<p>It seems that there are two components to balance.</p>
<p>When you have your eyes open, you can tell if you are in balance or not and don’t have to make adjustments or only have to make small adjustments. If you have your eyes closed, then you have to depend on feeling in your foot unless you can use the things in your ears.</p>
<p>That is separate from the ability to maintain balance which depends on leg strength unless you’re using other parts of your body to provide balance.</p>
<p>With tennis, you get lots of practice in being off-balance. If you’re playing someone reasonably good, then they will put you off balance. It’s easy to return powerful shots if you’re prepared and balanced so winning points is about getting your opponent off-balance hoping for an error or a weak shot that can be put away.</p>
<p>When I was doing rehab for my leg a couple of years ago, the PT had me walk backwards on the treadmill. I was sure I was going to fall off and break the other leg.</p>
<p>Whew. That was a tough iPod workout. Big boy pushups and squat shoulder presses (dumbbells from the chest to overhead) back to back in each of the three sets. That’ll get the old heart rate going. I had to wimp out on one side of the side planks. The pressure point on my elbow hit the scab from faceplant right on the button. So I took a breather and only did the other side, which is OK because that’s my weaker side and it could use a few extra reps.</p>
<p>Finished off with brutal Airdyne intervals. 40 seconds at Cardinal Fang pace (70 to 75 rpms) and 80 seconds of easy recovery. The 40 seconds at that pace gets serious leg burn going on top of a 96% heart rate. I was only good for three of those intervals.</p>
<p>My arms and shoulders are going to be feeling this workout tomorrow, which is a good thing.</p>
<p>Two sets of tennis at lunch today in 90 minutes. I won but was very hungry after the first set. Only 500 calories for breakfast and that’s not enough for 90 minutes of tennis. I can run my usual 6 miles with very few calories but tennis is another story.</p>
<p>How quickly things can change! Had a great workout this morning. 70 minutes on the bike and then 30 on the dreamill. Felt strong and worked hard. Went over to exercise area and rolled out mats to start my first core instruction with friend. We laughed so hard I couldn’t get through the exercises! Definitely need to wear a longer shirt next time! We were walking out of the club and somehow I tweaked my bad knee and I had searing, shooting pain in the meniscus area again! I am now sitting with my leg propped up and a big old bag of ice planted on the knee as it is now very swollen. I hope this isn’t bad… :(</p>
<p>Enjoy chintzy! I leave tomorrow for Chicago for the weekend to meet friends. We will stay in a Reisdence Inn with a kitchen so I am hoping to pack some healthy party foods. I will pick up some shrimp, fruit and ingredients to make a caprese appetizer but looking for something else. Any ideas?</p>
<p>This won’t help with a serious injury, but I’m finding that it helps with the little nagging aches and pains to mix it up and never do the same exercise/workout two days in a row. For example, I have a little nagging metatarsal foot pain after walking that is completely gone with one day of rest between walks. Likewise, the knee twinges or weight lifting soreness from my iPod workouts. It’s probably good practice to mix it up anyway (from a fitness standpoint), but especially for us old geezers (from an aches and pain standpoint). It’s becoming clear to me that avoiding injury is a key to geezer fitness.</p>
<p>I agree idad but not sure what I can do to mix it up! I can walk (no more than 3.2 mph) and I can bike. I vary resistance, incline and speed so I never have the same work out. No pool at this facility. Any suggestions???</p>
<p>I don’t know. I don’t have that much variety. Just iPod workouts, exercise bike, walking, and the occasional bike ride, unless you count general admission standing only at a concert Saturday night!</p>
<p>I do separate out walking and iPod workouts, so the walking becomes recovery from the iPod workouts and vice versa. I only do the exercise bike for ten minutes of warmup and cool down plus six minutes of intervals as part of my iPod workouts. I’ll have to substitute exercise bike for walking once we start getting bad weather. I may break the intervals off the iPod workouts and move them to the alternate exercise bike days, I don’t know. I don’t think I can do Airdyne intervals five days a week. They are so intense. Even iPod nazi doesn’t recommend intervals more than two or three days a week.</p>
<p>I just don’t know how it works at a gym. Can you do rower machines? That seems to be a pretty consistent favorite machine of the good fitness guys.</p>
How about rowing? Many gyms have the Concept 2 or 3 rowing machines. It’s hard starting out but you build endurance over time. Obviously very low impact and you generate your own breeze to cool you off.
<p>Grilled chicken breast with taco seasoning rub and then sauteed red and green peppers, onions and portabella mushrooms for fajitas. Also added some avocado. They were so very good! Must be that my taste buds are also changing and I am enjoying good local veggies and lean meats. Earlier I had a Gala apple that was juicy and sweet. My sugar grams are now shot! ;)</p>
<p>I did a 3 mile hillly walk today. Probably should have done the short and sweet version. I’m feeling a little worn out, run down. These heavier iPod workouts are wearing on my muscles a bit, I think. This is my fourth week of the full three set versions, third week of going heavier on the weights. I’m lovin’ the results, but I may have to break down and take two days off this weekend to recover a bit. I haven’t taken back to back days off since the second week in June when I was sick.</p>
<p>The rower works your arms, back, and the backs of the shoulders and you can push off with your legs but the motion is smooth and non-jarring. You can control the amount of effort with your knees too. Most people have trouble with it because they are not used to repetitive motions with those particular muscle groups.</p>
<p>We have a former Olympic rower in the office and he trained on the Concept 2s many years ago. They rowing machines don’t get a lot of use in our office but they are okay for recovering from knee problems. We also have a machine in the office and one at the YMCA which is essentially a bicycle for arms. You have to grips and you just rotate them in a circle. Often used for someone recovering from severe leg injuries where they require a wheelchair to get around.</p>
<p>Did six miles today in two segments: 4 + 2. I had an afternoon appointment and I didn’t time my usual run correctly. I’ve also noticed that my running performance isn’t that good on a day after I’ve played tennis.</p>
<p>I’d not recommend using a rowing machine unless you actually know how. (Most people I see in the gym don’t). If you do, great workout, but if you don’t you won’t get so much of a workout and you’ll probably hurt your back.</p>
<p>Good point. You probably don’t want to be bending and pulling with your back. Probably one of those activities that requires a firm, stable core and generating force with the legs and shoulders.</p>
<p>North Min - take a page from MofWC. See how that knee feels before you do anything. I know you have been amazingly faithful, but a rest day for an injury is sometimes the fastest way to get back to business.</p>
We were walking out of the club and somehow I tweaked my bad knee and I had searing, shooting pain in the meniscus area again! I am now sitting with my leg propped up and a big old bag of ice planted on the knee as it is now very swollen. I hope this isn’t bad… :(</p>