Today I feel 90% back to health. This week I finished chiropractic treatment from our accident in October, my foot is now almost fully healed and other than a very mild cough at night the flu/cold is gone. Good health is priceless. You can have all the money in the world but if you don't have your health you have nothing.
This becomes even more apparent the older you get. When you are young you feel invincible. You abuse your body in ways it wasn't meant to be abused. You break something, no problem - you heal fast. The older you get the harder it is to recuperate.
Hubby and I are talking more and more about slowing the company down. He will turn 57 in June and I will turn 50. At him turning 60 we likely will be slowing it right down, at most to part-time. It's the business travel and the live training that is hardest on him - when he gets to stay home he is much happier. I will probably get a part-time job at that point, doing something I like just to get out of the house.
Mom is 76. It takes her much longer to heal now. She had a bone scan this month and her arthritis is fully engulfing her body - she has fibromyalgia as well as me. She needs a much longer course of physio and chiro treatment to heal from our accident. Since cannabis was legalized in Canada in October she was finally willing to look at that for treatment of inflammation, pain and sleeping as she suffers from insomnia just as I do. It seems to be helping her. She wasn't willing to look into medical cannabis prior to legalization due to the stigma but as soon as it was legalized she ordered some oil from our Government online shop. I am sure there are a league of seniors out there just like her - not wanting to break the law but now willing to try it and finding it helping them. She ingests it in the form of brownies or cookies on an as-needed basis, not daily. After a couple of months use she find it helps quite a lot more than all the previous pills her Dr had prescribed. Regardless of what anyone says, cannabis works and it isn't just stoners who were happy when it was legalized. Mom can be a bit of a homebody - so I try and get her out as much as I can in order to help her maintain her health. That sometimes means doing EVERY SINGLE AISLE of the grocery store or Costco in crappy weather just to get her some exercise.
In 2017 I walked over 10,000 steps every single day - right up until last Spring when I had round 1 of tendonitis in my foot. Then my car accident in October and round 2 of tendonitis in my foot again in early December.
Mid-way through our vacation I suddenly realized my foot no longer hurt. I was walking over 10,000 steps and not in pain! My Dr says likely the heat helped along with topical and laser treatment. Now that I am back to feeling better I have changed my goals. With the help of my fitbit (Charge HR if you are wondering the model) my goal now is to expend 2000 calories a day. That is the usual amount of calories I previously hit when I walked 10,000 steps a day. This means instead of pushing it too much on my feet I can do other things like lift weights, ride a bike, sit-ups, jumping jacks - maybe even yoga (I've never tried it) to get there. So starting yesterday I intend to do 2000 calories a day. Wish me luck!
What an interesting way to track your fitness activity level. I've been incorporating little yoga moves/positions each morning, even when sick this week-it sure helps not feel sore from laying around doing little. I had high hopes for a healthier February and then cold and flu had to visit. Maybe by the weekend I can still turn things around. You are so right about good health-can't buy it can you?
ReplyDeleteI might try yoga, hate the idea of a class but maybe on my own (always hated group health activities, bad memories of Physical Education)
DeleteHe's only 57! I turned 57 today... I still feel like 40! :-)
ReplyDelete57 is super young - it's just that he's been going full tilt with his previous job and then the last 7 years with the company. He's tired is all. He'd like more time for working out
DeleteNever is good health more appreciated than when one is feeling sick. Warm weather definitely helped with my tendonitis which I suffered a lot with in Pennsylvania. It's been much better since I moved south. Good luck with your new FitBit goals!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I didn't ever realize heat might have something to do with the healing part. Weird lol.
DeleteSo glad you’re doing better. Wishing more improvement for your mother. Chronic pain is a terrible thing. Whatever helps!
ReplyDeleteShe is basically a teetotaler, never tried recreational drugs in her life but I convinced her to consider trying it once it was legalized - she has a good friend with a chronic pain disease who told her the same thing, glad she decided to.
DeleteGood plans! You and hubby are still young, but well aware of the danger of stress from work. Stress is nr.1 killer. Nr.2 is inadequate, high calorie nutrition.
ReplyDelete2000 calories is much for women. Even if physical activitiy burns some of the calories, it's just a bonus one cannot rely on it for long.
Nutrition and physical activity are two differnt entities with two different goals.
Anyway, Good Luck with your plans!
I truly don't intend to eat a high calorie diet, I actually would like to lose weight - but I enjoy eating so the easiest way to stay healthy and not gain weight is to try and be active and burn around 2000 calories a day. I usually eat around 1500 calories a day or lower. We do try and eat well by making meals at home most of the time.
DeleteGood for your Mon, she deserves to be pain free. Hopefully she can decrease some of her meds. This blog is full of info:) If we don't have our health our lives would be so different. It is up to each of to find what works for us. However I don't think jumping jacks would be easy on you feet! Good luck with the new program.
ReplyDeleteShe has definitely decreased some of the meds. Jumping jacks are only a very short term thing for some cardio action lol
DeleteLove yoga! After 50 I started doing that in addition to walking. It’s easier on my joints. Glad you are doing so well!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I am thinking of trying it out. There are a ton of yoga instructors out here, definitely an island thing.
DeleteShelagh and I are both in our 60s now and feeling the pain. We bought a rowing machine and that seems to be doing some good. Cannibis oil is on our horizon, we'll be looking into that...
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the calorie burning!
I do recommend edible if you try it, that way you can figure out the exact amount you need for whatever ails you by eating more/less. I hope soon they will come out with some creams/ointments for arthritis on the outside too
DeleteMy dad always said, "getting old ain't for sissies". He lived to the ripe age of 98 so he knew what he was talking about.
ReplyDeleteGood for your mom, I often think all those pills are over prescribed. Natural remedies make more sense but even those can be over prescribed.
Glad your foot is feeling better, good luck with your calorie goals...and your plans for the next few years of pre-retirement. :)
Yeah, I am pretty sure hubby will never fully retire or wait until 80 to do so but slowing down is good. Right now unless we go away it is difficult to do anything for fun, always the business
DeleteSo glad to hear you are feeling better! It does take so much longer to bounce back these days. When I see all those fitness equipment adds for bikes, treadmills, etc., I have to remind myself that they show younger people because that sort of punishment just isn't going to work on bodies our age. Keep on walking!
ReplyDeleteReal life is that most young people don't work out, it is the middle agers and seniors!
DeleteI'm glad both you and your mom are doing better, and you're spot on that good health is everything. I had great plans for "fitness" when I retired and was doing pretty good until I had to dash off to Wales twice for my brother's illness and subsequent funeral. I have to admit I feel a bit deflated coming back so I guess it will take time to get into any kind of groove. And I know what you mean about being tired. I found that my not being able to tackle my horrendous daily commute actually hit quite suddenly. One day I could do it and the next I couldn't. One of the ladies at my sewing group (who has a much shorter commute than I did) said one day that she just wanted to burst into tears when she got stuck in a traffic jam recently!! I knew exactly how she felt. So good for you and your hubbie if you do decide to slow down - I'm sure you'll love it!
ReplyDeleteOur old commutes where part of the reason why we became self employed and moved - we wasted so much bloody time doing that. Winter is tough to get motivated to do anything - I've had to shovel snow the last several days or it would have been difficult to do my 2000 calorie burn. I am ready for Spring!
DeleteI know several people who have benefited from using cannabis for pain especially. So far I am managing my pain with exercise, ibuprofin and tumeric and ginger but if needed I would turn to cannabis, no problem. Happy to hear about your lack of food pain - if the heat truly helped it then you need to seriously think about a move to Mexico :)
ReplyDeleteEither move or at least visit every 3 months, right? Lol
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