Tai Chi … during the lockdown my husband expressed an interest in learning Tai Chi. There are a 108 moves in the form I do and all he wanted was to learn the sequence, leaving the principles and correct way of doing the moves for later. Okay - not ideal but hey. Over 5 months on we have just got to the end of the set and are now focusing on doing things right for maximum benefit.
He works from home, 8+ hours a day at his desk. His Chronic low-level back pain has now gone. Through teaching him (we do Tai Chi in the garden at midnight, first thing in the morning, during his lunch break …) I have really reaped the benefits too.
I do need to walk more but it’s been so hot in Texas. I have friends tell me to get up early and go walk but mornings are always slow for me, as you all know. I feel better after a couple of hours to get moving. By then it’s already 95 degrees F. The evenings are cooler but you have to walk fast or the mosquitoes Get you!!
I’m hoping fall and winter will be better.
Yes I walk my labrador too. It’s great for the brain as well. Couldn’t wear headphones whilst doing it though, nature is far more exciting than what would come out of anything through headphones.
Haha, that’s it! Doctors do recommend it for arthritic conditions, well, for a fair few conditions in fact.
Don’t want to exaggerate the benefits but I am impressed by the apparent results of doing Tai Chi so often. I still feel lousy a lot of the time to be honest, but I am getting increasingly limber … I think those joints are getting a lot of support and ‘inner massage’.
Most of the time my exercise is making sure I go out/leave the house most days. I live right in the heart of the city, and so I try not to do my shopping once a week, but just buy enough for a couple of days at a time so I HAVE to go even if I don’t want to - otherwise I have no milk for tea!
That said, during the first part of this year I found that my arms had got very weak, and I found that they would shake or tremor very easily once they had to do anything. So, I started off with a tin of potatoes in each hand and started “lifting” those just while I was waiting for the kettle to boil etc. And then I got little 500g weights, and progressed from there to about 3kg, which is about as far as I’m going as I don’t fancy looking like Arnie. But I’m surprised I’ve kept it up - and again, it’s only for five minutes a day, but it has made a difference. Not only do I now have pimple-sized biceps, my arms down shake as soon as I pick up something up!
I’ve also got one of those little pedal things that you put on the floor and “cycle.” But I find that makes my knees worse rather than better, and so stopped.
