So I'm doing yoga twice a week-once gentle yoga and once power yoga. Today I was sore from the power yoga yesterday.

I was able to park the car at home and walk to and from work late afternoon. Every little bit helps!

It is tough to do exercises if  you have COPD. Does anyone know any breathing exercisies?

Have you tried gentle yoga?-we do breathing work in it.

Do you have a physical therapist or a repiratory therapist that could give advice?

Crazyheart, yoga or pilates might help you out with that, as there is a lot of focus on the breathe.  Some meditation classes will focus on that as well.  Once you get some in-person feedback, it's something that you can easily practice at home.  Mall walking is some exercise that is a little bit easier on the lungs at this time of year!

I need to get back into pilates.  It really was helping me, but the main studio I was going to moved (not in the city) and another one I had dropped into shut down.

Chemgal-can you access the Pulse Generator?

It is in the basement of U of AH. It's open 24 hours a day and has some Pilates classes..

Call them-they do take U of A folks too.

I haven't heard of it Tabitha, I'll look into that, thanks!

CH, another idea that I have no idea about is I attended an asthma clinic when I was young.  I have no idea if COPD clinics even exist, and whether or not they would offer breathing exercises, but maybe it's something you could look into and ask your doctor about?

so, I joined a CrossFit "gym" and am doing the Introduction program which is mandatory at this box.  It is 3 weeks, Tuesday, Thurs evening, and Sat morning sessions.  The intro is comprised of warmup, learning, then WOD (work out of the day).

If you aren't aware of what CrossFit is...well, watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mlVrkiCoKkg

I am quite obese and over 50.  

I am also adjusting my diet, switching to a Paleo diet.

******

After 2 weeks, I can get up off the floor easier, climb the stairs easier, sleep better, clothes are a wee bit loose, and I feel better.  

I can do workouts that include 10 pushups, or 50 skips without dying...now, I am not keeping up, it is scaled but, I can do something...and that something is more than I could do three weeks ago

***********

The first session, I felt like I was going to vomit, in part as I did not understand appropriate food.

What I like about this session is I have not hurt myself...knock on wood...such as my back or knees.  

Why I think it is for me is that it is constantly shifting....

It makes my brain work, it doesn't allow me to outthink it...I am always adjusting, trying, learning.

It is team based....the group cheers people on..celebrating their accomplishments, encouraging them to stretch, they can do it, etc.

A regimen of constantly varied (CV), functional movements (FM)performed at high intensity (@HI) in a communal environment leads to health and fitness.

I try to walk for 30 minutes every day - but often don't.  In the summer I ride my bike a bit and go to the pool for Aquafitness.  I get sore in various places just trying to keep up with the housework!

CH - have you tried Aquafitness?  COPD patients seem to find it easier than exercise on dry land.  I heard of one person who attended regualry and had her oxygen tank floating on a little inflatable raft beside her.  What about Wiifit?  Maybe that would work to encourage you to move the muscles without getting too short of breath.  I do that occasionally too.  Doing some basic exercise with light handweights might be ok too.  I bet there is someone at your hospital's Rehab/Physical Therapy Dept who could give you some ideas. 

I give you folks credit who bike, walk regularly.  I find the solo work was just not  for me...maybe it will be once I have the routine engrained.  

Right now, that team work, gathering, class model is working as i know there will be people looking for me.

Since New Years all I have done is walk on the treadmill.  I just am not motivated to do anything else.  I haven't been back to the pool since before Christmas . . . I hope to start that again in a few weeks.  It is an effort just to keep walking to get some exercise.

The rest of you are encouraging me though :)

Crazyheart,

My mom has COPD. My wife is asthmatic. Their doctors have told them both that exercise means your heart and breathing muscles get in shape and need less oxygen or use oxygen more efficiently.

Consult your doctor, maybe they could even refer you to a program.

http://lung.ca/respDB/details-page_e.php?id=1035&type=5

My mom started by doing streching and breathing exercises and walks. She avoids sudden bursts of activity and paces herself. My mom now does Tai Chi. She has way less flare-ups of her COPD. So, pulmonary rehab helped my mom alot.

Crossfit isn't for me I guess.  Just looking at all those sweaty bodies makes me shudder.

I have COPD as well, and try to stay as active as possible.  I enjoy walking but extreme cold is hard on the lungs, so I purchased an elliptical trainer before Christmas. I really enjoy working out on it - several programs I can play with and less boring than a treadmill.   Think it is helping my breathing....seem to have more stamina.

I run the stairs in my house several times a day as well.  These days I am dog-sitting for neighbours that are away, so have to do some walking in the cold, but I bundle up.

The world is rather pretty at 11 pm. at night - stars in sky, snow-covered fields...but last night was really cold.  Dogs paws were cold so she was happy to get back inside.

Gonna try snowshoeing again and see if I have the stamina now.

Looking forward to spring and gardening.

I need to get back into yoga exercises....being a bit lazy.

The Canadian Lung Association is a place to locate COPD Clinics.  There are some in Saskatchewan, Crazyheart, but don't know if they are near where you live.

I am on the mailing list for John Hopkins Health alerts, and they have some great resources for lung ailments and COPD. 

I'll be up front I am 5'1" on a good day and weight 228 lbs - so I need to drop the better part of 100 lbs. 

I walk as much as I can but the thing with Fibromyalgia is that some days I feel top of the world and can walk for hours. Other days it hurts to even think about walking down the hall, or across the room.  And some days getting up and moving around helps when I am in pain, some days it just makes me hurt worse.  It makes following a regular exercise routine nearly impossible.

As for diet I am actually using the guidelines they gave my sister-in-law when she got gestational diabetes - since we're about the same height and I weigh close to what she did when she got pregnant I can use the same carb-protein-fat  serving counts as she did. I've been at it for about 4 and a half weeks and have lost 3 lbs so it seems to be helping, albeit slowly.  I do find it is a lot easier to count carbs than calories.

My biggest issue diet wise is that when I am in pain all I want to eat are sweets and high-carb comfort foods.

Rowan-It seems like what you are doing is working. Good job and keep it up!

I'm not suprised that being in pain makes you crave sweets. Sugar is actually a pian releiver. There are medical studies on this. I remeber discussing it with my daughters doctor as she was getting a bunch of tests-a few years ago now.

sweet foods tend to give you a nice endorphin boost - not actually a helpful physiological response when one is both in chronic pain and trying to get in shape and improve diet.

I have found myself feeling more energetic without those carbs and sugar hits, which I was relying on.  

by increasing my protein and vegie intake, it seems that i have longer energy  from a good base.

rowan, would something like sweet potato yams (baked) mixed with applesauce give you that same sweet kick?

It might. Sadly both of those items are high carb. Also I am not a fan of Yam or Sweet Potato.

actually, yam (*aka sweet potatoes) aren't  as bad as some other stuff so a good switch up from other foods...such as potatoes, rice, pasta, but I understand if you are cutting out almost all carbs....I use them as my carb.

sorry, i editted that post a few times, I recognize I don't know enough about nutrition to give you advice....i can only share what i am doing..and learning, asking.  I defer to your knowledge of self.

45 minutes a day, 5 days a week (or that's what I aim for) on stationary bike or treadmill (we have both at home). Currently the bike because my foot has a sore spot that is irritated by the treadmill. Seeing a podiatrist about it tomorrow so maybe can get that fixed and get back to the treadmill (though the bike is in front of the main TV so I can watch Netflix or stuff off our PVR while I exercise).

Diet-wise, I've eased off on carbs and tried to boost fruit and veggies (which are "good" carbs). I'm type 2 diabetic but my glucose isn't that high and it's controllable by diet, exercise and weight-loss for now.

Mendalla

I'm feeling vituous - I walked for 30 minutes in an indoor environment.  I drove to get there though - it is cold outside!

I got out my bike mat, wind trainer and road bike and am now set up downstairs where I can view TV. I've ridden twice now.

I wonder where I put my bike computer so I can measure distance and speed. Hmmmm-propbably somewhere in the boxes.

Meanwhile I rode 45 minutes last night and my leg muscles noticed it!

After all the chitchat on "Room for All" not surprised you started this thread Tabitha.  Thanks.  Your opening words are very inviting and sensitive.  And they became even moreso to me as I read all the entries of not only what people are doing but also the challenges that they face daily.

I am blessed with good health.  Well, besides being somewhat overweight that is.  I wish I'd made the lifestyle changes 20 years ago when I thought I'd always be a slim and athletic person who didn't have to worry about that donut or a double whopper.  NOT!  Here I am now, paying for the careless attitudes towards self care back then. 

But I'm smarter now... not always strong in the willpower department, but smarter about eating well vs fast/fried foods and exercise (walking, treadmill and pickle ball 2ce a week) instead of talking about exercise (which is all I used to do).  It's great to hear what others are doing just in case I consider adding to my present activities.  "CHEERS" to you all!

Good morning all!  A lot of challenges, encouragements, well wishes, helpful comments in the above posts.

I am off to walk on my treadmill - I am aiming for 50 minutes today.  I have probably exercised 4-5 days a week since Christmas, but only on my treadmill.  I want to mix things up a bit.  I just don't feel very motivated and energetic so I am doing what I can force myself to do.

I quit taking my Crestor before Christmas and have drastically adapted my diet to a more healthy one.  No DC since New Years Eve and a diet reduced in "bad" carbs (one slice of bread a day).  A lot of good protein and fruits and vegetables.  No McDonalds since the beginning of December either.  Since the beginning of December I have lost close to 7 pounds.  I am within 3 pounds of where I was two years ago when I lost 22 pounds.  I am comfortable where I am in my weight (just slightly below my "do not go above" weight that I have set for myself).

kay, I hear you about not having someone to exercise with.  I feel the same way.  I used to have a walking buddy years ago but that changed when she went to work.  I never found someone after that.

Well, I got my 50 minutes in on the treadmill . . . walked with my best buds - Adele, Whitney Houston, Adam Lambert, Cher, Joss Stone - okay - they sang, I walked !

Hope everyone else meets their activity goals and healthy choices for today.  It does really feel good when we accomplish something, doesn't it?

Pinga,

Call this the pet peeve of a woman with an interest in botany. Yams are not the same as Sweet Potatoes.  Sweet potatoes and "true yams" are totally different vegetables from two separate botanical families. Sweet potatoes, which originated in the tropics of Peru and Equador, are roots from the species Ipomoea batatas and belong to the Morning Glory family (Convolvulaceae). True yams, which originated in Africa, are from the Dioscorea genus (Dioscoreaceae family).  If you put a cut open yam beside a cut open sweet potato so both the skin and inside of the veg is showing you can see that they look very different.  There are also differences in taste, texture and nutritional value.   Ok small rant done now.

Back to the topic of healthy eating a such I thought I'd share a couple recipies

Overnight Oatmeal

1/3 Cup Large Flake Rolled Oats

1 tsp Hemp seed

1 tsp Chia seed

1 Tbsp almond butter (or peanut butter for those without peanut allergies)

1/2  to 3/4 Cup almond milk [plain or vanilla flavor]  - (depends on how runny you want the end product to be)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and let sit 3-4 hours or overnight in the fridge.

You can also add 1 Tbsp slivered almonds and / or add 2 tsp cocoa powder and use chocolate almond milk.

Eat it right out of the fridge or warm it up for 30 seconds or so in the microwave to take the chill off.   You have to use Large Flake oats or you end up with mush.

Brussles Sprouts with Red Wine Vinegar

Boil about 1 or 1 1/2 Cups sprouts until you can put a fork through them easily.

Cut sprouts in half.

Brown in a non stick pan with about 1 Tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add  a little less than 1/4 C red wine vinegar at end of cooking and let it steam off (pan has to be fairly hot).

Rowan, lol, your issue is with the USDA, and the North American culture.

http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/vegetables/sweet-potatoes/

Though they are different, our common patterns/language means that they are used interchangeably, albeit incorrectly.

Rowan,

I want to acknowledge your being "up front" as you called it. We can tend to hide numbers we do not like or that we think others won't. Nobody can see anyone here and yet you were willing to be seen.  It takes a good dose of "up front" to say "Hey, this is where I am" (not WHO I am)

Thanks from the 5'5ish and 225 me.

SG - I've never been what one would call vain. It dosen't actually bother me to have people know my height and weight.  Although I have been told I don't look nearly as heavy as I am.  I've actually wondered if that  lack of vanity about my appearnace hasn't contributed to my weight gain over the years.  I've never been mad to be a thin rail with the height-of-fashion clothing and an up-to-the-minute-mode hair style like some people I've met.  I tend to dress as a bit of a frump left to my own devices. Baggy sweaters and ankle length skirts that wouldn't have looked far out of place in about 1880.

Beloved, good on you.  Don't know how you do 50 minutes on the treadmill, even with all those great tunes!  I'm good for 15 - 20 minutes and then I'm just bored.  OK, could be lack of discipline and commitment! 

But like I wrote on the weight loss thread, I need to find ways to make my daily exercise FUN or I won't stick with it.  Like the game of pickle ball which I'm loving.  But on Monday I forgot for a moment that I'm no longer a teenager LOL  Went chasing after a ball that was long and just in bounds, and as I reached my feet went out from under me and I went down HARD!  Felt the outside of my upper left thigh and thought "That bruise will be a doozy."  On Tuesday I realized how hard I'd gone down.  My leg, my left arm from elbow up into my shoulder, and the left side of my neck were all VERY sore.  But ok now :)

Also on the weight loss thread, I asked for more info about the WiiFit program.  Thinking it might be another fun way to add fitness to my life.  Anybody?

cheers all!

oops. Missed yoga class today because I got distracted. I'll do my best to do something tomorrow.

Just got back from my CrossFit program.  It is the 2nd last lesson of the intro.

We did two rounds of warmups:  10 squats, 10 pass-thrus, 10 thrusters, 5 burpees, 25skips, two different stretches.

Then did learning of the wall ball & pullups

Then did the WOD:  4 repeats of 5 pullups, 10 wallballs, 25 skips.  i modify the pullups to using rings but my feet on the floor, and wallballs to use a light weight.

anyhow, i was totally done at the end, but, wow, did it feel good!

I get really bored, really quickly on a treadmill too everinjeans.  Mine faces the corner of the basement too which is another downer!  I'd rather go for a walk around a field or down a forest path or around a park or - well almost anywhere else.

hence, why i like crossfit, changes every session...way cool.  (ok, i do sound a bit focussed, don't I)

I have tried a few sites out, and thought I would share this with you.

I am using the site: www.supertracker.usda.gov

It has the ability to record food, weight, and activity.

You can set goals

It gives you nutrition charts, reports, etc.

I am honest in that I am not following their food, as they are based on the standard grains, and I am intentionally way low on carbs.

For those interested, I am going to try to catch up with some posts in my blog.  been a bit since I did anything there, but, it helps me to process, and hopefully will help me see what I am doing as time progresses.

http://pingadohtor.wordpress.com/

(start reading at 'out of control" and then come forward in time.

Namana and I are living in First Baptist Place, a nonprofit senior's retirement apartment building here in Regina.

Residents here tend to go with the flow and pay little attention to more healthy living.

However we are not without support because we belong to the YMCA, which is just around the corner from our apartment block. We are very fortunate to have the Y and also interaction  with staff and clients of the Y closeby. 

Hey Pinga, I noticed you have cut the DC too - if I can do it, you can do it .

I've never been to a Y, naman - what sort of things are available there?

Naman, thanks for joining this thread. 

What kind of work are you doing.

(thanks beloved)

Apparently it isn't only women who decide to exercise.  This little video shows some guys competing in a Senior OLympics event - Synchronised Swimming!!   I really liked their willingness to get out there and 'look foolish' as theys shared some fun.

I am really enjoying watching this thread.

I am in my mid-20s, 5'4" and have just reached my goal weight of 130 lbs.  I have never been overweight except by pop-culture standards.  I took ballet and yoga as a child/teen/young adult which set me up to appreciate what my body can do.  When I moved away from my home province, I gained some weight as my eating and exercising habits changed. 

In the last few years I participated in a Learn to Run program (and began slowly running 5Ks), joined GoodLife (aiming for three group exercise classes per week), and have recently started training to become a fitness instructor!

I wish all of you the best of luck (and health) in reaching your goals.  May it continue to be fun, sweaty, and satisfying!

The Y just a few doors down the street from here opens at 5:30am on weekdays and quite a few working people drop in for a workout on their way to work. Quite a few of us seniors are also early risers and are also there before 6:00am. My regular yoga class is at 6:15 am on Thrusdays. I am the only senior there and do an easier version of the stretches than the others do. There are also fitness classes specfiically for seniors on Mon. Wed. and Fri. afternoons and also senior's aquasize classes. The Y closes at 10:00 pm but there are hardly any seniors there after supper.

Hi Hilary!  Glad you're reading with interest.  Oh to be in MY mid 20s again!  :)  And to be smart about diet and exercise and what happens for us women with age and stage (er, menopause that is... not to wish it on YOU any too soon).  So stay smart, stay healthy, and good on you for being a fitness instructor.  Wishing you well.

a question for Pinga-what are your plans for working out when you are away next week?

You've made such good progress!

Currently I'm concentrating on advanced sleeping. Once I master it I will seek to conquer hibernation.

Rich blessings.

---

MC jae

Instead of tunes, I listened to podcasts in my treadmill days (now that my foot is better, I may get back on the thing). Kept my mind occupied. CBC's Tapestry, Homebrewed Christianity (look it up), a couple audio fiction podcasts, stuff like that.

Mendalla

Tabitha, funny you should ask.

I had a program that I was going to do on Tuesday night & Thursday night when I was there...in the hotel.  

The hotel also has a wonderful breakfast, so I can do paleo for breakfast, no issue.

Work has a great cafeteria, so paleo for lunch wont' be an issue due to fabulous salad bar.

Dinner, I think I will pick up a few things and have in hotel to reduce probability of slip -- or, when go out, focus on meat/veggies, it is doable.

But, I decided that I needed to find something similair in Milwaukee....so found a crossfit box near my work and on the way to the hotel.  I contacted them, explained the situation and he said "no problem" -- they have lots of coaches, experience with people of all levels and is happy that I dont' want to not be doing it for a week...so....that should help!

Naman, do you think there will be more seniors there in the evening in the summer? I find my Dad doesn't like to go out after dark much -- it is a vision thing...would rather do things during the dya when less busy, and when he could drive ...for a while he only drove during the day