Exercise

One of the main things I've been doing this year is exercising. I have normally been fairly sedentary, and over the years the 32 inch waist I had in college expanded to 34-36. I never gave exercise much priority before, because I'm missing my left radius, which has made it difficult for me to grip weights with my left hand. This also makes my left arm shorter than my right, which makes it more difficult to handle barbells. So I have normally focused on my intellect rather than on my physique.

In January, I went to the library and read a report in a health newsletter on the importance of cardiovascular exercise for living longer. It reported that people who walked regularly didn't suffer from heart disease nearly as much as people who were more sedentary. Since I care about my health, and also because my own father died of a heartattack at 61, I started walking regularly. This was the dead of winter, but I would go outside and walk anyway. I started walking a number of laps on the paths around the Macdonough Monument near the mouth of the Saranac River, holding onto the guard rails as needed to avoid slipping on the ice. I think I started with five laps and gradually built it up to seven.

In April, I briefly reunited with an old love of mine from college. She was writing a romance novel with a character based on me in it. He doesn't get the girl, but after he gives up on her, he starts exercising regularly, builds some muscles, and attracts another girl. Also, my friend from college still looked better than most people who are still in college, and this was probably due to the fact the she runs regularly and works her abs on an Ab Lounge. This eventually inspired me to take up strength training and to try to get in shape for running. I got a book from the library on weight-lifting and began to routinely do exerices for my upper body, lower body, and core. I renewed this book, and when I returned it after two months, I got another book on weight-lifting, which I am using now. As a result of my strength training, my legs have become muscular, my waist has trimmed enough for me to fit into most of my size 32 pants, and my arms and shoulders have started to develop more muscle. Running is still difficult for me, but it has been becoming easier.

My current exercise equipment includes a mini trampoline, some 5 and 10 pound hexagonal dumbbells, some 1 and 2.5 pound wrist/ankle weights, some 3 and 5 pound curved weights, a medium strength resistance band, a balance ball with a stand and hook-on adjustable resistance bands, some Asics running shoes, some Ozark Trail velcro strap sandals, a foam exercise mat, and some firm chairs.

I was very happy to find there are such things as curved weights. These are shaped like the letter D, and I can slip my left hand inside a weight and lift it without having to keep a strong grip on it. Since these are easier for me to handle, I have stopped using my 5 pound dumbbells. I still use the 10 pound dumbbells for squats, shrugs, and calf raises. My left hand can handle the underhanded grip these exercises require. It has problems mainly when an overhanded grip is required. One solution for this besides the curved weights is to use a 1 pound wrist weight to secure my hand to the dumbbell. For calf raises, I put one dumbbell on the floor, place the ball of my foot on the bar, and raise my heel while holding the other dumbbell in the same side hand.

The resistance band has proven very useful for exercises I can't do by moving up against gravity. It has been especially helpful for lower body work, especially used in combination with my velcro strap sandals. For many exercises, I loop the band around a desk leg, and I use the velcro straps on my sandals to secure the resistance band to my foot. This allows me to use the resistance band for various exercises usually done on a cable machine. I sit in a chair for leg extentions, and I lie on my mini trampoline for hamstring curls. I stand up for various exercises working my thighs.

My mini trampoline has also proven useful for abdominal exercises. When I first began doing abdominal exercises on the floor, it was hurting my back. I heard a woman in an infomercial for the Urban Rebounder, a kind of mini trampoline, mention that she could do her crunches on it. So I began doing crunches and other ab exercises on my mini trampoline, and it was much more comfortable. The mini trampoline gives me a firm surface that moves with me when I press into it, sparing my back from the pain of pressing into the floor.

I have also been doing ab exericises with my balance ball. I currently have Teach Yourself Visually Weight Training out from the library, and it includes a chapter on balance ball exercises. So I bought one that also comes with a stand and some resistance bands that can be hooked to the base and adjusted to various lengths. Besides doing ab exercises with it, I have been using the balance ball as a weight lifting bench.

I recently bought a used copy of Pilates for Men. I've only just started to try some of the exercises in it. Pilates focuses on the core muscles but also brings the other muscles into play. Since then, I got Heavyhands. This looks really promising. It is about combining leg and arm exercise together for strength-building aerobic exercise. The book makes good sense. You should get a more intense workout from bringing in more muscles, and it shouldn't overwork any single muscle as much. Also, it speaks well of the system that its inventor is still alive and in good shape today in his early 80's. Over time, I plan to incorporate both Pilates and Heavyhands into my exericise routines. I don't have the strapped dumbbells designed for Heavyhands, but until I need heavier weights, my wrist weights and curved weights should be good enough for it.