Thursday, February 23, 2017

What works for me.

I have always loved music.  And because music comes with rhythm and beat, naturally, i also love to dance.

My mom tells me when i was still a kid, she & her sister had decked me out in long flouncing skirts with bells at my feet very similar to that of an indian dancer. And like a happy camper i would spend hours swaying, twisting & turning, lost in my own world.  As a side note, my parents probably were very much into hindustani movies during that time, thus the influence lol.

Even now, my body reacts before my mind  does whenever i hear a catchy song.  Of course whether i dance well or not is an entirely different story lol.  I guess it all adds up to the fact that i'm rather light on my feet.  And because i find joy in dancing, it affects others in a positive way.  People at the aerobics studio call me the hyper macik and seem to enjoy my monkeying around 😅

So, since many have been asking me how i am able to maintain my energy level throughout the workouts here are a few of the things that seem to work for me... but please, please do tailor it to suit your own needs.

1.  Most important thing for me is controlled breathing.  No matter how strong u physically are if u do not control ur breathing throughout the session u will end up gasping for breath and getting tired prematurely.  Hours spent on running has taught me to follow a certain tempo when i breathe.  For example 2 strides breathe IN, 2 strides breathe OUT... and to regulate the breathing to suit intensity & pace. Although its not the same for aerobics or dancing, the principle of regulating your breathing throughout the workout still holds.

2.  Keeping a good posture throughout the workout.  Its easy... just push the chest out, tuck the tummy in and keep the back straight.  And whatever moves you execute u must try to maintain that state.  Sometimes people readily bend their backs instead of bending their knees and that will actually cause u backaches as well as disrupt ur breathing.

3.  And knees, the all important knees.  So many of us seem to have knee problems one way or another, and it concerns both the young and the old.  In relation to cardio workouts, all the jumping, twisting and turning could be disastrous for the knees.  And because those are the three things i love to do the most, i had to find a solution that works.  For me everytime i land on my two feet i slightly bend my knees to minimise the impact.  It works to the extent i have come to do it naturally.  Less impact less jarring better on the knees lol.

There are loads of other stuff u can do to maintain your stamina but i'll leave that to mr google.  He'll keep you fully informed on the matter lol. This is just me sharing what works for me.  Hope it helps.

Cheers 💋💋

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Its 2017

Well whadaya know, its already February of another brand new year.  Time is flying so fast its leaving me speechless.

Lamenting over the past and my failure to keep this blog updated would really be a waste of precious time.  I'd probably just keep doing the same thing despite my good intentions... of putting together and sharing life experiences, in the hope that it would be of some use to other people.

Since thats the case lets just live for the moment and lemme write whatever comes to mind or catches my fancy.

Speaking of which, something happened at the park this morning that somehow prodded me into sharing some thoughts.  While i was pretending to be Lara Croft & trying some kickass moves (me being dramatic lol) i saw this guy sluggishly coming out  of his car, walk a couple of steps and went straight into stretching!! He seemed a little halfhearted about it but he still went thru the usual routine that most of us are rather familiar with.

I am an active person, a cardio freak.  In some ways i can also be considered a little hyper.  My son who has ADHD jokingly blames me for his condition.  "Ni mama la ni, mane reti duduk diam".... thats when  i come back all sweaty from zumba yet still keep pestering him to come cycle with me round the neighbourhood.

We all know the benefits of warming up.  Our muscles need to be nice & warm before we start torturing them lol.  And of course most of us turn to stretching to achieve that purpose.  Those mornings when we drag ourselves from the comfort of our beds and reluctantly prepare for some action, we vaguely remember that we have to warm up and automatically start stretching, pushing & pulling our limbs this way & that.

But its actually pretty dangerous to do so.  Especially when u've piled on the years like me and have bodies that are just not that responsive or flexible anymore.

Forget about the younger people, they somehow get away with murder lol.  Their young bodies can take whatever punishment they dish out.  But for me personally, i strongly believe that dynamic stretching is a better option for warming up as compared to static stretching. We can't just shock the muscles into action and expect them to perform.  Like an old used rubberband, more often than not it'll just snap.  The movements in a dynamic stretch would slowly bring the body into stretching mode.  Static stetching on the other hand is perfect for cooling down.  I can feel my sore muscles thanking me for it lol.

Theres a hell of a lot of debate over the benefits and effectiveness of static & dynamic stretching.  I don't want to go into that.  You can check that out with Mr. Google.  I can only say about stuff that is directly related to me and how best my body feels.

The fitness community is chockful of dedicated people but they are mostly young and are not really exposed to the specific needs & requirement of the older generation.  This puts the responsibility of  determining whats best for our bodies onto our own shoulders.  Be knowledgeable, advice cannot be swallowed whole.

So please, a little more care and awareness will go a long way. Our bodies need not be abused in the name of health & fitness.  Oh and on the subject of abuse,  please understand that NOT doing anything is also detrimental to our bodies.

Peace y'all 🤘