Self Conscious
Selfishness, essere egoista… not things we like to say about ourselves, I know. The photo is from about.com’s exercise pages.
If you think, however, of the icons of fame and style, it’s easy to see that one has to dedicate a lot of time and energy to get that way and to stay that way. So, okay, we are not aiming to become Angelina Jolie nor yet Jennifer Lopez or even Helen Mirren. It takes more than a diet and some exercising. But we can take a clue that these women do think that taking care of themselves is part of their job. If you are about to say something about how that time could better be spent feeding starving Africans or nursing lepers, step back a moment: almost no one is actually going to do that. Whether fat or fit, I don’t believe you are champing at the bit to go off and emulate Mother Teresa.
Some volunteer work where it is needed near you is a really good idea for getting something on your mind besides food, and it might help when you feel sorry for yourself, too. That’s not today’s subject, however. Today’s subject is self-involvement. Taking care of yourself.
Physical movement is important. Of course you can’t decide to walk outside one day and join the neighborhood football game. They don’t want you and you will hurt yourself. Depending on where your fitness level is at this moment, turn up the effort a little. If you have been vegetating through the winter —where did I get an idea that anyone might do that — start with stretching. Start in the shower. Flexibility is just about the most important thing to maintain as you age. It will keep you from sitting awkwardly, shuffling when you walk and stiffening up in your movements which telegraphs old. Stretching in the shower will allow you to progress faster without hurting anything.
Pelvis:
Before you even get out of bed, do this yoga stretch. Lying flat on the bed, and with your toes in the up position, not pointed, stretch one leg down and away from your trunk while pulling the other into your trunk. Hold a bit. Then reverse it. You will experience a warmth and free feeling in the area where your hips, pelvis and spine all meet. Just lay there and enjoy that for a few seconds. Anytime, day or night, that you experience stiffness in that area, drop to some surface and do it again. You might make new friends on the bus or the subway. It is the single best stretch I ever learned and I learned it at a bar table from Betty Marvin. Thank you, Betty!
In the shower
Neck:
Stand straight and put your hands flat on your chest just inside your shoulder bones. Slowly turn your head to the left and return it as far as you can to the right. Continue to do this for five turns in each direction. Your hands will help you to ensure that you are turning your head and not your shoulders.
Next nod all the way down and all the way back several times. Slowly. The slower you work, the better it works. My chiropractor said no to do side to side leaning stretches, but I don’t know if that was for me with a chronically injured neck, or whether it is just a bad move.
Spine:
Lean from the waist without bending your knees and let gravity slowly stretch your spine. It doesn’t matter where you start, every single day you will stretch a bit further and that’s what counts. Eventually you may be able to walk with your hands right through your legs.
Then with your arms hanging loosely at your sides, lean to the left and let gravity pull you over. Your hand will drop from around your knee to several inches lower. Every day the starting place will be a bit lower and the end point will get lower, too. I suppose there is a limit to that unless you are a Chinese acrobat, but I have never found my limit. Repeat on the other side. Remember, all this is slow and gradual.
Next, turn from your waist as far as you can without turning your head away from straight to your shoulders. Slowly do several repeats of this in each direction.
Last, raise your arm next to your head with the elbow bent. Your hand will probably be just below the nape of your neck. Use your other hand to grasp that elbow and push the arm back, back. Don’t make it hurt, just reach your limit. That too will alter as you go on.
Then dry off, get dressed and go for a walk, or if you are up to it, a jog or a run or whatever you like to do. I do other stretches as well, not in the shower. I should think there must be websites galore with stretches you can try, and unlike a lot of calisthenics or exercise programs, you are unlikely to hurt yourself with stretching if you treat it as a welcome interval that makes you feel better and you don’t try to push it too fast.
Don’t push yourself to do something a lot more vigorous than you are used to doing. If you haven’t been doing anything, do the stretching for a week or so before you start walking fast. The point is that you don’t want to end up in bed with an injury.
2 comments February 18th, 2007
