Seniors Need to Learn to Play, Dance, Sing More
I just realized that my energy runs out and I have hours before bedtime. I am pushing myself to be more active, but I just realized that I need to work at finding more fun in life. I need to find more fun activities.
I played a lot of scrabble, but I am out of that phase. I cringe at learning bridge, but I may give that another consideration. I am still hoping to find an activity that I love that is also active. I am not sure that will happen.
The best activity that I have found so far is rushing around our malls. I call it “gandering about”. I like yoga and I want to learn to like dancing. Tai chi is available but somehow I think I need more freedom than that.
It is almost spring and I will do some gardening, but serious gardening; the real joy has gone out of it. Can it return, or is my body trying to tell me something?
How about you? Doe’s your body yearn for the first available seat or have you noticed a change? I am resigned to the fact that I will just be less active, but I will fight back.
Since I have less energy, I am glad that I have a cyber community and I will stay in touch, and maybe the enthusiasm and determination of others will wash over me. I hope so.
Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in Senior Health
Hello Rose, do you think maybe you are pushing yourself too hard and running out of energy too soon in the day……… I don’t feel the need in my own head that I have constantly to be searching for new activities……..you enjoy walking around the mall, its all movement, you don’t have to be punishing your body, you can do more harm than good…….if you are searching for something to do to save you becoming bored fair enough…….but activity wise I would say most of us are pretty much on the go throughout the day cleaning, shopping, washing ironing etc……walking around the supermarkets which are so huge its easy to cover some mileage……..of course we notice a change in our body strength and energy, that’s ageing damn……..listen to your body……..nice stroll around the parks will do me, its all movement and much more enjoyable than punishing exercise routines………but good luck in your search…..
Wordchums.com is worth looking at
it has similarities on the surface to scrabble. but in fact is a very rewarding variation on a theme
One gets to know ones opponents it is fun and not pressured and very addictive
The big bonus is that it is possible to have conversations with opponents if they are agreeable as one plays
A great place to spend half an hour when winding down
Nagger, I appreciate your sharing this and that is one reason I wrote the blog. Thank you for commenting. I will run and check it out asap.
I have played wordchums and also play scrabble, have become very disappointed with both in as much as thanks to modern technology we have people who love to beat the system. Through chatting to opponents I found out one can access web sites that will give you the best play for the tiles on your rack. This hardly challenges your ability in fact makes you lazy and you don’t try. Both games rely on luck of tiles allotted. I still play scrabble which I have played for many years before online cheating became available. To each his own, whatever you enjoy and it fills in many hours.
Smithbreak, I played scrabble on line and did not cheat, but there is a scrabble cheat, and I saw a word chum cheat so cheating is a problem. I would think it would be possible to find players who won’t cheat. In winter I can justify the pursuit of more quiet activities. I was out today and the cold temperature were no fun.
yes you are right one quickly learns to spot the ones
using the afore mentioned. cheeting aids and kicks them into touch
i fail to see what satisfaction they ab possiblybget out of competing like that
Starlette. You always make sense and I usually agree with what you say, but I find myself. I think I let my muscles atrophy when i sat playing scrabble for hours nd hours then there was a time that I was on SC a lot because I hid in my bedroom while I was rehabbing the rest of the house.
No good sitting still for hours on end, the muscles stiffen up………board games are ok in small doses……..but hours on end, not for me…….I would be like an ironing board and walking with wooden legs…….
Hello Rose, yes, that is one of the disadvantages of aging, running out of energy. I find that just doing things around the house now is challenging, as i have arthritis and have also had some surgeries these past years which have limited me to my activity. So, what i do is light housework, and hubby and i try to take a brisk 15 minute walk at night every other night. And, i , like you, also use my grocery shopping and mall shopping as a therapy for more walking. We shouldn’t push our bodies too much, just what we can do. That can bed just as harmful as not enough exercise. Let your body tell you what it is up to and how much energy you have, because we tend to slow down as we age. i try to take up some interests that are not as exhausting but to fill in the time. And to just relax. Computer games is one of them, and i am into Geneology, find that very rewarding to be able to go back and see who your ancestors were. Also love to research about the Titanic, interesting. Anyway, keep up your walking, let your body tell you when you have had enough. Lovely blog Rose.
awwwww…. I’ve slowed down too, and that’s ok. Sometimes I have a burst of energy – that’s when things get done. What’s the hurry anyway?? lol
Thank you Diann and I like your plan. I guess I need to listen to my body better like you say. There are days when I feel great and others where I need to push. I also have arthritis and some weather days are better than others.
2 doghouse, the bursts of energy may not be happening to me anymore. LOL. I don’t remember one but I find that if I do a lot one day, I seem to want to rest the next. “What is the hurry?”, is a question and I am not one to rush but I do want to be active enough to have a normal life as long as I can.
Rose .. worry not at all about the energy levels – they have a habit of rising and falling – my best activity I found by dancing to catchy tunes – pain diminishes and the mood goes up – for me the only liability is that the weight goes down – one day I shall sing but at the moment, after 60+ years of smoking it is not a voice I am proud of. Why am I being so critical of self as I live alone with my little dog who is very accepting. Just enjoy your days and I think you shall find each day dictates it own level of activity. Look at what you are already accomplishing and say “thank you God” –
Aija a.k.a. Diva
Rose I know just how you feel, I was stagnating a bit, and spending far too long on the internet, so I joined a gym last year, went twice a week and then three times, but found it quite boring, especially the treadmill and cycling, But a friend suggested I should try walking every day, so that’s what I try to do. I have joined a walking for health group and we meet once a week and do about 2.5 – 3 miles. I have been researching for walks around the town where I live. I can’t go far afield as I don’t have my own transport. I don’t mind solitary walking, because I listen to music or radio on my mobile. So if I’m not doing anything else I’ll go for a 3 or so mile walk each day.
If I have a real burst of energy I’ll paint my sitting and dining room walls as they really need doing. But I think I’ll wait for better weather before I start. I did my bedroom last year. And the year before I put new doors on the kitchen cupboards.
So I say do a little each day of what you fancy.
Janey
Janey, good to hear from you and you seem to have a good plan. The trick is to find something you like to do, or something that you can enjoy for the most part. I have been in and out of gyms for 40 years and I finally realized that I can do what I need to do at home and not waste any time. I do believe that 5 or 10 minutes of brisk exercise first thing in the morning is worth the effort. I also try to wake up and get going, instead of drinking coffee and playing on my computer, I am ashamed to say how long.
Janey, I may just drink an energy drink to pep me up but at this age we all have to be careful about that.
Today I did my 15 minutes then I got about 3000 steps shopping. I will try to find the right balance, Janey as you seem to have done.
Hello again Rose sorry about the restart – but something went wrong with our first connection so will rush this effort in case it happens again. Have you ever thought of joining a discussion group of some sort. My wife spends many an afternoon with U3A groups(University of the Third Age)
I believe they are worldwide and maybe they may broaden your interests somewhat without causing any additional strain.
Hope this helps Kind regards Drummer
Hi Drummer, can you give me any additional information on the discussion groups, they sound just up my street…..I’m in the UK…….or even the agendas they follow……..could be worth starting one up if I had more details about the process, ins and out, expectation etc……..
Starlette, Lucky you. Maybe I could start one here. If you start one maybe you could keep me posted. Drummer could you do a blog on U3A?
Hello Starlette U3A (University of the third Age)is, I have always thought a true Worldwide Organization, I was a member of our local one which has maybe 300 members not too sure of all the subjects covered but I do know that for example, my niece runs a course on Literature, My wife used to run one on Poetry, I am only aware of a few others including Music, What’s On Your Mind,(each person brings up they own matter to discuss) Religion – but there are many more including History
and Geneology – I do urge you to pursue your interests in locating a local group – maybe a Google Search – just spoke to my wife who assures me it is a world wide organization.
I will do a search from this end also. Good luck!
Drummer
History
Drummer, that sounds like a great idea and I will check it out and let you know. That is what we need to do. Find activities that really make us jump up and get going. Thanks for your help. I have tried some organizations, but they want too much work done. U3A sounds great.
I am sorry about your computer issues. You may need to shut down some programs or run a program that fixes things and deletes extra files and such.
There are fixes.
Drummer, I don’t think there are any U3A groups here in my city. U3A sounds like a great idea and I hope it gets here soon.
Hello Again Rose As you will see from my reply to starlette, I have done a Google search and would confirm that U3A is indeed a worldwide Organization so hopefully you should find a group somewhere near you _I HOPE!
Good Luck Drummer
Rose,
Have you considered croquet?
We have the advantage of good weather in Sydney but my UK croquet playing friends seem to be able to play fairly often.
Croquet is gentle exercise and, depending on which form of the game you play, can take up to 2 and a half hours to play. (You are not on your feet for all that time.)
The game can be very competitive or social, as you desire.
Most towns in UK have as nearby croquet club. A ‘phone call to the Secretary will probably get you an invitation to come and have a trial game. They will be able to supply you with as mallet and, probably, their only dress rules are flat soled shoes.
Give it a try – I am sure you will enjoy the game and to company.
Scotty, I played croquet many years ago and loved it. I wish we had croquet clubs here, but I have numerous parks nearby and I could organize a club. Great Idea.
Try Yahtzee, its a dice game, very addicting. There are online and mobile apps for it.
I will check it out. I forget that there are many more games than I realize on the internet. I really need a movement activity that is addictive, LOL or at least one that I enjoy somewhat.
Yes roseinbloom (54),had gout since 48,allopurinol seems to be working pretty good,but if I sit in a certain position too long ,joints get stiff,I really need to push a exercise regiment more,before its to late and things lock up,its hard,but I think your doing good —better shape than me,not saying stop ,just listen to your body,as long as your cardio and vitals are good,keep truckin !!!
Erniebuddy, it is good to hear from you, and I see that you, like me, need to push the exercise regiment. We both know it, so we both need to do what we need to do. Gout is usually a matter of diet and controlling that, but the stiff joints will improve with exercise.
I am in better shape, if I am, because, I have exercised for 40 years. When joints flair up I exercise and I do yoga which involves a lot of stretching and breathing. If you learn a few poses and do them, you may be amazed at your results.
There are gyms that are free with some insurance plans and most areas have senior centers with free exercise programs.
I am going on a group tour by bus and I am confident that I will be able to do all that this trip requires. Exercising works. We just have to do it and do the right amount and right kind for us.
Allright ,roseinbloom,im living in danavang tx,with mom (76) n pop (81) – I was doing good -at 48,working at a company , installing fire sprinkler systems,7yrs,had 70,000 in 401k ,thought I was going to 65 retirment,but on the trending machine ,pressure started radiating ,from heart area,thought I was a gonner,anyway doc said it was highblood pressure,I worked in houston ,at agoodwill -drop off point- rich neighbor hood ,tanglewood,I would go sit ,at this nice doggy park a block away,and buy lunch n I saw barbara bush,walk by with her ,secret service body guard ,inspirational ! ,gave her a salute,seen her three other times, just saying have to keep driving on ok buy buy
Erniebuddy, that is very interesting. I guess Barbara Bush is still going strong at her age.