get me off my ass!

[miss fortune]

I used to be very active- running, hiking and rock climbing, with a little raquetball thrown in for when the weather was horrible- the exercize made me happy and motivated me to get off my ass and do the things that I needed to get done for the day and such.

Then I broke my kneecap chasing down my purse and my knee never healed back perfectly (probably my own damned fault because I hated my crutches and insisted on going hiking while wearing a leg immobilizer ) and most of my previous activities are a bit hampered- running loses its thrill when you run with a noticable limp, and rock climbing becomes dangerous when your knee occasionally locks up... and walking up anything steeper than a wheelchair ramp causes the knee to click at me in a disturbing way.

Since I lost these things I've kind of lost most of my mojo

Anyone have any suggestions for something FUN to do for exercize that I can actually DO? Remember- I have the attention span of a gnat!

 

[prplchknz]

do what I do, be lazy accept your gonna die of a heart attack or a stroke at a younger age, then drink and be merry.

 

[wolfy]

It's amusing to imagine your purse running away. Perhaps you could chase gnats. Indoor rock climbing? Bench Press Competitions? Swimming?

 

[miss fortune]

I strike terror into the hearts of purse theives!

Problem? There's no real variety in gyms in the hood in which I live... used to have a membership to a nice one before I moved, where I'd spend an hour on the wall and then soak in the hot tub, but those options don't exist here, so since moving I've mostly taken joy in things I can do outside or in the house... I learned that after getting called "a classy ho" by a guy at the gym... as a complement

and I've tried that approach ms chickenz... it's driving me insane

 

[disregard]

I can't stand gyms either.

I take my dogs to the beach every day and run with them.
It's fun and easy.

Do you have a park or a route you could walk? I sometimes power walk my dogs to a park nearby and go around three times and then go home.

 

[Zoom]

Hey Whatever,

Do you want activities for the specific purpose of working out, or simply fun ways to be more active in general? That distinction would greatly alter my suggestions.

 

[miss fortune]

a beach would be nice... closest that we have here at the moment is about a foot of snow (I watched the dog nearly get lost in it this morning!)

there's a nice path down by the canal, but that may have to wait for the snow to clear off first as well, since I remember it not getting plowed very promptly last year The dog would be delighted, of course!

 

[disregard]

I almost forgot about the 4 years I lived in a climate that changes!

Oh boy..

Pilates classes! Those KILL!

 

[miss fortune]

Hey Whatever,

Do you want activities for the specific purpose of working out, or simply fun ways to be more active in general? That distinction would greatly alter my suggestions.

I crave the feeling of my muscles actually getting to DO something, oddly enough

I'm not particularly interested in exercize for the purpose of weight loss, as I tend to maintain the same weight even if I become a lazy bum, but I just miss the sensation of getting to move I guess!

sorry for the disorganized answer

 

[avolkiteshvara]

I crave the feeling of my muscles actually getting to DO something, oddly enough

Kegels?

i had a patellar tendon tear that took me out for 3.5 years. I got really depressed because I couldn't even go for a walk without pain. Try some yoga or swimming.

 

[miss fortune]

^ lol... most of my exercize at the moment has been provided by a set of these

have considered taking up yoga again (I used to do an hour of it a day ) might help bring back some knee flexibility! There's really very little worse than losing the ability to walk painlessly... makes you feel rather gimpish

 

[Halla74]

I used to be very active- running, hiking and rock climbing, with a little raquetball thrown in for when the weather was horrible- the exercize made me happy and motivated me to get off my ass and do the things that I needed to get done for the day and such.

I totally understand this.

Then I broke my kneecap chasing down my purse and my knee never healed back perfectly (probably my own damned fault because I hated my crutches and insisted on going hiking while wearing a leg immobilizer ) and most of my previous activities are a bit hampered- running loses its thrill when you run with a noticable limp, and rock climbing becomes dangerous when your knee occasionally locks up... and walking up anything steeper than a wheelchair ramp causes the knee to click at me in a disturbing way.

How much follow up have you had with your orthopedist? Did you get surgery on your knee? I am no doctor, but I've had a multitude of operations on my shoulders. I pampered mine like a baby after each procedure, and did EXACTLY as the doctor ordered, and still have some issues here and there, but for the most part I am OK. In your case, if it were me, I would want to know what is going on with that knee. I would want another x-ray and/or MRI, preferably an MRI. If it has healed all fucked up, you need to know exactly how it is fucked up, and exactly what to do and NOT to do. Otherwise, you risk damaging it even further and doing more extensive permanent damage.

Maybe they can reset the knee? Maybe the can do surgery on it to fix it up? If so, I would at least consider that, as fixing it now while you are young, is alot easier than dealing with it later, when it is more damaged and you have less healing power.

Since I lost these things I've kind of lost most of my mojo

You've still got it, it's just sleeping! YOUR MOJO-> :zzz:

Anyone have any suggestions for something FUN to do for exercize that I can actually DO? Remember- I have the attention span of a gnat!

Seems to me like you need to develop your competitive side. Bodybuilding is fun to me, but I assure you I am competing with myself and my peers during my enjoyment of pumping iron. To me, it's fun to do tricep work until my arms feel like they are going to fall off and they are huge and swollen with blood as I stagger toward the water fountain. To me, it's great if I do squats so fierociously that I end up puking in the parking lot after my workout. It's a mind set. I don't know how to explain it except for wackjob examples like that.

Also, it seems like you might enjoy achieving fitness based goals, such as hiking a big ass mountain, than you would being able to do X many repetitions with Y amount of weight, or running a mile in Z minutes.

If that is the case, what about cycling? I get a great workout on the exercise bikes at the gym. Plug that in to some hardcore tasks like chopping wood, or landscaping, or shoveling snow, or building a stone wall as part of a yard project and you're a little more even, and still not blowing your knee out. What about swimming? If your shoulders are in good shape then swim away, young mermaid! Simply incorporating wrist weights and ankle weights into routine tasks will help you burn some calories. Finally, go to a cardio kickboxing class. I did one once, and I was drenched form head to toe in sweat.

Thoughts?

 

[Kingfisher]

swimming is great exercise, if you enjoy it.
if you are going to swim, backstroke and front crawl would be the best. they are easier on your knee. with the front crawl (some people call it freestyle) your leg movement should be coming from your hip, not your knee.

definitely stay away from the breaststroke, it has movement that would be very hard on your knee.

 

[miss fortune]

I need to get it checked out, but my insurance went with my job This is also on the list of goals The bone didn't set quite properly because the insurance company at the time chose the non-surgical option for it...

I'm embarassed to admit it, but I can't swim... I've even taken swimming lessons and still really suck at swimming! I think the whole hatred of having my head underwater doesn't help I AM the queen of snow shoveling though... which reminds me that the driveway has it coming, again! I'll have to check out some things involving measurable goals, since aiming for something has a definite appeal to it (one thing I loved about running and rock climbing- you always knew where you were headed!)

Oddly, the thing I miss most is that feeling of freedom for a second when you've hit the perfect stride in running, when you stretch out your legs and get your rhythm down perfect... I hope to be able to do that again!

 

[Halla74]

I need to get it checked out, but my insurance went with my job This is also on the list of goals The bone didn't set quite properly because the insurance company at the time chose the non-surgical option for it...

Of course they did, it was cheaper for them. Fucking scumbags.

I'm embarassed to admit it, but I can't swim... I've even taken swimming lessons and still really suck at swimming!

I swim like a concrete block filled with lead. Just use SCUBA equipment!

Oddly, the thing I miss most is that feeling of freedom for a second when you've hit the perfect stride in running, when you stretch out your legs and get your rhythm down perfect... I hope to be able to do that again!

You will be able to do that again, but your knee needs to be diagnosed, fixed, and properly rehabilitated. Until then though, you must concoct an intermediary plan. Just keep your mind open, be flexible, be happy for what you do have, and keep trying different things, just for the sake of not being stagnant and resentful. Good luck, kiddo!

-Halla

 

[Kingfisher]

I'm embarassed to admit it, but I can't swim... I've even taken swimming lessons and still really suck at swimming! I think the whole hatred of having my head underwater doesn't help

i was about to say that backstroke keeps your head out of the water and is really easy for breathing, but then i saw that you said: "one thing I loved about running and rock climbing- you always knew where you were headed!"
with backstroke swimming you literally can't see where you are headed!

Oddly, the thing I miss most is that feeling of freedom for a second when you've hit the perfect stride in running, when you stretch out your legs and get your rhythm down perfect... I hope to be able to do that again!

that is what i love about swimming, the rhythm.
but if it's not appealing, then for sure don't force it!

 

[tinkerbell]

Ice sakting is OK on the knees I think... so long as you have balance - good for thighs

 

[JAVO]

Many backpackers use a pair of trekking poles which takes some strain off the knees and increases stability in case the knee locks up. You could try these out with two sticks, broomsticks, or old ski poles. I had a cheap pair from Walmart I used for a while to try them out. I'm not sure if I like them or not.

You could try mountain biking. It's like hiking with two wheels!

I wonder if wrapping your knee a certain way would help?

 

[miss fortune]

I have a pair of cross country ski poles, and was just reading something on Scandanavians enjoying hiking with walking poles, which apparently works out the upper body as well...

I've tried wrapping it- I was an athletic trainer in high school so I know how- but it didn't do much

I've tried ice skating, but ended up with a bruised ass, which hurt I tried to do a grand leap of some sort, which didn't work out all that well!

I checked out places to swim around here, but for a one month pass it's over $50 and I'm rather cheap I always ended up using a water jogging belt when I did the pool thing after breaking my foot in the middle of track season!

Definitley look forward to getting it fixed eventually so that no rock face will be safe again!

 

[Geoff]

a beach would be nice... closest that we have here at the moment is about a foot of snow (I watched the dog nearly get lost in it this morning!)

there's a nice path down by the canal, but that may have to wait for the snow to clear off first as well, since I remember it not getting plowed very promptly last year The dog would be delighted, of course!

It's a nice path, especially when all the spring flowers come out and the trees blossom.