For the past three years, my 77-year young Mom has had fitness fever and it has paid her big health dividends.
Mom began her fitness journey with me as her backseat driver coach by joining a gym. She lifted weights, swam and briskly walked on the treadmill. She also changed old eating behaviors, and managed her food serving sizes and carbohydrates consumption. With hard work and patience, she lost 20 pounds and no longer needed prescription medicine for high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
Fast forward to the present - she still no longer takes prescription medicine for diabetes but her medical doctor has instructed her to resume a low-dosage of blood pressure and cholesterol medicine. I've seen her lab reports and believe she doesn't need the medicine but I'm not her medical doctor.
A couple weeks ago I challenged her to raise her fitness bar by doing bodyweight squats and demonstrated how to do them. It's a tough exercise for anyone, and it was very tough for Mom as she tried to do a single repetition with her hands holding on a chair for balance and support. I gave her a prescription to do them for the next 30 days, suggesting that she perform 10 sets of a single repetition, concentrating on good form and holding the bottom position briefly before returning to a standing starting position.
Yesterday I asked her how she was doing with the squat assignment. She replied that she's doing them but that they are still difficult. She also shared that some Dr. Oz character who was on the Opray Winfrey Show talked about how good squatting is, and that she now believes me. I needed Dr. Oz to "seal the deal".
I told Mom to continue with the squat work and guaranteed her that by New Years Day she would be thanking me for her newfound flexibility, functionality and strength. I'll continue to check in on her effort, and give her words of encouragement by shouting out "keep squatting Mom".
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum
Mom began her fitness journey with me as her backseat driver coach by joining a gym. She lifted weights, swam and briskly walked on the treadmill. She also changed old eating behaviors, and managed her food serving sizes and carbohydrates consumption. With hard work and patience, she lost 20 pounds and no longer needed prescription medicine for high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes.
Fast forward to the present - she still no longer takes prescription medicine for diabetes but her medical doctor has instructed her to resume a low-dosage of blood pressure and cholesterol medicine. I've seen her lab reports and believe she doesn't need the medicine but I'm not her medical doctor.
A couple weeks ago I challenged her to raise her fitness bar by doing bodyweight squats and demonstrated how to do them. It's a tough exercise for anyone, and it was very tough for Mom as she tried to do a single repetition with her hands holding on a chair for balance and support. I gave her a prescription to do them for the next 30 days, suggesting that she perform 10 sets of a single repetition, concentrating on good form and holding the bottom position briefly before returning to a standing starting position.
Yesterday I asked her how she was doing with the squat assignment. She replied that she's doing them but that they are still difficult. She also shared that some Dr. Oz character who was on the Opray Winfrey Show talked about how good squatting is, and that she now believes me. I needed Dr. Oz to "seal the deal".
I told Mom to continue with the squat work and guaranteed her that by New Years Day she would be thanking me for her newfound flexibility, functionality and strength. I'll continue to check in on her effort, and give her words of encouragement by shouting out "keep squatting Mom".
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum
4 comments:
Hey, that's great that you're helping your mom. What a good son you are :)
It sounds like your family has always been active and fit.
Take care,
Donna
(I'm gonna go do some squats now.)
I tried to get my mom to start exercising and used anecdotes like the one you gave of your mom. It didn't work. She admitted she should and it would help but she just didn't want to.
You have a great family. That is better than financial riches. You are blessed. Thanks for being a blessing.
Hi Donna, Charles and Brian and thanks for stopping by.
Let's walk the earth as apostles of fitness and envangelize the squat to the elderly - it really is a fountain of youth.
Have a great weekend!
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