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Thursday, January 27, 2011

On my mind...exercise!

The exercise bike with the iPod draped over the handlebars.



On my mind today is the issue of exercising. When people have asked me what I plan to do now that I've started pre-retirement leave, as well as the obvious hobbies, I've also mentioned that I wanted to work on my fitness. Years ago I used to walk for about 40 minutes each day to keep fit. In recent years I haven't been doing that due to a few things...laziness, tiredness caused by severe anaemia as well as hip and knee pain the legacy of a fall in 2002. (I decided to relive my childhood and started to scramble over rocks on the beach at Caloundra...they were slimey weren't they? and I fell heavily didn't I?)

We replaced my old exercise bike a few years ago when the tension went. The bike is a good alternative to walking for me as it does not aggravate the hip and knee. A few times things got so painful when I tried to walk on the paths near the creek etc, that I would have to ring DH on my mobile to come and rescue me. I have iron infusions for my anaemia but there is always that amount of time between infusions where I get very fatigued but I have to wait until all the new tests are done and a hospital booking made to get some iron. Over the last 2 years, I was extremely tired after work each day so after making dinner, I had no energy for anything else so very little exercise was done...well actually , none!

So since Christmas, I have been building up my time on the exercise bike and can now do 25 minutes straight, with the tension turned up for at least 15 minutes . You see I HAVE to do something as a blood test in November showed my glucose levels had gone from 5 to 7.5! Actually I was quite indignant, because for 3 months before the test, I had stopped drinking wine with my meals. So even though, my waist measurement trimmed down, my sugar levels went up...the lack of exercise...and maybe too many choccies????

I do plan to try walking on the bike paths as well though to see how I go. I have a Bowen therapy treatment once a month and it's amazing how the pain levels have gone right down. You might say...why don't you get on a 'real bike' and ride on the bike paths??? I have a confession...I can't ride a bike...didn't have a bike as a kid, tried to learn to ride a friend's bike when I was about 11 but crashed into fences etc and gave up!

7 comments:

Buttons Thoughts said...

Good Luck Maria: you will discover once you get past the hump as they say you will get hooked and want to do it everyday. I walk everyday and now I took up snowshoeing. Find something you love and go for it. You will enjoy retirement. I find exercise helps my pain immensely. B

Bluezbandit said...

I really need to get back to exercising, despite having a gastric lapband I have put on 10kg over the last 12 months so some hefty exercise might shift some of it. (hopefully) Good luck with your efforts.

Lynn said...

Good luck with the exercising. I think I will join you on your exercise journey as we are going to Europe in July and I know we will be doing a lot of walking so I had better get fitter than I am now.

rhonda jean said...

Good luck Maria. I wonder what's on your iPod.

Mary said...

Looks like you have a great spot for it! Also, I think the wine may have lowered your sugar. A small amount of alcohol will do that.

Claud said...

What a great goal Maria. Try to mix it up too so you wont' get bored and quit. Do a few minutes for me too:-)

Susan said...

Good on you Maria. What a lovely spot for your exercise bike too.