have known one! I still remember some of the old songs she would sing and other tidbits. Even her older brother a little bit, and a couple of her friends. I was lucky to have known all four of my grandparents, too. Well, not so lucky about one of them.

[Rosi700]

I want to add something to my orignal post @Tart Cherry Jam. My post was so:

I think that it was really wise of you to start a habit thread.

I have already done the habit work, earlier, and have combined all the habits into a planner for the whole week! It is there for me to step right into if I have been sick or have had a backlash. (...)

When I wrote this, it was not because I am so clever. It is because I am old. I should have mentioned that as once. If I, as an old person, can write this. That means that younger persons probably can write the same one day in the future: "My habits are well developed". It means that the hard work with building habits, pays itself, not only now, but in the future as well when the habits reach the level of "well estblished". It can take a long time to build the habits and that time is individual.

For the time being I am not feeling well, so I have to wait to jump into my whole arsenal of habits until later. For now I can only take support, but I can rest in knowing that my habits are avaliable to me later.

From a link I will post: "On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In Lally's study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit."

Here is the link: How Long Does it Take to Form a Habit? Backed by Science.

I am sending good wishes your way!

[unaluna]

Rosi, i agree. When i was in the hospital for a few days ten years ago, it felt so comforting to be at home again and make myself my usual chicken salad sandwich. Going thru the habitual motions of opening a can in my kitchen felt lovely! I felt like myself again, even though i was seriously seeing double at the time (which resolved itself in six months). During my convalescence, it was these little things that were my comfortable habits that kept me sane and patient.

Eta - i had never had that feeling before, of comfort from fixing myself a sandwich. I was surprised by it. I felt like i was finally at age 60 defining myself.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

Originally Posted by unaluna

Rosi, i agree. When i was in the hospital for a few days ten years ago, it felt so comforting to be at home again and make myself my usual chicken salad sandwich. Going thru the habitual motions of opening a can in my kitchen felt lovely! I felt like myself again, even though i was seriously seeing double at the time (which resolved itself in six months). During my convalescence, it was these little things that were my comfortable habits that kept me sane and patient.

Eta - i had never had that feeling before, of comfort from fixing myself a sandwich. I was surprised by it. I felt like i was finally at age 60 defining myself.

Wow! I can see a memoir that starts with that moment at age 60, of making that sandwich and defining self, and then goes in both directions, recalling things that had happened in long past before the chicken sandwich moment and the life as it evolves now.

[unaluna]

I like that idea. Thanks. I do wanna be a writer when i grow up! I just havent wanted to grow up har har. It could happen (per Judy Tenuta! whatsername, the accordion-playing comedienne in the 80's).

[Tart Cherry Jam]

Astrid Lindgren began writing late in life and rose to fame.

I looked up an 80s performance by Judy. It could happen!

[Tart Cherry Jam]

I added carrying 10 lb dumbbells, one in each hand, to my morning walk. Did not walk as far as usually though. It was a pleasantly hard exercise. First I thought that I would do it daily but then started sweating and realized that I can only do it on the mornings when I am not rushing to work and can take a shower.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

I was able to do squats with weights today because I did them in-between other things, 1 set of 10 reps at a time for a total of 3 sets. I placed the dumbbells near the bathroom on the tile floor. I hope this way I will be reminded of the two exercises I currently plan to do with them: squats with weights and walking with weights.

I do not find doing squats boring, and that should help.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

I went to work out on a rowing machine last night, hoping to make it something I do on most Monday nights. The rowing machine was occupied: there was a gentleman on it who appeared to move very leisurely. I took a peak and he was going more slowly than I would, but the difference did not explain just how leisurely he was. And he watched a movie on his phone. Then I realized what was going on: I set the resistance to 10 out of 10 and he was at 2 out of 10.

The gentleman was ~ 10 years younger than me. I am 52 and he appeared to be in his early 40s.

This experience made me realize that I might be fitter than I give myself credit for.

In August I will get my first Dexa scan.

***

Since the rowing machine was occupied, I went on a treadmill and did an hour with an incline set to 3% at 3 MPH, plus warm-up and cool down. It was a good workout (I listened to music) and I felt awesome afterwards. But next time I hope the rowing machine will be free for me to us.

[unaluna]

Tart - i began to suspect you were fit when you walked carrying 10 lb dumbbells! Your a maniac!

[Tart Cherry Jam]

You have made my day, UnaLuna.

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by Tart Cherry Jam

You have made my day, UnaLuna.

Just returning the favor! I love your presence here. You are so inspiring. You are who i am in my dreams.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

Originally Posted by unaluna

Just returning the favor! I love your presence here. You are so inspiring. You are who i am in my dreams.

Hello UnaLuna! Well, your post made more than a day for me. Many days! I hope I can live up to the expectation, though. It makes me a little worried .

[Tart Cherry Jam]

Originally Posted by unaluna

Tart - i began to suspect you were fit when you walked carrying 10 lb dumbbells! Your a maniac!

I once walked around the complex wearing those dumbbells, 10 lbs in each hand. It took me half an hour and my limbs felt overstretched towards the end and I wondered if it is healthy do wear dumbbells for that long. I did some web searches and determined (and it seemed rational to me) that the safest way to add weight to walking is by wearing a weighted vest. So I bought this blue neoprene vest that weighs 12 lbs and I am loving it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040XF2RE

If I hold it in one hand, it feels heavy, but when the weight is distributed across the front and back, it does not feel heavy. I walked the same distance around the complex while wearing it and felt just fine. I am going to wear it for now and when I am used to this weight, I will upgrade to a 20 lb vest. I probably will still sometimes walk carrying dumbbells in my hands, but only for short distances.

[Tart Cherry Jam]

I have so many goals. It is impossible to meet them all, especially given how many hours I need yo spend in bed to get decent sleep. I simply do not have as many waking hours as most people. Oh well