Exercise Equipment?

Submitted by Bebe on March 8, 2013 - 7:54pm
Body: 

I've noticed a few of you who have been more physically active have mentioned different kinds of exercises you used to do and wonder if you still can. I have some equipment I've used effectively in the past, but I'm not very knowledgeable about physical fitness. I've just done what my husband or sons recommended to me and found it working pretty well. One thing I used was a total gym and it gave me immediate results tightening everything up - arms, legs, butt, shoulders. It's a great way to do stress workout without bulking with weights - it slims instead. I have really missed it. I started doing the exercises that don't put me in that bad angle or that do put me on a reverse incline if the exercise requires abdominal stress. I found I can do some things without seeming to hurt myself during or afterward. I wonder if any of you have any warnings or advice about using equipment like this. I think I can work up a modified program that will cover everything and do them on a reverse incline. Whaddyathink?

I also wonder about using my inversion table. Is there a reason not to? It gives me a wonderful back stretch. I swear I'm more than an inch taller when I get off that thing and feel so light!

Thanks in advance for your input.

Bebe

Forum:

Surviving60

March 8, 2013 - 8:33pm

Bebe, you may get some different opinions on your question, but here's mine: When you arrive at the point where maintaining the posture has become completely second nature (which for me took over a year), then you are ready to make informed decisions about other exercise options such as you describe. Until then, stick with things you know are prolapse-friendly because you may not be able to judge strictly by how your prolapses are reacting at any given moment in time. You can get all the intensity you need out of WW workouts and just plain old walking. Adding weights is one way. Christine even suggests this. - Surviving

Bebe

March 9, 2013 - 8:31am

That makes sense. I do have some very light weights that I can use for my arms and shoulders even while sitting. I do love the resistance workout of the total gym because the good effect comes so quickly and with aging I'm getting awfully soft and weak. I can keep that quick result in mind as I postpone that kind of work for now to concentrate on WW exercises. Like a child I want to fight this, but you do make sense.

Anyone have an opinion about the inversion table?

Surviving60

March 9, 2013 - 2:25pm

I think Christine has written on this topic somewhere. While searching, I came up with this good post by Louise:

https://wholewoman.com/forum/node/4256

Bebe

March 9, 2013 - 7:48pm

I should have searched that myself. Silly. I did find that discussion and a couple of others. There is an attachment for lumbar support available for my table; but I think since I'm making a pillow to fit my back for sitting, I'll try it on the table too. In the posts I noticed someone saying that it seems almost instinctive to want to invert for this and I agree. That's why I bought the thing and the men in my house like it anyway. Louise commented somewhere also that it is stressful getting on and off the contraption which can negate whatever gain there may be. That's true...it's hard for me to get off - but I roll to the side and use the handle to push myself upright like I do whenever I get stuck in a flat on my back position without room to flip over. (Sounds like I do that all the time...)

I also found an impressive description by Louise of her dragging a huge grapevine. That thread didn't have anything about inversion tables, but that's okay. I'm loving reading these older posts as I run into them for one reason or another.

There are so many references to jiggling, but I haven't found a description yet. I did find a description of bending over deeply from the hips with legs wide, letting the abdomen relax, and shaking around. I think that must be it. That's great - wonderful - because bending like that also stretches my back so well. I've been doing that for years!

louiseds

March 25, 2013 - 12:32am

You got it Bebe! I kind of slightly bend and straighten both my legs at the same time, about twice every second for about 5 or ten seconds. I have a picture in my head of flipping pancakes, kind of flipping my pelvic organs up and forwards. Flipping pancakes will never be the same again!

Louise ;-S

Bebe

March 25, 2013 - 11:04am

I've missed you. I feel very fortunate to have happened onto jiggling on my own and many other ideas I find confirmed here among women who know it themselves. If only we would trust our instincts and inborn abilities to be good for us in everything from what foods we're craving to how to think for ourselves and believe in our ability to understand .... everything. Listening to experts educated out of books is like trusting the wizard of Oz....the end result being you do it yourself anyway. So much of what we try to learn from the official experts just twists and perverts what we were born with and destined to discover in the first place.