Getting in Shape for Gardening, and other Good Reasons.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Recently I read a "Maxine" card where this tough old lady quipped, that she felt, "a good figure is when everything droops at the same rate". After reading the card, I looked down and realized my standards for being in shape had drooped drastically over the last few years and it really was time to do something about it.

So, with a couple of friends encouraging me, I enrolled in a "Fitness Two" class in my community. "Fitness One" was at an awkward time, but I figured I could adapt to the challenges of a more advanced class, and signed right up.  I live in a 55 and up community and although I have a couple of years before I arrive at that magical age (I married up), I am constantly finding out not to underestimate the strength, endurance and flexibility of the "mature" woman.  Case in point, my new class.  

My teacher  is a gorgeous woman with an enviable figure that hasn't even thought about drooping in anyway.  Her hair is puffed and perfect before and after class.  Her make-up is impeccable and I've never seen her look anything but happy and sweat free. Besides having no traceable body fat, she has no lines on her face or even age spots (my nemesis), and brace yourself...she has a daughter my age!  

Our class consists of an hour of aerobics that include weights, stretch bands, balls, and yoga mats.  I consider the weights wonderful training for lifting heavy bags of manure and compost, and I lift those little four pound dumbbells with anticipation and fervor as I imagine them to be 50 pounds of manure  that I'm hoisting with ease and agility come spring. However, there are some moves we do in class that will only be utilized in the garden for special circumstances. Such as the move below that is probably used while weeding and one that I like to call, "Good grief that's a snake"!

The teacher executes the above pose by holding her insteps, then while keeping her knees straight, she smiles and talks about what she did over the weekend. I have a wonderful base for this (read wide bottom), but can't seem to get my legs straight even while holding my knees.  Once I make my bold two-leg-up effort, I invariably end up rolling backward with my legs in the air. I keep telling myself that I need to practice this move at home so I will be able to stay upright, but since it isn't a pose I usually incorporate into my day, I keep forgetting.

Another special circumstances pose we do is one that is obviously used to fake out pill bugs when wanting to sneak up on them. I'm assuming, if done correctly, one would be able to lull them into a false sense of security by having them think a long-lost giant family member was just curled up for a snooze while in town.  Then, when you have them totally convinced, you uncurl yourself, jump to your feet and stomp their little guts out.  Here is the pose done by our teacher and myself.

The correct method to accomplish this move is to lie down with your legs straight.  Then, oh so slowly with legs together, you bring your legs over your head and rest your feet on the mat above your head, its just that simple.  I have had some issues with this move.  The first issue is that I have a round tummy that works as a barrier that precludes the possibility of my legs moving any further than straight up in the air.  I have tried unsuccessfully to lift my bottom/hips with my hands in hope of propelling my legs forward and moving beyond my 90 degree angle.  However, I have found I am not yet strong enough to lift or even budge this problem area, so I end up looking around and marveling at about 24 mature pill bugs curled up with their feet above their head and ready to spring into action. A thing of beauty.

In some poses, the teacher works with our breathing.  On my first day of class while lying on my back with my legs up and trying to get my head to my knees, I thought her instruction to "let out all our air", was an inspired and wonderful idea, however she apparently needed to be more specific. I'm working on that one too.

The aerobic portion of our class is like tap dancing, meets, disco, meets, boxing.  I am glued to the teacher's moves, and try with everything in me to mirror what she is doing.  I have found that if I am thinking of anything else at all, I will end of shuffling around trying to keep up. So, I watch, and make approximations of the moves in hopes of actually closing in on all the steps some wonderful day.

I sweat so much during my class that my pony tail drips and my shirt sticks to me.  I bring a washcloth to blot the sweat, but I learned its important to bring a colored one since the little "vanity" make-up I apply before class is usually around my chin after the first twenty minutes.  I thought if I just applied a little foundation, and a touch of waterproof mascara to my top eyelashes...and lipstick, I could get through the class with some dignity intact.  However, waterproof mascara is not sweat proof and I usually look like a prize fighter at the end. 

After class all the ladies grab a cup of coffee and we sit around and gab for about an hour. This little ritual has become as important and beneficial to me as the exercise class. I have lived in our development for four years now and I'm meeting these women for the first time.  It is a joy to hear about their lives and as I do, I feel my life getting larger, and some of the heaviness of this last year already seems lighter. My body has a very long way to go, but I know it will wake up eventually and rise to the occasion.  We weren't meant to soldier through our lives without camaraderie and our bodies need to be strong to meet the demands of our lives. I'm finally paying attention to these areas, and I'm excited for the changes.

The picture below was taken in Kauai in 2004 and I was a year into the beginning of my "droop" period.  I'm using it as my phase one inspiration photo.