Tag: fitness

Posted in fitness, Life

The green kettlebell

Posted on by William Douthwaite

So I’m just walking down the street with the big dog, as I so often do, and spy a green kettlebell sitting in someone’s driveway.

Okay, someone is clearly in the middle of a MetCon (metabolic conditioning) workout where someone repeatedly runs and does kettlebell swings and other exercises for time.

The strange thing is, there’s no “someone” around. The garage door is closed. I don’t see anyone running. The twenty-pound kettlebell is just parked there in front of the street.

If you’ve ever read my stuff, you know I like to speculate about things like this.

Maybe it rolled out of a delivery truck. The driver pulled out too quickly and the box broke apart when it hit the street, stranding the green kettlebell.

Perhaps it escaped the garage gym. We’ve got a collection of dumbbells and kettlebells in our garage. This one could have tumbled past the cars and almost to the street.

Someone may have thrown the kettlebell out of the garage in anger or frustration. Some workouts can be infuriating. Why not take it out on your equipment?

Someone was cleaning house. Garages get cluttered with equipment no one uses. Enough is enough, and some of it goes to the curb.

Could it be a signal?

  • Leave the package in the driveway with green kettlebell. Or else.
  • Where’s the meeting? Look for the green kettlebell.
  • Meet me by the green kettlebell.
  • If the kettlebell’s out, don’t come knocking.

“Let’s paint the garage!” And now the green kettlebell clashes with the new purple walls. “It’s gotta go.”

“It didn’t look like this in the picture.” Few things do. Whoever ordered it expected a different color. Ship it back? Too heavy. Just leave it on the curb. Someone will take it.

“You spilled green paint all over my kettlebell?” I’m going to kill you!

I have never, ever seen a kettlebell in a driveway. Only in a gym or in my garage.

Posted in fitness, Life

Fun Ways to Enjoy Exercise: My Journey

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash
Daily writing prompt
What’s the most fun way to exercise?
View all responses

I’ve done a lot of different exercising over the past fifty years. I played informal sports in my neighborhood growing up and some intramural sports in college. I didn’t truly get into fitness until my final year of college, when I decided to start running.

Some hate to run. I loved it. I liked competing with myself, to run farther or faster each time. The self-competiton made it fun. Along with the music that ran through my head in time with my footsteps. I never listened to music while I ran. My creative brain sprang to life about a mile into those long distance runs.

When I supplemented my running with weightlifting, I again loved the competitive nature of exercising. I carefully journaled everything, always pursuing another rep or a few more pounds.

I still find exercise fun. My feet hurt so I don’t do much running. I do a lot of walking with the dogs and a lot of bodyweight exercise routines in the garage. Every exercise is a variation of the basic movements of pulling, pushing, squatting, and standing. I love learning new movements from fitness professionals who produce exercise videos.

For me, the moving, breathing, pacing, and exertion are fun. It’s me against me, or the elements, or the two dogs on a leash. From the dog-smiles on their faces, I know they’re having fun, too.

Posted in fitness, neighbor

Bonus benefits from walking around the block

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Vlad B on Unsplash

As the dogs and I finished up the first of two daily walks, I thought to myself, “I’ll bet some of my neighbors have never walked around the block.”

I’ve always had dogs that needed lots of of exercise. If we don’t want them constantly zooming around the house, we’ve got to put in the miles. I’ll bet we walk every street in our section of the community at least once a week.

But some have never even been around the block. They back out of the garage in the morning and drive off down the street. When they return home, they pause at the mailbox to collect all the daily junk, and pull back into the garage. Once the garage door lowers, that’s it. They’re in for the night. It’s kind of sad.

Some are out there no matter what. There’s Mr. McNulty, one of the few neighbors who has lived here longer than us. He has to use a walker, but he gets in his steps going up and down the street. The man across the street from him is blind. He’s out there once a week sweeping his white cane in front of him. I see many children walking to and from school bus stops in the mornings and evenings. I often pass Morris who always wears a bright orange shirt on his walks.

What do you miss if you never go for a walk?

  • There’s another wave of new roof installations this spring. I had no idea there were so many colors and color combinations of shingles! Some homeowners have waited a year to get new roofs after a tornado passed through. For this, I’m thankful.
  • There’s a new collection of used furniture out on the curb. A lot of folks have been getting rid of old sofas and chairs. I find this entertaining. When I see the fabric colors and patterns, I can’t imagine why anyone would buy something like that for their home!
  • It’s easy to tell who has the good parties. Vacant lots are littered with small liquor bottles. Tuesday’s recycling bins overflow with beer cans.
  • Rental properties have turned over this spring, so I’ve met the new neighbors. I find comfort in knowing which cars belong in our neighborhood – and which ones don’t. When neighbors watch out for each other, it’s a free extra layer of security.

Fresh air? Vitamin D? Get your steps in today? Pet a few dogs? Walking around the block is filled with good stuff.

Posted in lessons, Life

Listing ended: better luck next time

Posted on by William Douthwaite
I could have had this watch for $3.25

I’ve begun doing some running again after a few years off. My feet still ache a little, but not enough to keep me away from a few miles here and there. I started carrying my iPhone with me so the Map My Run app could figure out the time and distance of each run around neighborhood streets.

I don’t especially like carrying anything on a run, so I thought I’d look into getting a GPS-equipped running watch. I had a bare-bones Garmin Forerunner 10 a decade ago. It did the job, but had lousy battery life. Some of the latest model Garmin watches can set you back more than a thousand dollars. Surely I can find something in-between on eBay.

And I did. Someone was offering a Garmin triathlon sports watch. Had some wear and tear, but fully waterproof and had nice battery life. It had one bid for $2.25 with five days to go. It was tested, working, included a charger, and could be returned for a refund if I wanted to send it back. What did I have to lose? I bid $3.25, with automatic increases up to $10.

With a day to go, I was the highest bidder at $10. But you know how that goes. Bidders lurk until the last minute to out bid you. No problem. There were lots of other watches for sale.

Then I got an alert that the auction had been cancelled. The watch was no longer for sale. A note said, “The item has been lost or broken.” Oops. But, an hour later, it was listed again, with the same $2.25 bid and a buy now option of $39.95.

The seller either didn’t know what he or she was doing, or they weren’t getting the bids they anticipated. Or, they were messing around and broke the watch. Or the dog chewed it up. Or they started working out again. Or they lost it. Who knows?

I know I’ll find a bargain. I’ll bet there are as many unused running watches out there as there are unused gym memberships. I come across new listings every day.

This happened to me once before, when I was bidding on a vintage Monopoly game. The price was low, I was the winning bidder, but the seller suddenly ended the auction. I found another one in minutes. Their loss.

Posted in fitness, Stories

Crossover Symmetry: a great product and great customer service

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I have long been a fan of Crossover Symmetry. I remember seeing a whole set on the wall at a CrossFit gym. I pulled on a few bands now and then, but didn’t really understand the concept. Until my shoulders began to hurt.

I didn’t realize how bad my shoulder mobility was until I started doing handstands, overhead squats, and kipping pull-ups. Things I had always done without a thought became painful. Like pushing open the car door with my arm. Or reaching back to apply sunblock to the back of my neck.

I became a student of shoulder mobility stretches and exercises. I watched every YouTube video I could find. I ran through routines with stretchy bands and PVC pipes before every workout. These helped, but never really solved the problem.

Then I stumbled upon a promotion for Crossover Symmetry. I actually read the chart on the wall and started doing those motions before my workouts. It was magic. My shoulders felt so much better. I loved them so much I bought my own set for my garage gym. With a set of middle-of-the-road (neither beginner nor elite athlete) purple and red bands on the concrete block wall I was ready to go. I did both sides of the instruction card almost every day, working on my shoulders and scapula. My pain disappeared and my mobility improved.

That was four years ago. About a week ago, I was running through the exercises when I felt a “pop” from one of the purple bands. Uh-oh. Something had come loose inside the fabric sleeve, and it was no longer stretchy.

I got online and checked for any warranty. The warranty is excellent, but it’s only for two years. Okay, maybe I can repair it. I wondered what was inside of those well-made sleeves. I carefully sliced one open with a knife and found a stretchy tube inside that had simply snapped. The rest of the tube was cracked and dried, too. I wondered if I could get a replacement part. Everything else, from the handle to the fabic sleeves to the carabiner hangers was like new. So maybe.

I found my email receipt from four years ago, and sent my question to customer support at Crossover Symmetry. “Can I repair the purple band, or do I need to purchase a replacement?” I was pretty sure I knew the answer, but it never hurts to ask.

A few days later, I got a reply. “I’m happy to hear that you’re a fan. I would be happy to send you a new pair of purples. My gift for spreading the word about Crossover Symmetry.” I never expected such a gracious reply! And this post is my part of the deal.

I’m back in business. It only takes ten minutes to run through the shoulder and scapula motions. The routine works through all the different planes of motion in my shoulders. What a difference! I can workout pain free and my mobility is much better. I am no longer doing CrossFit, but warming up with Crossover Symmetry has served me well through a variety of streaming Bodi (formerly known as Beachbody) workouts.

Crossover Symmetry has systems for backs, knees, hips, and core, too. I haven’t tried them, but I’ll bet they are just a good as the products for shoulders. Customer service? Awesome! Thanks.

Posted in Life

Alone

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Samuel Girven on Unsplash

I was the only one at the gym the other day.

Members have access to this gym twenty-four hours a day. It’s not a big gym. It probably doesn’t have too many members. It’s a hole-in-the-wall kind of place in a strip mall next to a Cuban restaurant. But it’s well-equipped, close to my house, and extremely affordable.

It was a Thursday, outside of my usual Monday-Wednesday-Friday routine. On those days I join about a dozen other people to workout.

But this day, three others were there at 9 am. Fifteen minutes later, they left, and I was alone. The front door was locked, 90’s metal music filled the air, and I still had a few sets of bench presses to go. It felt weird. Not creepy, just unusual.

So what’s better? A room full of people to work around? Having to wait your turn at a bench? Or having the place to yourself, with no one watching you, judging you, or waiting for you to get done at a station?

It really doesn’t matter. Most people just do their own thing. They’re not watching. They’re focused on doing their own thing. I probably do more observing than most.

And maybe that’s why it felt so strange. There was no one to notice, no one to watch.

How would you feel if you were the only one at the gym?

Posted in Stories

The people in workout videos never change.

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash

Most of my home fitness exercise is done with streaming Beachbody workouts. I’ve done Insanity, Insanity: Asylum 1 and 2, P90X, P90X3, and most recently, p90X2. When you stick with a program for several months, you get to know the people working out in the video. I know everyone’s names and what they do.

Just recently I thought, “These folks never change.” They never improve. They always use the same weights and do the same number of reps. On the other hand, the more workouts I do, the better I get. I increase my reps and my weights and improve. I’ve never actually gotten better than any of the cast. But I am closing in on them.

So in one sense, these are real people doing real exercises on a set somewhere. But they aren’t really there. They aren’t really exercising with me. I’m in a room of people who exist in a different dimension. You know what? It’s like they are living in eternity! They never age, never die, never get injured, never get sad, and never get sick. They are always enthusiastic and laughing. In their world, I don’t exist. They don’t know my name. They don’t know I’m exercising along with them. Our existences never intersect.

Except on the internet. I can search for and usually find them on social media. I learn about their real lives. Guess what? They really do exist! They have full names and families and friends and careers. They’ve aged since they made their exercise video. Just like me.

Posted in Stories

I’m only falling ten inches!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

P90X2 is not a new workout program. But it’s new for me. Tony Horton and Beachbody released it ten years ago. I did P90X. I followed up with P90X3, which involves all thirty minute workouts. Just recently I decided to go back and see what P90X2 was all about. It’s been a good, challenging workout, combining strength and balance on an inflated stability ball and a variety of medicine balls.

Some workouts are push ups or side arm balances on two med balls. Otheres are pushups on four med balls. Tricep dips or mountain climbers on three med balls. Plyo pushups onto a ball or two or three. Some of these skills I have mastered. For others I roll onto the floor. Each day I am able to do a few more. When my wife comments, “You’re going to kill yourself out there (in the garage),” my reply is, “I’m only falling ten inches!”

You’ve got to find something which will challenge you in new ways. These workouts are doing just that for me.

Posted in Stories

This fitness journey just keeps going

Posted on by William Douthwaite

In 2018, my wife heard about a Crossfit box in our town and decided to try it out. She liked it and got me to try a class, too. The coaches were nice, the workouts were challenging and different than I had done before, and the other folks there were also fitness and wellness minded. So I did my onramp initiation and made Crossfit my main fitness regimen.

Though I could do pushups and pull-ups and run, I had a lot to learn about box jumps, double-unders, handstands and olympic lifting. The warmup stretching was good, I learned some lifting and rope-climbing skills, the metcons were challenging, and as you can see, I picked up a lot of vocabulary words, too. Since I made it to the box three or four times a week, I gained some fitness I hadn’t had before and made a lot of new friends.

I also picked up a few injuries. In my quest to do kipping Crossfit pull-ups, my shoulders got sorer and sorer. I had more and more trouble doing pushups and benchpress was nearly impossible. I was really afraid that I had injured my rotator cuffs, so I became a student of shoulder stretches and rehab. These provided some relief, but then in my zeal to get back up on the pull-up bar, I felt and heard something near my left elbow pop. That same day I was spotting a friend doing a back squat, when the bar rolled off his back and jerked that same arm down at an awkward angle, rupturing the bicep.

An orthopedic doctor took a look at my arm and said, “It’s mostly cosmetic. Once it heals up you can do what you want.” I decided I would change what I wanted to do. I think my muscles could handle the workouts, but my 62 year-old joints struggled. Plus, we started feeling the impact of the monthly fees, much more than we were used to paying. I know, I know, everyone said it was worth it, but we were trying to scale back our expenses rather than increase them up as I began to consider retirement.

So we decided to ramp up our home workout capabilities in the garage. We invested in a Concept-2 rower, a Rogue air bike, a box to jump on, some Crossover Symmetry cables, and a barbell with a few weights. I hung a pull-up bar from the ceiling, we put down some thick stable mats on the floor, put a TV up on the wall for streaming or DVD workouts, and got a big garage fan. We already had a set of adjustable weight Bowflex dumbbells. I was able to find lots of CrossFit-esque workouts online that we could do at home, and Beachbody Live provided all of our favorite workouts and a lot of newer ones, too.

We had all that in place when COVID hit, gyms closed and everyone was quarantining. We were set, with all kinds of workout possibilities in place. Over the past year, we’ve added jump ropes, some elastic bands, a couple of kettlebells, some med balls and an inflatable stability ball.

And we got our Peloton back, too. My wife saw one a few years ago and we ordered one so she could do some spinning bike workouts at home. We had lent it to our kids last year, but they stopped using it, so we brought it back home and I gave it a try. I like having this option for a non-impact cardio option a few times a week.

I am currently working through Beachbody’s P90X2 workouts with Tony Horton. Plain old pushups and pullups and situps get new life with seemingly infinite variations, even balancing on med balls and stability balls. I never get injured doing body weight exercises, so this is definitely my speed as I close in on my sixty-fourth birthday.

So our main philosophy right now is to keep on moving. Do something each day to work on strength, flexibility, mobility or endurance. I’m pretty much a first-thing-in-the-morning workout kind of guy, while my wife likes the afternoon hours.

Having written three entries about fitness and two about running, I realize we’ve spent a lot of time exercising in one form or another. It’s part of the fabric of our lives. When we start doing more camping, we’ll have to figure out the best way to do this on the road. Our journey will continue.