blamebrampton | Serious/Less serious

Serious/Less serious

1. Bloody hell, Colorado! It's horrifying watching coverage of the fires sweeping through – thank goodness there has been minimal loss of life so far. Those conditions sound simply horrific, and all those homes and habitat lost is just heartbreaking. I have friends in the area who are out helping with relief efforts and, just as when such things happen here, the one single positive is the way that so many people have worked together to help each other. But still, I feel reasonably certain no one needed that much character built.

2. Ladies, please take better care of your health! I've had another dear friend fall in a heap due to lack of focus on her body as a biological construct, and it's pissing me off as much as it's upsetting me.

As women, we seem encouraged to spend more time worrying about the aesthetics of our bodies than about their functionality. Which is bullshit. Fitness is so important, and it's just not emphasised (unlike diet and thinness, which is apparently the raison d'etre of women's existence), which is stupid, because exercise is the number one thing that you can do to improve your health right away and continuously thereafter. And you don't need to be putting in a massive effort, simple things like leaving the car at home and walking, taking the stairs rather than the lift or escalator, and getting off the bus a stop early all add up.

My friend is thin, and so has been telling herself she is fit. But when we recently ran for a bus, she could only manage about 10 steps and then I had to sprint ahead and hold it for her, convincing the driver to take pity on the middle-aged and out of shape through a combination of blarney and a shameless abuse of cleavage. When she got on the bus, she was puffing away, and I expressed concern at her lack of fitness.

She pointed out that my arse is three sizes larger than it was when we met, which is true – I started off with a teeny arse, but put on weight after I shattered my foot, and then more later on when the tendonitis got bad. Indeed, my arse has been even larger than it is at the moment. But I tensed my glutes, grabbed her hand, and demonstrated that most of that arse is muscle, which is why I can run fast despite buggered legs. I mentioned my friend Emma, who is a size 18 and runs marathons. And then there is that girl I don't know at the gym who is basically built like a brick shithouse, but strong and fast and flexible and fit. All of us able to out-run, out-ride, out-swim, out-lift, out everything except out-size-six her. She rolled her eyes and told me I sounded like a zealot (I poked out my tongue and said she started it, because I am such a successful adult.)

And now she is looking at possible surgery and a lifetime of medication and her doctor is saying 'You need to make significant lifestyle changes' and I don't work at the same publishing house anymore, so I can't go for a run or ride with her at lunch and she is younger than me. And if even a year ago she had said 'You know, I don't need to drive everywhere', it could probably have been avoided, given there was nothing congenitally wrong.

So if you have good basic mobility and no pressing health issues, see if you can run for a bus without losing your breath. Or walk briskly up a steep hill or a flight or two of steps. And if you find it hard, then just start to incorporate a bit more physical effort into your days. You'll feel better, you'll look better, you will physically be better and it's pretty damn good for your mental health, too. Because our bodies can turn on us enough without us encouraging them!

3. To end on a lighter note – most of you will be aware that I have a passion for cycling, which wages war with living in Sydney, one of the worst cities in the world to ride a bike in (though slightly better than it used to be). Riding my Lady Bike deals with some of my cycling needs, though she is big and heavy, so 10km is a long ride on her. My new pub bike is good for local jaunts, but far too crap for anything more, so there is a gap in my life where road riding used to be.

I have been filling this with spin classes of late, which are fun, and even have had to buy new cycling nix as those saddles are murder on one's nether regions. The instructors are hilarious, with one relaxed and encouraging, one spiritual and super-focused, and one ex-Olympian who basically treats us as though we are training at a velodrome, sometimes shouting incomprehensible instructions that I suspect were meant for a Kierin team. I love them all.

Olympian surpassed himself on Wednesday, he had a regimen that had us standing on the pedals at near-top gear for long stretches, interspersed with seated power climbs and continuous add-ons of gear until we literally maxed out. It was hard work. At the end of one track, we all took a bit of recovery time at lower gear, and as soon as he caught his breath and had a drink, he looked out at us and said, 'You're tired, yes? Heart pumping and breathing hard? Legs a bit jelly? That was eight minutes. Think about the riders in the Tour de France, they have to do that for hours on end, day after day. No wonder they're all juicing!'

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This post was a great reminder to me. I've slipped in the fitness area over the last months and was telling myself it was okay because the scales haven't moved. You're right, though, that has nothing to do with being fit.Thanks for the inspiration!

I concur - after 15 years of desk based jobs I can definitely feel my back getting stiffer and at 40 I really am too young for that.
One of the most fab things I've come across are these podcasts from the NHS.I have never, ever been a runner (I was always the slowest in school and have hated running ever since) but this really got me started. I am so proud that I can now run for 30 mins without collapsing - not a lot compared to most of my friends but from struggling to run for 1 minute it's a huge achievement. And it's free and great to do in the British summer (which currently is much like a Sydney winter)

http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx

Excercise does not necessarily make you thinner - I gained two pounds during my yoga challenge last summer but looked much better due to better posture - and hopefully a little bit more muscle tone (I absolutely believe muscle weighs more than fat, please don't tell me otherwise :) )

To me it was a real pleasure (apart from the fact that I feel really sorry for your friend) to read this post because I could do so without a guilty conscience at all. :D

After Easter I started excercising again after a long period without and I know have four regular one hour workouts a week. I won't hide the fact that this has to do with weight loss as well, but the health issues were certainly a part of pushing me into action.

I hope your friend gets better soon.

Just a gentle reminder that sometimes being a woman is all the predisposition we need. Genetics and the spontaneous conception of twins (eg. I didn't expect this AT ALL, nor what it might do to me) is what did my heart in. Up until then, I was teaching aerobics. But indeed, sometimes we do bring things on ourselves.

And I love your purely justified use of cleavage. Sometimes there are benefits amidst all the rubbish.

Also...where are my socks? Will I have them in time for the winter:)

Wow. Just. Wow. I've been looking for a motivator beyond looking fabulous and feeling good and knowing that it's GOOD FOR YOU, but having a real example of what could actually go WRONG is a bigger motivator than I thought it would be.

I hope your friend is all right!

(Last time I rode my bicycle I kept singing Queen. It was maybe a problem.)

She pointed out that my arse is three sizes larger than it was when we met, which is true – I started off with a teeny arse, but put on weight after I shattered my foot, and then more later on when the tendonitis got bad. Indeed, my arse has been even larger than it is at the moment. But I tensed my glutes, grabbed her hand, and demonstrated that most of that arse is muscle, which is why I can run fast despite buggered legs. I mentioned my friend Emma, who is a size 18 and runs marathons. And then there is that girl I don't know at the gym who is basically built like a brick shithouse, but strong and fast and flexible and fit. All of us able to out-run, out-ride, out-swim, out-lift, out everything except out-size-six her. She rolled her eyes and told me I sounded like a zealot (I poked out my tongue and said she started it, because I am such a successful adult.)

My adoration knows no bounds, Brammers. Genuinely.

Thank you for this. I believe this all to be true--and aim to live by it--and I am surrounded by insane, starving people. It's nice to hear from the fitness first underground. I constantly get in trouble with my GP for my weight and I can walk 3 miles in 90 degrees with little problem and lift an ungodly amount of cat litter. I also have great lab values, so she's had to back off.

Also, hello, brains need fat. Without fat, you have no neural sheaths. Jus' sayin'

I loved watching the spin classes when I able to go to the gym regularly. They look like fun and hard work.

Oh, you cycle so I can ask you questions! I'm new to cycling at the gym and I've noticed that I pedal a lot harder with my right leg than my left leg. Do you switch it up sometimes? It was a weird sensation to force myself to focus on using my left leg (it got tired so much faster).

The other thing that many people assume is that weight loss= good. I'm fairly fit, and not overweight, but have had several episodes of high stress and mental health issues where I haven't eaten much for a week. And every time people have commented on how I've lost weight as though it is a good thing! Losing weight because you didn't eat because you were doing suicide watch for a relative does not in any way equal healthy, but in many people's minds overweight= not healthy, skinny or losing weight= healthy. And they are so wrong....

It's true... you get to middle age, and many of us just imagine we're as fit as we ever were. And we're not. I get my main exercise now chasing after my twins. And lifting them - I swear my son must be about 35 lbs now, and he constantly asks me to pick him up and throw him on the couch (that doesn't sound very nice written down, but he really does want to be tossed). Then there are the times I have to carry both of them. Needless to say my back is in good shape and my biceps look great. However, I need to work on aerobic exercise and stamina since weightlifting is much of what I do.

Glad to hear you are in good shape! I fear I could not handle an entire spin class at this point.

And you don't need to be putting in a massive effort, simple things like leaving the car at home and walking, taking the stairs rather than the lift or escalator, and getting off the bus a stop early all add up.

I would note that large portions of the year some of these things are actively ungood for me because pollen and/or otherwise crappy air. I used to walk and bike places a lot, but ever since the great asthma debacle of 2002, I just plain cannot count on being able to get back home in one piece, so I don't try.

*argues repeatedly with insurance company about ways in which they like to humiliate me because I refuse to create circumstances under which I will turn blue, which means sometimes I am not exercising "enough" for a person whose ~~bullshit formula~~ BMI is what mine is (I do in fact maintain (and pay for) a gym membership which I do use when I can breathe; this is apparently not good enough* The reason they can get away with that is the prevailing attitude that it's EASY to just walk further etc. They have to be reminded oh, every 4-6 months, why that's so often off the table for me even though they have my frigging health records.

What I'm saying is, yeah, sure, there are lots of ways that are easy for many people to choose to get more seconds of exercise in a day. However, when it's framed as, this is easy for anyone, that can be another way in which privilege shows, you know? And believe me, I know it wasn't your intent to make anyone feel like a freak for her limitations, but the cumulative effect, well.

The last sentence made me laugh out loud!

I'm sorry about your friend, and you are SO SO right. I've always been fairly slim, but have not always been fit. I am not fit right now (stress, sickness, lazieness), but 10 minutes of basic exercises mean no pain killer for my back. How great is that, just 10 minutes each day and not to need a pain killer!!!

When I say I'm not fit I guess I'm still fitter than some others, just beacuse I live under the roof of a 4 story building without a lift (old building - when we got company we can always judge who regularly clims stairs and who doesn't) and I do everything by bike. You'd out-drive me at once, but riding my bike for all those little things around the city is a good, healthy basis.

The woman who opened my eyes to the 'not' equation of slim=fit was my best friend. That woman was never and will never be thin, she's not built that way. What she is, is super fit. She's stronger and faster and just everything '-er' than everybody else I know. She's got the black belt in Karate. You don't want to cross her ;-)

It's so easy to let physical fitness slip, just a few days of 'resting' can undo months of work. I hope your friend starts moving more

thanks for this. xo

I think I read all the threads but I still don't understand why your friend needs to have surgery and meds all her life? Unless it is obviously the heart and I didn't get it.

You've been and are so active that it never really works for me when you list yourself as "just doing a little bit to be fit but as lazy and overweight as y*all".

I don't know how to increase my lung capacity. I can't really fill them well, I think.

I thought spin glasses where those where you twirl around and around ... I'm sure in some TV show it was what the women did ...

We've both just started to get back into moving more again. We were getting out before Christmas but then it caused my flare that I'm still struggling with pain wise.
My fatigue is at a decent level (comparatively) because I'm finally sleeping better with the melatonin and the doctor put me back on the morphine patch so the pain is more bearable.

Ruth's anxiety and agoraphobia is getting bad again so we need to make an effort to get outside more.
We've decided to start alternating a walk to the post office to collect the mail with a kundalini yoga dvd.
Will see how I go for a couple of weeks before we decide to take the dogs with us or go further afield.

The only exercise we have been getting daily has been getting the wood up for the fire. My arms are definitely stronger in winter.

I'm really not fit at all (though I'm so, so much better than I have been in the last 10 years but that's nothing to do with exercising) but my cholesterol is good, my glucose tolerance is fine and my blood pressure is too low. We eat really well though we should probably cut portion sizes a bit.

That said I haven't been smaller than a 16 since I hit puberty, even when I was walking 8km every night and swimming 2km a few times a week. The pain and fatigue were around then but nowhere near as bad.

Amen, sister. Keep poking us with the Digital Finger of Fitness, plz.
I've been spending much more time walking around Manhattan the last couple of years, and even though I haven't lost weight, I've gained muscle and stamina. The last two times I took the 7 train to my friend's apartment, the escalator from the deep platform was out (of course the downward one was working), and I had to climb six flights straight up. NOT GOOD TIMES my friends. Especially since both days were the hottest of the heat waves we've had recently. I climbed those mother effing stairs, and I was winded, but I didn't die. My thighs complained, but were secretly pleased at themselves finding themselves rock hard and shapely for a while after. I had a horrible thought: that maybe I ought to OPT to climb those stairs every time. *SHUDDERS* My butt votes yes, my thighs say no. We shall see. Depends on how much luggage I'm carrying.

XOXO

Every time I bike, I think of you. Can't run any more...well, okay, I can. I can run for about 30 minutes. More than that, and, although lungs, legs, etc., feel fine, the feet...oh, the feet. The pain and the blisters and the horribleness. I've always said that after dancers, runners have the worst feet of anyone. You can pick us out of a lineup, honestly.

So my beach cruiser and I, we go out a lot.

I'm glad you posted this, because although I feel like I am relatively fit, I'm not particularly thin. And although I'm within 10 pounds of my pre-baby weight, it's just not distributed the same as it used to be(ah, the lament of age and gravity). So I just keep chugging, so that I can fend off the heart disease and the diabetes and all of that. I also find that when I'm more active, I'm less depressed, have more energy, and get more done. It's nice to know that there are others out there who feel like I do - that we were thin in days of yore, and although we're as fit or fitter now than we used to me, the shape just isn't the same.

(And then there are people like my dad, who's in his upper 60s and can positively wipe the floor with pretty much anyone, although he claims he's slowing down. Yeah, right, Mr. I-just-biked-40-miles-yesterday-what'd-you-do?)

Wow! This was very inspiring. Great post! *slinks away in guilt*

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