Icy streets are bad :-(

On Monday I had my last day at the gym before I go on a holiday,- I meant to go there today also but the ice on the streets spoiled it for me.

The streets are full of thick ice, dangerous to walk on. I went for a walk with my dog yesterday, they had put sand on the ice so I felt pretty safe,- but suddenly I slipped and fell on my forehead ! I didn't breake anything, but I got a big blue bump on my forehead, my glasses got marks, and I think something happened with my neck. The main thing is that nothing was broken!

Today the bump is almost gone, but now my eyes are purple :-(

Beauty or the beast? Well, I am looking foreward to go on holiday in a warm place without snow and ice now :-) And there was no workout today because of my headache and ache in the whole body.

The day at the gym on Monday was like this:
Treadmill: 15 min 11 and 12! % increase 5 and 5,5 km in speed,- so more speed and more % than earlier :-)
Roing: level 9
Back extention: 10 x 3, 47 kg
Pulldown: 10 x 3, 30 kg
Seated leg press: 10 x 3, 75 kg (still manageing this!)
Torso rotation: 10 x 3, 25 kg
Balance
Squats: 20
Lunges: 20 on each leg
Pectoral fly/rear detoid: 10 x 3, 5 kg (not any weight because it is an excercise for my posture)

My physiotherapist say I do not have to do any workout while on holiday because I do so well,- but I will be walking a lot and maybe do some of the excercises I can do without the gym devices ;-)

I hope you all have a safe time,- without too much pain and without ice and snow :-) 
I do not have internet in the appartement I shall rent so next chapter on this blog will be some time during Christmas :-)  Maybe I will have a give away then,- would you like that?

I think this will be good :-)

Only massage today

Today I only got massage from the physioterapist,- mainly in my neck.





I was in Oslo yesterday and walked a lot using cruches. Because of that my neck and head was bad today,- and my feet (hammertoes) and thumbs (arthrities). He agreed that I should skip training today,- I have been very eager since I started in May ;-)

Todays program

This was my program today:

Treadmill

47 kg 10 X 3

75 kg! 10 x 3

This is for my posture so only 5 kg, 10 x 3

Only 25 kg because I have to be careful about the lower back. 10 x 3

Balancing on the half ball

Squats. 20 x 3 fast

30 kg 10 x 3

Level 9, 10 x 3

 The seated leg press was a lot harder today than on Friday! But I managed 75 kg today also :-)

Does anyone of you do the same program? Or parts of it?

Personal record!

I did the whole program today, but espescially one excercise I am proud of:

 Seated legpress have been something I  "hate". I have done 55 kg and sometimes 65 kg, 10 X 3. 
Today I managed 75 kg and it felt "easy" !! WOW!

I hope all of you are ok? I would love to hear some comments from you, what is your experience with workout? In high age? With different diagnoses?
I wish you all a nice weekend <3

Testing bone density

Today I tested the bone density of my body again. Last time was 2009.


The scoliosis (here you can see how big it is, this is one of my curves) makes it very difficult for them to see how good or bad it is :-(

The dark parts on the inside and outside of the curves are calsium (?) and it makes it difficult to see the calcium inside the spine. The calsium inside is the good type, the one on the outside is the bad.
But she managed to find out it is not so bad, I just have to take some supplements since I do not drink milk, just eat cheese and some cream.



The hips look fine so not everything is negative :-)
If I should fracture something in my back I have to start with pills against osteoporosis at once,- crossing my fingers it will not happen :-)

Do you check your bone density? 

I got my self a new t-shirt today,- really think it will improve my workout ;-)

You know that the fastest man in the world have scoliosis?

This will be an inspiration for me  <3

Cold,cold day

Today we have hade the coldest day so far this winter,- minus 12C. Brrrrrr, not good for my back and my asthma.
Luckely my dog is with his extrafamily so I do not have to go for walk with him :-)


I took the car when I was going to the gym today, not far but I get exhausted very easely in the winter so it is better to drive.

In the gym I used the whole program as usual but it was hard. I function so much better in warm weather,- do you?

For some weeks now I have had pain in my left Hamstringmuscel,- so now the physioterapist have tought me some stretch excersises.
And he has told me to bend my knees when I shall pick up something from the floor,- not because of my back, because of the Hamstring. This is new to me so I struggle to remember ;-)


We also talked a lot about how my body react deifferent from straight spines. When I did the stretching he asked if the bad musckel hurt? I said that I felt something but I was hurting more in my stomach :-) And the same when he gives me massage, then my body react different from straight bodies.

That's how we twisted persons have to deal with strange things. Allways. 

Today I am going to get my little furball home again. The worse cold is gone now we have +4 and are expecting rain,- then we will get pure ice :-(

Wishing everyone a nice Sunday wherever you are <3

Another type of training

This weekend we got loads of snow! On Friday the lawns looked green,- now we have ca 50 cm of snow!

It took me 2 hours to get the car ready to be used!

Dennis almost drowned in the snow on Sunday...

 I had to make a path for Dennis and me too,- so now my back,neck,arms and legs are acking. This type of "exercise" is not good for my back, my asthma nor my heartflicker. But if you have no choice, you have no choice.


Today Dennis and I could have some fun:-)

This is an old vehicle we use in winter,- we call it a spark.

Dennis loved sitting in the basket :-) He also ran next to the spark.

I hope everyone has a nice Sunday? Hopefully with warmer climate than we have?

Nordic Walking instruction video

This training is good for lounges, back and arms ++++

 

Colours

When I first started in the gym I only used what I had for clothing,- old t-shirts and regular tights. When I found out I was going to continue at the gym I needed some proper training clothes.

So now I have one set for each day at the gym :-) I really want some more colourful,but so far this is what I have. I am dreaming of a bright red trouser ;-)  I also bought a bright pink drinkingbottle, because I believe in the energy of colours <3 The proper clothing also is an extra inspiration for me to do my best :-)

At the gym today I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, and I managed to have a long talk with my physioterapist at the same time! Even when I had 11% increase, 5 km speed!
There where not so many people in the gym today so it was not so stressful,- I didn't have to wait in line for some of the excercises :-)

I did all the program except kneebend and lunges because of a coming headache.

Why do I want a red trouser? Or t-shirt? RED is the colour that give you energy to continue and to reach your goals. If you are faced with something you fear, put on some red clothes :-)

Do you think about the colours and how they affect you? Do you know what colours make you enthusiastic? What colour make you tired or sad?

The physiotherapist and I was talking about why my breathing is getting worse, even with all the cardio I do. The reason is most likely the big curves of my scoliosis, one of them give the lounge less space. But WHY is not all the cardio work?? I will get an appointement with another loungedoctor to see what he thinks. 

I wish you all a nice weekend,- we are expecting 50 cm of snow :-( Not the weather I wish for.........

This is the stairs I have been talking about :-) It looks easy but it is hard! First time I tried it I managed 250 on level 3 including pause every 50 step,- today I did 500 without brakes! 340 on level 4 and 160 on level 3 :-)

I also did the rest of the program,- without heartflicker!!! Yeah!

Now I have made a page on Facebook, maybe you will like it to follow me? It is called Maisens corner (like the blog) and I have shared all my training chapters in it.

Wishing everyone a nice day :-)

Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) - Springfield Clinic Pulmonary

Yesterday was a odd work out because on Thursday I was seeing my asthma doctor. I took a test to check my breathing capasity.

My capasity was 70% + last October, now it is 66 %! After so many months with a lot of cardio excercises! The reason CAN be the betablockers, but it should not be so bad since I have been doing the cardio so well,- according to my physioterapist






I went to the gym with tears in my eyes, because it felt so useless :-(  I did almost the whole  program,- proud of my self <3
I will try to get a new opinion from another loungedoctor because this one did not see it as a problem and could not give some soulutions.

Does any one else experience this? Do you have some advice for me ?

Dynamic Stretching With Deep Knee Bends : Training for Sports

I do 20 x 3 of these in high speed, but not as deep as her,- yet ;-)

EKG dance

This dance is visualising the heartflicker I have ;-)

Today was not one of the easiest times in the gym :-(
First I was going to have massage by the physioterapist, he was delayed with another parient so I had to wait 20 minutes. During this time my old feelings from the time in hospital came up and I almost started crying. The feeling of beeing forgotten is not nice for a person with low selfesteem. We talked about it and I got a good massage :-)

After treadmill and seated leg press I noticed some flicker, and after balancing on the half ball I had to take a betablocker :-(

Before I continued I met a young basketballplayer I know and we had a nice chat,- while the medication started to work.

I feel the winter coming now, my body works harder. Tomorrow I am going to the loung doctor,- hope my lounges are better than last year!

My physioterapist and I talked about my workout and my body today,- it really seems like my body is fighting against me getting better :-(  It makes it hard and a little less inspirationell.

Yesterday I had no problems with heartflicker in the gym <3
    
I used the treadmill as usual: 15 min 11% increase 5 km, 45/15 interval
           Because of the betablockers my cardio is not high, only 99 after this. I lost 157 calories :-)
Kneebend : 20 fast as usual
Lunges : 20 on each leg
Balanse : some minutes on the half ball (this is good for internal muscles)


Torso rotation : 10 x 3, 25 kg
Pull down : 10 x 3 this time 30 kg (+2,5)
Kneebend : 20 fast
Kneefall : 20 on each leg
Roing : 10 x 3 this time one level up to 9 :-)
Seated leg press : 10 x 3, 55 kg (suddenly pain in my left side of the back)
Back extention : 10 x 3 now 47 kg :-)

It was a nice hour or so at the gym,- no big problems. Shaky legs and wet of sweat afterwards but that is ok :-) Shows I have been doing a good job!

This weeks workout is finished :-) I did almost the whole program, the only thing I did fewer of was kneebend and "outfall" because of heartflimmer.

So today was:
Treadmill: 15 min 11% increase, 5 km speed, interval 45/15
Seated leg press: 10 x 3, 55 kg
Kneebend: 20 fast

Kneebend (1 & 2) and "outfall (photo Vektklubben)

"Outfall": 20 on each leg
Pectoral fly: 10 x 3, 5 kg
Back extension: 10 x 3, 47 kg
Roing: 10 x 3, level 8
Pulldown: 10 x 3 27,5 kg
Torso rotation: 10 x 3, 25 kg

So you can see that most of the excercises are on the same level, and some I have increased :-)

I am a little impatient now because I feel it goes too slow :-( I do not feel improvements in real life, only in the gym.

                                     I DON'T GIVE UP <3

Whishing everyone a nice and healthy weekend where ever you are :-) (and if you would like to leave a comment I would be happy )

Yesterday was another hard day at the gym :-( But I made it through the program so I can be proud of my self <3 It was too cold for me to use my bicycle, so even with a very short distance I used the car since I am so exhausted when I finish......

I believe it is more reasons why it is hard on the gym now: colder weather, full moon coming +++

Yesterday we got the first snow :-(

But it is luckely gone now!

Today I had a down day :-(  My brother was helping me to change to winter tires on my car. I allways help as much as I can.
I roll the tires into the washinghall, use the water jetting (very hard!) and roll them back to the car. After all the workout I have been doing I would think I would feel it when I do these activities,- I don't :-( I have no breath left after each tire.

I really hope I will feel better soon!

Luckely I have my little furfriend <3

Yesterday I only had massage, no work-out. I was going to the hospital for a new 24-hours EKG-test.

I hope my heartrate is better than last time! Then it was more than 170 while I was sleeping! I have started on betablockers so hopefully.....

Tomorrow I will be at the gym again :-)
Wishing everybody a nice day! I am going to bring my little dog home today after he has been on fall vacation <3 (Today it has started to snow where I live :-( I hope you have warmer weather?)

Today I was really shaky when I got home from the gym! The physioterapist was standing next to me pushing me to do absolutely my best :-)

I started as usual with the treadmill, 11% increase, 5 km speed, interval 45/15 15 min X 2.

Then it was squats, 20 as fast as I could do x 3

And a little balance on the half fitnessball.

And then (I don't know what this is called): when you stand with your leggs as far apart as you can, and then bend the leg at the back to the floor. 20 times on each leg, fast. x 3

I also did rotation  and some of the other excercises but after the two bending excercises I was exhausted and my legs where like jelly ;-)
But as the physioterapist has told me : when I am as exhausted as I can get THEN it works and I will feel the changes in my body :-)

I hope everyone will get a nice weekend, and if you live near the hurrycane Matthew: take care!

It is colder in Norway now,- icy in the morning......

Hugs from sunny Norway <3

Todays workout was a little bit shorter because of headache :-( But I am proud of my self because I went to the gym instead of staying at home!

 I walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes, 11 % increase, 5 km speed, interval 45/15. Then 2 minutes 0%, 3 km, and at last 10 minutes 11%,5 km,interval. Result: calories 300 heartrate 100.

 When I use the Pectoral fly I have the smallest weight (5 kg) because I do it to make me be aware of my pose. I did 10 x 2.


I then worked on my balance with the half fitness ball.

I did the Back extension 10 X 3 with 40 kg (photo below),- I like this station, I think it suites my back :-)


Last station I did was the "rowing". I did level 8, 10 x 3 = stupid because my headache got worse :-(

It is amazing to see how fast the training has gotten into my mind! From May 10th when I started totally untrained, and to now when I go to the gym even with a headache! It must be magic :-)

I now do a variasion of my old excersises and the new I got,- so now the training is more flexible. I still have no pain in my thighs, only my back :-)

I have taken some photoes to show what I mean about getting straighter (not in my spine,but in my body):

This is almost like I was the last years

This is me getting straighter

This is my goal

As you can see it is a big difference! I still have a long way to go, but I understand what the physioterapist is saying :-) And I feel that breathing is better!

I wish someone had told me this before I started to lean foreward,- but maybe I would not have understood what they meant......

I hope you all have a nice day :-)

O'boy!
My physiotherapist gave me some new excercises today! I did not have my phone with me so I will give you photoes next week.

First I got a very good massage, and then we went to the gym on the second floor.

The first excercise was a half, big ball with a plate on top. I shall stand on the plate, trying to balanse without holding to anything,- it was ok. I can also stand on it throwing a ball on to a small trampoline,- maybe more fun :-)

Then I had to do some bending in my knees,- 20 of them and with a straight back. The backpart was difficult. So we sat on a bench where he showed me how to sit straight,- it was very difficult, but I want to make it!

Next was a kneefall (?),- not easy and this also with a straight pose.
I shall vary these excercises.

At the end it was the Pectoral fly/ Rear detoid with no weight. On this I shall only think about pose, straight back and low shoulders.

Even without the usual excercises with lot of sweat and out of breath, I really feel it in my body! I think I will get really sore tomorrow ;-) That's ok!

I hope all of you will have a nice  weekend, and if you do work out,- do not give up!

This water is one of the places my dog Dennis and I go for walks, it is just outside our hometown,- and I think we will go there this weekend too :-) Maybe you have a nice place for walks?

Full moon today,- training was hard....... But even if I did a shorter time on the steps, I managed to do all the other training :-) Think I will write in my journal if it is full moon, maybe I can see a pattern of hard training?

Even if I do the training 3 days a week, I do not forget walking my dog, Dennis :-) The days I train we go for shorter walks, but allways 3 small or bigger walks every day.
We often go to the wood,- both me and Dennis loves it,- AND walking on the soft paths in the wood is good for my scoliosis!

Sometimes he has to work,- carry waterbottles,his poobags ++

Nice fresh,cold water

Lot of smell from other dogs,- or moose?

Friday today, no training until Monday. Strange thing: I start to think about training allmost every day! And it is only 5 months since I would NOT go into the gym! I only wanted massage from the physiotherapist!

I hope everyone gets a nice weekend, and if you want to write comments I would love to hear from you :-)

I think I will tell you a little bit about my body so you can see that it is not a super body for training,- but it works :-)

When I was 4 years old my mum thought it was something odd with my back and at the same time I was complaining about headaches almost every day ( I still do at age 61). A couple of doctors later I was sent to a hospital in Oslo (I live in Norway :-) ) who treated scoliosis. Scoliosis is a condition where the spine looks like a C or S. My spine looks like a S, and when I started treatment my curves where 40+ degrees. First I had a plasterbrace (over my left shoulder, round my upperbody and down to my right knee), it was difficult to sit and do lots of things but I learned how to use my mums bicycle when I had this brace ;-) After some months I got a Blounts brace.

After a while I got a Milwaukee brace with even more things (ring around left shoulder, a plate over right breast, and a small pelot on left hip).
After 8 years with these braces 24/7 my curves where bigger, now they where 60+ degrees. I have no idea why I did not have surgery, but I have had (and have) a great life and luckely just small pain :-)
After many years I got asthma because one of my lounges have to little space. Now I also have heartflicker, and I am a surviver of malingt melanoma.

So this is what I have to deal with when I am training,- which means  
                                WHEN I CAN, SO CAN YOU <3

******************************************************************************

Today I started at the physioterapist where I got a massage :-) My neck muscles where sore so it was not the best,but afterwards it is ok.
We also took a Body analysis (we should have done it before I started in May but we forgot).
Nothing very surprising,- too much internal fat :-( So I need to go back to the lowcarb food if I want to see changes..... I WILL!

Then it was the normal training:
Treadmill: intervall 45 sec walking-15 sec break, 11% increase, 5 km speed  15 min X 2
Seated leg press: 10 x 3 - 55 kg
Back extension: 10 x 3 - 40 kg
Pulldown: 10 x 3 - 27,5 kg
Torso rotation: 10 x 3 - 25 kg (felt too easy but was better for my lower back)
Rowing: 10 x 3 - level 8

Body feels ok after training today, even if I am exhausted when I do the excercises :-)

One more time to excercise this week, 3 times a week feels ok. Next week I will get some new program :-)

I you would like to comment I would love to hear what kind of excersise you do and your experiences :-)

I will now change my blog to be a blog about training for an untrained lady of 61 :-)

All my life I have had severe scoliosis (my spine looks like a S where the curves are 90 and 85 degrees) and now I have asthma and heart flicker, so I had no choice,- I had to start to excersise :-) Up til 2016 my training was Nordic walking with my dog, and some small trips with my bicycle. I live in Norway, but have for some years been living in Gran Canaria during winters.

In the mountain on Gran Canaria

Poles and dog is nice training too, especially on Gran Canaria

I am lucky to have a skilled physioterapist and he understood my problem. Because of things happening in hospital when I was a little girl I hated the thought of training together with a lot of strangers.

In May (the 10.) we started. Very slow! He put me on a mashine of stairs, and I managed 250 steps with a lot of breaks ;-) I only used this machine, he did not want me to get bored.
It was a smart thing to only let me use this machine at first! 1) I could easely see that I was doing better for every time = more and more steps and less breaks, and also the level changed. It made me inspired and I felt I was in a competition with my self,- I was starting to be excited :-)
June 14th we made a test: On level 5 (I ususally use level 3) I managed 700 steps with a break for every 100. Then we found my bottom level! I was alsmost sick the rest of the day,- caughing, bad breathing, sore chest ++++ Almost like top athletes after a race. It is not dangerous but very usefull to find this level.
June 23. I managed 1000 steps on level 5 with breaks! What a development!!!

After this we started with other training too, first the treadmill so I could vary between it and the stairs. 

At this time I set my self a goal for the summer: I wanted to climb a mountain top near my hometown! I had been there many,many years ago but now it seem unattainable.

I continued to use the treadmill or the steps till July 19., then I tried the device where I push with my legs (I don't know the name in English), I managed 10 x 2 with 25 kg and the same number with 35 kg.

Then July 27., I got a whole program to work with.

The rest of the summer I trained 2 days a week with this program, getting stronger and using more weight and time :-) It was very inspiring! August 1. my numbers where:
Treadmill: 15 minutes interval (45/15) 10% rise and 5 km speed
Legs: 10 x 3 45 kg
Pull down: 10 x 3 25 kg
Back strech: 10 x 3 35 kg
Body rotation: 10 x 3 45 kg (too much = acking in my lower back)
Rowing: 10 x 3 level 6

Today (September 12.) my numbers where :
Stairs: 400 without break level 3 + level 5 200 steps
Legs: 10 x 2 55 kg + 10 à 65 kg
Pull down: 10 x 3 27,5 kg
Back strech: 10 x 3 40 kg
Body rotation: 10 x 3 35 kg ( will try 25 because of pain in lower back)
Rowing: 10 x 3 level 8

As you can see the progress is nice :-)

What about my goal for the summer? August 16., me an dmy sister-in-law made it to the top! After 2 hours of almost climbing straight up we was rewarded with a beautyfull view!

The path up

Nearly there,  I almost felt like I was dying!

Nice view for lunch

Exhausted,but proud

Normally my scoliosis do not show,but when I am tired.....

The path down was also difficult

Lunch up in the sky! Photo taken by Tone Veiulfsen Østbye

The climbing was made with a lot of breaks and some asthmamedication and lots of water. I really thought I was going to die but I managed to get all the way up!

I hope to show (with this blog) that nothing is impossible,- that when a untrained woman like myself can achieve this, then you can do it too!

I hope you will follow my journey?