By Srianee (Bunter) Fernando Dias
When we met at our 50th Reunion, our
good friend Mahendra Gonsalkorale spoke about the importance of exercise. His favorite activity is golf, which he seems
to enjoy in various exotic locations. I
have not yet been tempted to invest the time and money to chase a small ball
over finely manicured grass, but who knows, I may try it sometime. The secret to regular exercise is finding an
activity that is enjoyable.
I have never been very athletic, only
moderately so, but I know that exercise is important, especially now. As a teenager I played some tennis and was
enthusiastic enough to play in the heat and sun during our lunch breaks at
school, arriving hot and sweaty to our classes after lunch. Later on as an adult, I took some lessons and
played in fits and starts at different times when I found friends who were on the same level, and
really enjoyed it. But, the problem with tennis is that one needs someone on
the other side of the net to return the balls.
My tennis buddies moved away, or developed arthritis and various other
ailments, and my racket retreated to the back of the closet. A few years ago I even tried playing with my
grandson, who became increasingly impatient as his tennis skills quickly
overtook mine. “You have to run for the
ball, Grandma,” was the refrain I kept hearing from the other side of the
net. (But really kid, can’t you return
the ball closer to me?)
When I finally retired from the daily
grind of work, I realized that I had to have a plan to keep moving. I enjoy walking outdoors when the weather is
agreeable. We have several beautiful
reservoirs not too far from where I live, and there are great walking trails
around them. These areas are wooded and
isolated and walking alone on those trails is not something that is recommended. To make things worse, the black bear
population in Connecticut has been steadily increasing, and it is not unusual
for walkers to encounter bears on these trails.
These are not aggressive bears, and they usually shy away when they hear
people talking or making any kind of noise.
The lone walker, however, could unexpectedly startle a bear. Friends have advised me to carry pebbles in a
can while walking alone (they were serious!) so that the bears would hear the
noise and stay away. But, unless I can find
someone to walk with me, I stay away from these great trails and just walk on
the sidewalks (boring!) along the streets.
But, I do try to make it more enjoyable by listening to my own music.
At various times in my quest for
enjoyable exercise, I’ve signed up at local gyms to use their equipment. My enthusiasm was short lived, and I stopped
going after a few months. I have to
admit that exercising next to other sweaty bodies was a bit of a turnoff. I also discovered that I was a bit of a
germaphobe and didn’t like using equipment recently vacated by someone with a
cold or who knows what else.
Several friends had been attending a
yoga studio near me and kept telling me how great it was, and I decided to try
it out. Besides, I felt that I needed a
‘framework’ to my retirement routine, because otherwise there was a danger of
the days just frittering away. For the
past year or so (except for the time spent in Sri Lanka) I have been attending
‘gentle yoga’ classes every Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The attendees are mostly women, ranging in
age from 25 to 80+, but I have also noticed a few brave men among us. The classes last about an hour and 20 minutes,
begin with meditation, deep breathing and end with relaxation. There is some chanting involved because some
of the instructors have trained in India.
I’m still learning the correct names for the poses: Warrior, Downward
Dog, Child Pose, Rag Doll, Tree Pose, etc.
Most of the exercises we do focus on stretching, improving flexibility
and balance.
Coincidentally, when I was thinking
about writing this article, the April/May issue of the AARP magazine published
an article which listed “21 Reasons for Doing Yoga After 70.”
The reasons given in the article are: Improves flexibility, increases
balance, fends off weight gain, supercharges brain, soothes stress, reduces
depression, protects your heart (reduces blood pressure and LDL), promotes more
zzz’s, eases back pain, boosts body confidence, relieves headaches, lessens
inflammation, helps breathing, slows aging, encourages exercise (getting
involved in other forms of activity), increases aerobic capacity, eases cancer
recovery, fights incontinence, improves your day (I can attest to that, the
mood is improved!), curbs neck pain and controls diabetes (decreases blood
glucose levels).
I have a long way to go before I can
hold the poses in a respectable fashion. I seem to stretch certain muscles, the
existence of which I have forgotten about, although I’m sure at some point in
our first two years of Medical School I knew their origins and insertions! I still stand very close to the wall when
instructed to stand on one leg (Tree Pose) in case I teeter and totter (which I
always do). Some of the exercises we do
are designed to ‘lubricate’ the joints.
It is a whole body and mind endeavor, something which I think I will be
able to continue doing way into the next decade.
I know that some of our Blog readers
are practicing yoga already, but I encourage those who haven’t tried it to give
it a shot. I recommend starting with the
gentle version and if something appears to be too difficult, don’t do it. You will feel the benefits very quickly. My goal is to be able to do a headstand before
I am eighty. (Just kidding!)
