Under a Red Roof

If you, like me, have read carefully, and listened equally so, to menopause and aging specialists over the past few years, or just lived a little and experienced the pain of an aging body, you might have felt down about it before looking to solutions. I’m going to tell you about mine, and maybe something will resonate with you, too.

First, the big, black clunker on which my various items are displayed. It is called a wave table, and makes every jiggly bit you wish you didn’t have move, move, move! It also mimics the impact of running and walking, especially when on maximum effect, and can help keep your bones strong. A lot of what I know is anecdotal, but I’m down for trying to keep my bones as robust as possible as I age. An added bonus, after descending the wobbly throne, my body is positively giddy, yet relaxed. Even for that, I’ll take it.

Next, from the left, is my cordless jump rope. Greg and I work out in the basement, with ceilings about 7′, so not exactly conducive to an actual jump rope. I wondered if there might me an equivalent, and here we are. Jumping rope is another way to help maintain strong bones, so we do it for about 15 minutes a week. It is also a fabulous warm up before weight lifting, I might add. Which reminds me, as I don’t have a photo, Greg and I have started lifting heavy! My personal best and current very long plateau is heaving 64 pounds of loaded barbell over my head in a clean and press move, repeated ten times. It is very hard and very exhilarating! I’m also dead lifting, lunging, and doing two kinds of squats with 75 pounds. We’ll see how heavy I go, as I have zero desire to injure myself. Word…

This brings up another point, and reason 999 why I am doing all of this. Did you know there is a direct correlation between muscle strength, and especially in the thighs, and cognition, as we age? The way Dr. Kelly Casperson explained it was the brain loses function as muscle degenerates. As a kind of why bother, I guess. Talk about survival of the fittest.

Next to the jump rope are my insoles (made by Pedag), topped with metatarsal support pads, and in the right hand corner, all my toe gear. My feet are messed up, peeps. I wear the insoles because my arches are falling and need a firm base, and the metatarsals need that same support to also keep my feet from hurting when I walk. I’ve also added the metatarsal pads to all of my shoes and sandals that aren’t conducive to insoles. The pink ones keep my toes separated, as do the little ones on the bottom, but for specific toes when I am not wearing the pinks, as they cut off circulation over time, sheesh. Finally the fleshy ones in the middle prevent curling toes and yet more pain, which are rotated with the pinks, and delightedly, never cut off circulation. All of this gear helps prevent further deformation via the shifting of bones and a bunion surgery that wasn’t exactly the best. It is quite a lot, but dang, they create a beautiful symphony of painless feet, and I am well pleased!

The bright green oval is a thoracic pod for helping keep my chest and ribs open, as I constantly forget to sit up straight and keep my shoulders down (so many stressors in these crazy times) and to compensate for falling down the stairs decades ago and getting walloped by a wave in the ocean while snorkeling. It can be painful, especially when I neglect to do it and yoga regularly, but, boy, does it get the job done.

Finally, a brace. After I learned I had arthritis in both of my wrists, I struggled to find ways to prevent pain, at least without a constant stream of oral or topical medications. Then, I landed on wearing a brace nightly on my right wrist, as it is more arthritic than the left. I’ve also found the heavy lifting is helping with the pain, maybe because I’m building a strong scaffold of muscle around it, while also strengthening my bones, in general. That said, when I fail to remember to wear the brace more than two nights in a row, my wrist is not happy about it.

In short, I am always learning over here! Here’s to it!