WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED FORM OF EXERCISE — WALKING, YOGA, THE GYM, OR OTHER?
Those of you who know me well, or have read my blog for some time are probably laughing. Yes you are. I can hear you. It’s okay. I’m laughing too, but I need to answer this question for everyone else.
Walking is the safest form of exercise for me – but not always.
There was the story of me walking backwards home from school.
I was the last one picked for teams. I was also the one who needed emergency dental treatment because I forgot to stop when running across the gym in a timed test. I ran into the wall, cracking a tooth, fat lip, blood. I was concentrating on the running part.
I am the girl who fell off of the balance beam (and trampoline, and pommel horse) in high school, got her gym suit seat caught while trying to jump over the hurdles, trailing it behind me, and once, I accidentally let go of the badminton racquet, barely missing the teacher’s head.
Advanced folk dance in college; what was I thinking?
There was, of course, the dramatic fall from grace at Janet’s house, where I made a most memorable entrance.
Then, oh dear, the time we were cross-country skiing and I landed in someone’s tomato soup!
I know I told you about my right foot getting stuck in the heating duct . It always makes me think of the Tom Hank’s movie, The Money Pit.
I’ll tell you soon about how I left my imprint at the Art Institute of Chicago’s store.
So, what’s your favorite form of exercise?
Penny: You are hilarious and made me laugh out loud this morning. I would love to chat soon LIVE. Love your sense of humor and your wonderful stories!
m.a. ox
So happy to give you a laugh, Mary Anne. We need our senses of humor. Yes, yes, yes. That would be lovely. I’ll be stopping by to see what’s new at Alway’s Robin’s Egg Blue a little later. Can’t wait!
Thank you.
In reality I’m sure I’m a few years older than you, Penny, but if that were not a certainty I’d swear we must surely be twins, somehow separated at birth!
This morning you’ve invoked such a clear vision of my own awkward childhood — even turning a somersault was never properly, let alone gracefully. executed! Matters requiring balance are challenging even now, and when I do use the treadmill, I’m certain to have at least one hand touching the frame in order to stay on the straight and narrow and not topple over the edge!!
Thank heaven for the ability to laugh at ourselves; and it is such a joy to know I am not alone!
How I cringed having to do the somersault. I could never quite get over and rolled around like a big, blue ball. I still haven’t figured out how somersaults are life skills.
I know that loss of sense of balance on a treadmill. I needed to have a stress test a few years ago. I wasn’t worried about the test itself, just staying on the treadmill. There I sat in all my glory being hooked up and instructed on what to do. I was okay – until the nurse said “Now, when you have reached the point where you can’t go on, let us know. You will need to stop immediately, jump off, jump onto the table, turn on your left side while we drop that side of the table.” My blood pressure shot up, I turned pale, she said “are you okay”. I had to explain that the jumping off, then on while turning, as the table got smaller was more pressure than the test!
She promised she would catch me if I fell off the table. Ha!
No, dear Karen, you are not alone. Keep laughing.
no, no, Penny, Karen….triplets…. I was the last one to be picked for teams etc etc. However, since hitting retirement, I have taken control and do go to the gym now. I have a brilliant personal trainer, who knows excatly what is required to motivate without pushing me too hard…have to admit to feeling healthier than for years. It means going for wonderfully long walks including long hill climbs in Yorkshire and in France, are all easy now. J.
Aha! The family is growing. Good for you Janice for taking control. I’m sure the personal trainer makes all the difference, a healthier life, and oh those long walks.
I did trying going to a gym. I kept getting sick with colds and the flu. (Any excuse will do). Seriously, keep on doing what you are doing, Janice.
Dear Penny, . . . thanks for all the delightful links that took me back to those times in your life when you took a tumble (not funny, except in the telling).
My mom used to say to me that I was as graceful as a bull in a China shop. I, too, stumbled my way through childhood and have continued that pattern. Scars on my forehead from hitting a window sill, many scars on my knees from falling onto nail heads, oh, my litany, like yours, goes on.
The good thing as you’ve noted above is that a sense of humor accompanies us through it all.
Peace.
You are so welcome, Dee. Don’t worry. I laughed as much as anybody and glad the words come out funny.
Oh my, the scars of our childhood and in my case adulthood. I have a scar on my chin. My first one, awarded as a toddler, crawling. It seems I tripped over my pant legs crawling and cut my chin. I was doomed to clumsiness from the start. We do have to have a sense of humor to get us through many things in life, don’t we, Dee? Ouch. Falling onto nail heads sounds pretty bad, not to mention worrying about tetanus.
Thank you, Dee.
This post had me giggling quite a bit at remembering some wonderful stories! Thanks for sharing such an honest answer.
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who couldn’t do a somersault!
I just saw that movie for the first time the other night and it is a good parallel to your own story (though the workers were still in the house for you!)
You’re welcome, Katy. I’m glad you enjoyed the stories anew. As we know, there are more.
No, my dear, you weren’t the only one. Do you remember me telling you just to try and that it wouldn’t make a difference in your life when all was said and done whether or not you could do a somersault? It still is a hard time when you’re required to learn in gym.
I didn’t realize you hadn’t see The Money Pit before, Katy. Dad and I could certainly relate to some of the construction mishaps, and this scene always cracks me up. I think Tom Hank’s character says he was starting to dream of Care Bears. Did you catch that?
Oh, Penny, I love your stories of your tumbles. I have never been known as graceful and used to envy those girls who could do cartwheels from one end of the playground to the other. I was a daredevil kind of Tomboy. I loved to climb and jump from high places. I doubt if I could ever duplicate your amazing flight down our staircase, but I used to jump from the porch roof.
My favorite sport is swimming. If I could ever be called graceful, it would have to be when I am under water. I can still do a pretty good dive too for a white haired 60+ lady if I do say so myself. I swim every chance that I get. Sometimes I borrow the grand kids just so I have an excuse to go to the pool.
Two nights a week I go to Zumba. I love it. On the commercials you see people being transformed to Barbie Doll figures with great dancing moves. I probably look more like a Cabbage Patch Kid flailing around aimlessly to some music. It is fun. I am not really thinner but I am much more flexible than I was when I started.
Other than that, I love to walk and ride my bicycle.
I’m glad you do, Janet, for as you know, there are many more tumbles. I would have been happy to do one cartwheel, though the only way I would have jumped from a porch roof would have been via tripping.
I always imagined you as a strong swimmer and how fun to borrow the grands to go swimming. Have you taught them to dive like their grandma?
Zumba would probably help me become more flexible – then I could fall more easily. I KNOW I’d never have a Barbie doll figure. tee hee Your description of flailing like a Cabbage Patch Kid has me in a bit of a fit of laughter. Excuse me while I go compose myself.
Just so you know, Celeste is a pretty good diver. When she was five, she didn’t hesitate to climb the high board and jump . The really high board…taller than a building type high board, scaring her grandma. But soon she was diving from the high and the low board. Donald thinks he is a good diver, but I have never seen him dive. He always jumps.
Celeste sounds like a natural, Janet. I can just imagine the fright she gave you, as well as how proud you must be for her talents. Donald must be a very good jumper. I jumped. Once. I had to jump in once to pass swimming in high school. tee hee
I am in that boat with you Penny re: grace and dexterity! I actually wore out two pairs of training wheels on my bicycle before my daddy said, “Enough”.
(I did learn to ride it—eventually).
Oh, Marilyn, that brings back many a memory of learning to ride a bicycle, which I finally did at the age of 14. My cousin would run along side me, holding on the the seat, until I careened into a tree with him attached. Enough. I’m glad we both eventually learned to ride.
We won’t talk about roller skates, okay?
I laughed at all your physical (mis)adventures – you certainly had a talent for colourful ones! Yoga, tai chi and walking for me – it sounds rather staid after your list.
I so admire your discipline and dexterity, Juliet, not to mention all the creatures that do tai chi with you. I’m so pleased to know that you laughed.
Penny–me too! At school I was a gym-o-phobe. One gym teacher used to delight in whacking me in the shins with her field hockey stick. These days it wouldn’t have been tolerated. Forget the ropes! I used to stand between ropes and whenever the teacher would look at me, I’d turn around and pretend I was in the other group. Senior year, I had an appendectomy one of the first few weeks of school. I was, of course, given a note that I could not participate in gym “until further notice”. Which I never managed to get around to obtaining, if you know what I mean…..
My favorite exercise: roller blading! On skates, I am 10 again. ;o)
What a terrible, terrible thing for a teacher to do, Mike, and I’m so relieved that we no longer tolerate this.
The ropes. Gymnastics! I wish I had figured that trick out. I couldn’t get from the first traveling ring to the second one, with two students pushing me. Once. Just once, I made it to the second ring. Everyone clapped. I passed.
I do know what you mean about getting a note. Just before my senior year, the district switched to a computerized program, new for its day. We were required to have four years of swimming, which my records showed I had, though I’d only been in high school for three years. I never took that fourth year swimming.
Good for you! ‘Tis good to feel 10 again.
Well, dear cousin, I guess we are related in more ways than just the Spudeas blood line! Did you know my middle name is Grace…not really, but it certainly is appropriate. While I have suffered all of the above indignities in elementary and high school, my greatest fall from grace happened about 4 years ago. I actually stumbled and fell at the feet of the Greek Orthodox Archbishop (Demetrios) of America at the Nashville airport! Can you imagine my embarrassment? I think he was more concerned than I, helped me up and immediately gave me his blessing. I’d like to say that blessing alone made it worth the fall, but I still cringe when thinking about it.
Oh, Pam, I can certainly feel your mortification over falling at the feet of the Archbishop and can understand that cringe when you think about it still, even though you were blessed. The other way we are related keeps wanting to come out as I write this, however. You know. That Spudeas sense of humor.
Take care, Pam.
Another clumsy, uncoordinated, unsporty child, here, Penny, who grew into a clumsy etc, etc, adult. I’m afraid,. I loved your accounts of your mishaps and tumbles and could add to your list without any difficulty. Being asthmatic, many sports were always hard for me and I’m a poor swimmer too. Walking is my preferred means of exercise, though I’m no long-distance walker like Janice.
. . . and yet we survived and went on to be adults and are here to tell about it, Perpetua. What would we do without a sense of humor? Being asthmatic must have posed difficulties as a child. Inhalers are fairly new as are the medications of today. Keep on walking. It is a good form of exercise and not a hard on the joints. (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it).
Glad to see you are settled in.