Lengthen Your Life......Relax and take a Breather...Stay Sharp, Stay Strong, Stay Healthy.. |
Health and Fitness after illness, after 50 and beyond
very discouraging. It seems the older one gets the harder it is to recover from illness and surgery. In April of 2000 I had a hysterectomy. Prior to the operation, I had never thought of it as major surgery. It took two years to get control of my strength again. At the time, I worked as a full time dance instructor in the public school system. After a few months off I had to jump right back in and teach 5 classes a day. A combination of Pilates, Martha Graham and Horton Techniques made for a very tired lady every day. The job also required directing a dance company and staging several dance productions throughout the year. It was demanding and very time consuming work, but I loved it.
physical and emotional growth and transformation of high school students. The dance studio was a safe haven to many who might not have gotten out of bed except for the promise of a free dance class. For some, the studio represented the one place in school where success could be realized. It was also where many young ladies learned personal hygiene, social skills, concentration and physical dexterity. Massaging the bottom of the feet became a weekly event.
pioneers. A program was developed that allowed Dance to replace Gym for a partial year. Students who sat on the bench and failed Gym embraced dance. It was tough to stay ahead of students studying in The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Broadway Dance Center and others. It was a challenge. It wore me out. I gave myself the present of an ijoy massage chair three years ago. It has became part of my day to get at least a 15 minute massage everyday after work. The practice forced me to sit down, relax and reflect. The good massage always makes me feel better.
problems left by an incredibly incapable contractor. He worked from sun up to late night until the job of remodeling my bedroom was finished. I paid him in plane fare, home cooked meals, and a daily massage in the massage chair. He has a good heart. He said that relaxing in the massage chair while getting his feet done in the foot & calf massage ottoman was the greatest way to end the work day. His day always ended there in the chair snoring.I decided that I had to do something more for him.
Sharper Image in Charlotte, North Carolina and I sent him a massage chair of his own. It was shipped to his house and arrived 2 days before Christmas. His wife and I agreed that he would not be allowed to open the box until Christmas morning. He didn't even know it was his. She said he made himself crazy trying to guess where it came from. On Christmas morning, she called me and said, "Child, you better take this phone, because your brother is crying." He was crying because he was so happy. It was something that he would never have bought himself because he thought of it as a luxury.
elements of any recovery program. Getting outside in the air helps me immensely. There is something very therapeutic about pulling annoying weeds from a vegetable or flower bed. Walking the dog provides fantastic bonding time with the animal and exercise for the dog owner. Spending time outside with loved ones cannot be overestimated. Chill Out
and listening to the birds, wind chimes and the movement of water in a pond or fountain is very soothing.
A life style change is needed and takes time to achieve. Age and health play an important role in whether we actually realize our goals. When everything begins to drop we become discouraged. It is important to set realistic goals that we can manage. It is also imperative that we exercise to keep the fat around the waist to a minimum. Lift weights.
is bad, walk inside while watching your favorite television show. Keep cholesterol in check. Have regular checkups at the doctor and take supplements. I find that vitamin D is one of the most valuable vitamins. Your health coverage might even cover the cost of a nutritionist. Sometimes positive reinforcement is much easier to embrace when it comes from a professional who knows nothing about your personal life. |
visited the doctor with sinus problems, pains in my shoulders, hips and thighs, a persistent fever and sleep deprivation. They proceeded to treat the sinus infection with steroids. All of the symptoms got worse. My doctor sent me to a psychiatrist. Antidepressants and sleeping pills were prescribed. The sleep deprivation worsened. It was as if the sleeping pills, xanax and the antidepressants were feeding the condition. The combination of sleep aids, antidepressants, steroids, and nexium made the condition even more intense. I went nearly 8 months without sleeping more than an hour per night. Night terrors and sleep apnea were added to the already very long list of symptoms. I lost a full year of work and was finally forced to retire disabled in 2006. At one point I was seeing 4 doctors and one physical therapist every single weekday. The situation created insurmountable stress and anxiety. My sister had fallen ill in 1998. In the space of two weeks she lost the ability to speak, walk, eat and dress herself. She finally passed in 2002 from a heart attack never ever regaining any of her abilities. She died a drooling catatonic permanently seated in a geriatrics chair never leaving it to even sleep in a regular bed for fear she would fall out and injure herself in the night. I raised her two of her three beautiful children. The oldest one disappeared months after her death and we have never heard from him since. I was scared to death even though the doctors kept repeating the fact that I was not my sister. I did not begin to get better until I stopped taking all of the prescribed medicines and concentrated on detoxing. My Rheumatologist prescribed mega doses of vitamin D. After a month on the D and a relentless detox regime I started to sleep a few hours per night. The steroids and antidepressants plus lack of exercise made a once finely toned dance teacher's body one that moves in quite a different fashion. I am still on the mend. I take my supplements. The doctors finally agreed that I should take all of the vitamins prescribed by the Rheumatologist.
enjoying my fifties with my grandchildren. |
Eat Healthy Everyday
advise the consumption plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to the supplements recommended by your physician. Homeowners and apartment dwellers have the ability and the opportunity to grow vegetables. You would be surprised at the small amount of space that is required to grow some very nutritious foods. Container gardens produce very well on balconies. Very small raised beds blend in well with various other plants, such as marigolds that protect the cabbage here from hungry aphids. In season, I grow enough vegetables to feed my family and share with the neighbors. Many of my neighbors have begun to follow my example and are growing organic food in small spaces. Some varieties have been hybrid to grow food in small spaces.
If so, you are not alone. After installing a very expensive neo angle hot tub I realized that I was having a problem getting in and out of it. I found myself consciously avoiding the bath when home alone. My brother suggested that a pull up bar would help. A stronger more pliable body and a pull up bar became a necessity. A regiment of stretching has made it much easier to get in and out of my tub. I pulled out my rubber mat and got down on the floor. |
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Copyright, kolsm 2005 - 2008
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