Running with Moe April 9

Here it is. We are in the first few weeks of spring and instead of enjoying the spring weather everyone is told to stay home because of the virus. Runners and walkers can still get their mileage in and get a little stress relief; but then the heavy rains arrived in the first part of April and even those short excursions were limited.

There’s something people who live in colder weather are familiar with—it’s called “cabin fever. It comes from being indoors because of cold and snow for weeks – and sometimes, months. Well cabin fever has seemed to have spread to the rest of the country now. The cure for this stress related illness, not surprisingly, is to be active.

There are any number of alternatives to getting outdoors for a run or walk. For example, if you are fortunate enough (or unfortunate enough) to have a flight of stairs in your house, then a great leg work out is to be had by walking or jogging up and down the stairs for exercise. Likewise indoor running in place or rope skipping. I have a tough time running in place, or skipping rope, in the home, but desperate times call for desperate measures. (If you’re older, just watch the knees.)

A little creative thinking can make these repetitive exercises more enjoyable.  Music works in stationary running with dance steps and changing the pace of the run to keep beat with music.  Put a nice slow waltz on for a short time, followed by a jazz beat to pick up the pace.  And who said the legs have to always move forward and backward.  A little side to side, spins, hops, and jumps in the movement adds variety to the run.

Skipping rope has a lot of different moves to try.  When the ‘Jump Rope for Heart’ movement was popular in physical education classes the different jumps created by these youngsters was something to watch.  You might be older now but a little creative thinking can make a bout of skipping rope fun.

Changing up the workout routine is also beneficial. Resistance exercise is always good for all ages.  There are so many forms of resistance exercise available now it is amazing.  The standard dumbbell and barbell weight set is a good start.   A set of dumbbells can be used in so many exercises to strengthen almost every muscle in the body.

If you have a lighter weight dumbbell you can increase the resistance by lengthening the lever.  Instead of keeping the weight close to the body, put it at arm’s length for greater resistance.  Hold the weight at the end of the movement for a few seconds for some isometric contraction of the muscle.

A word of caution however on weightlifting. Be sure to use proper form, and be mindful of your lower back and knees. I once had an orthopedic surgeon tell me that “you can rip yourself up with as little as ten pounds if you’re using bad form.”

Bands of rubber or elastic come in over a dozen different varieties.  Some hook on door jams, others under a foot, some can be done lying on the floor, and some are attached to a board, or platform, for different angles of pull.  Most come with different colored bands to offer combinations of resistance.  The good thing about using some form of resistance from bands is that as the movement reaches the end, the band is at its greatest stretch and offers greater resistance.  My personal favorite is my Super Mini-Gym isokinetic resistance machine.  Very compact, portable, and not having to change the weights for different exercises really cuts down the length of time to get a good work out.

And if all else fails there is the fall back to physical educations class warmups. Some of you will remember them as “calisthenics.”  Who can forget doing jumping jacks, pushups, burpees, windmills, and toe touches before you were allowed to play games? Lately I have seen some wild versions of these exercises to add some variety to the exercise.  

People also get creative with strength building. Pushups with different hand spacing, feet elevated, kids sitting on your shoulders, and doing some leg movements are all some form of a pushup. (But again, be careful not to tear up your shoulders or do damage to your lower back.) 

If you are still young and flexible you can always do back bend pushups.  I did them when I was in gymnastics and had a flexible back.  Most men could not do this form of a pushup.  Their flexibility bending backwards was limited to bending at the knees and elbow.  The portion of the body above the knees to the elbows was a stiff plank. That is where my backwards flexibility is now.  And now holding the body in a stiff plank position is a form of exercise for the abdominals.

Then to add to variety in exercise you can include stretching movements.  People think that as they get older they lose some flexibility.  The act of bending down to pick something off the floor is not as easy as it was in those younger years.  Flexibility is one of those “use it or lose it” forms of exercise.  If you continue to stretch, you will remain flexible when you are older.  It just happens that most people quit bending and stretching as the years pass and they stiffen up.  It takes time to regain that range of motion.  But with effort and consistent exercise,  flexibility will improve.

For more stretching, added variety, people can try yoga and tai chi forms of exercise.  There are different forms of yoga for different skill levels that can be used for almost any person. Videos on yoga moves and tai chi are available to watch when you exercise. (YouTube has a lot of free yoga related content.)

Other standby forms of aerobic exercise include treadmills, stationary bicycles, and rowing machines.  The point of all these examples is that even when you are restricted to staying inside there is still a way to work out and stay fit.

Just remember to pace yourself, and be mindful of your current state of fitness. 

Lastly, a word of caution on boredom, diet, and mental health. Be watchful that you don’t relieve boredom by constant trips to the refrigerator and pantry or other self-destructive behavior. Find other interests besides endlessly streaming online movies, watching the news (which are designed to stress you out), mindless surfing on the internet, and empty carb loading. Find other interests such as gardening, catching up on classic literature you haven’t read, writing letters to loved ones, researching family histories, learning a musical instrument, or re-learning old board games with family members. Remember, mind and body go hand in hand.