Wednesday 30 May 2007

Body and brain training

It goes like this, reaching ones mid-forties and I'm doing a job I love but is sedentary and heck, I don't even have to travel anywhere to do it. Compared to where I was once upon a time, this is an extremely privileged life. No longer the single parent working hard to support a home and two young children; no more walking from the top of Ladbroke Grove to the then, new and huge Tesco at Shepherds Bush and returning with the pram laden with shopping provisions until the next trip, with young daughter having to walk, baby tucked in with the softer items, and carrier bags hanging all round the pram like some overladen monthly train crossing the Indian sub-continent. All in all, I did a lot of moving around in those days. Much more than I realised.

With a car license brings that incredible supreme feeling of driving oneself to the supermarket and then opening the boot and loading up the heaviest possible items without any second thought. Indeed, life has changed beyond belief.

Now grown daughter has recently left the family fold which I have found painful but that is a whole 'nother story. Which perhaps has added to my navel contemplation of late (late meaning the last year or so!).

With sluggish body and thickening waist I feel my brain is thickening too. But just like Gok's programme How to look good naked with the bevvy of ordinary women worrying about perceived problems, perhaps it is just me that thinks I'm thick. Or out of shape or bulging in places.

However, it is a matter of fact that I have little stamina and can't do anything for too long before I need to wimp off to the chaise longue. Then it seems watching too many of the TV shopping channels opens one to a unknown world of delights that would turn us in to gloriously hard tummied, blonde, tall, beach babes of California. And that's just the men. I didn't realise there was a whole world besides QVC and again that's a whole 'nother story.

One item I have purchased, second hand from Ebay, from a person quite near to me so it meant very low price and collecting it myself, is an air walker rather like the one above. I didn't quite bargain on having to slug it across the estate to the car park but I was DETERMINED as I propped it over my small shoulders and tried to weave a straight line to the car.


That was just over a week ago. A day or two after the purchase, Mr Doris encouraged me into another buying frenzy of something I had wanted and I suppose even he thought there was only so many times I could play solitaire or jaw breaker on our hand held satnav gizmo whilst I did my usual lounging on the chaise. All that exercise was very tiring don't you know!

So I am now the very proud owner of an outrageously pink Nintendo DS Lite together with Dr Kawashima's Brain Training. I even ditched the car and walked into town to make the said purchase: my virtue was at an all time high that day! Anyone who knows me, know I would normally opt for a more functional and less girly colour such as Black or White but something seems to have gripped me. All this Gok watching and I'm going all girly it seems. By the Saturday Dr Kawashima's Brain Training wasn't enough and I walked into town again and acquired two more brain games. The first is still the constant best but Big Brain Academy gets most use. Strange that. And then a review of those different brain games is a whole 'nother story.

This morning I have managed to do 12 minutes and 22 seconds in one go on the air walker. This is a lot for me and an achievement. Whilst I am not knackered, like I was in the first days, I had to come and sit down here writing this whilst my blood pulsed through my body and it calmed down. Just yesterday morning as I dressed in my apparently matching underwear, I almost thought "cor! not bad" but didn't quite parade downstairs to show off to Mr Doris. There has to be a limit I guess and I've a way to go yet but it sure feels good to have started.

PS. Dear blogger friends, please forgive me for not visiting or even replying to your messages here. I love hearing from you and think of you all at times ♥ ♥ ♥


Original Comments:

Steg said...
Air-walking? Brain training? Babe, you need to mellow out a little.
Seriously though, it's good to know you're taking care of yourself.
Monday, June 04, 2007 8:56:00 AM


Doris said...
:-)
Wednesday, June 06, 2007 5:53:00 PM

jane said...
I think that airwalker is called a Gazelle here. I've never tried one though.

That pink Nintendo is so cool. Well, it looks cool! I'm wondering what the stylus is for though. Does it play Mario Bros.? I only like that & Tetris.

Hey, our 3rd anniversary is coming up!!
Thursday, June 07, 2007 8:51:00 AM


Doris said...
We have shopping TV adverts for the Gazelle here. I think the gazelle is better than mine and what I would have liked but this one is a good substitute at a fraction of the price.

The stylus is instead of using button controls - the right hand screen (if you are right handed!) is a touch screen which is great and gets away from the kiddy gaming technology which I am no good at!

3rd anniversary?! Really! Wow. So much has happened in that time.... I should check my old blog records as I don't remember any dates.

Hugs :-)
Friday, June 08, 2007 12:42:00 PM


Ally said...
I think it's the stamina thing that is the main issue rather than the waist-line issue. Although that's important for self-image, of course!
Saturday, June 09, 2007 4:11:00 PM

2 comments:

maria said...

Hello Doris,

Glad you started exercice too.
It's not easy, I'm trying myself to get used to Nordic Walking.

Have you heard of it in your neck of the woods?

Marie

Doris said...

Hi Maria

Nordic Walking: you mean real live walking out in the great outdoors? With sticks? Great idea, and we have some wonderful countryside to do it in but this one has no impact and I don't have to leave the TV! I don't get the fresh air and I think the TV is actually quite draining so I encourage you to keep up the Nordic style. :-)

But why does one have to be taught Nordic Walking .... I am googling to try and find out!

Thanks for popping by :-)