My son recently told me I need to include resistance training, which increases muscle strength by making your muscles work against a weight or force, in my daily routine. Different forms of resistance training include free weights, weight machines, resistance bands and your own body weight. He said it was imperative if I want to continue to be self-reliant in my older years.
Exercise that builds muscle endurance, or resistance training, can help older adults to preserve their independence and quality of life. It can overcome the loss of muscle mass and strength, build resilience, ease the management of chronic conditions, and reduce physical vulnerability. ~MedicalNewsToday, July 30, 2019
My immediate question was, how do I go about doing this? The simplest answer was to join a gym, or maybe a nearby Curves that is specifically designed to give women a total body workout in just 30 minutes. It includes both upper body and lower body strength training, cardio moves, and stretching. The Curves nearest me is only 6.4 miles away –just 12 driving minutes from my home. Maybe I’ll go three times a week. It certainly would be worth the investment.
Speaking of resistance training, this morning on my walk, on the narrow gravel access to a park, I met up with a young woman with two muscular pit bulls. I stopped immediately several feet away and was starting to step aside into a grassy area to give them wide breadth when the dogs began to charge on their leashes. She could barely hold them back as they barked and lunged menacingly. I realized immediately she would not have the strength to restrain them.
I asked her to retreat the way she had come while I would turn around and head back up the little hill. She apologized, saying that people with hats and sunglasses set them off, both of which I was wearing. She said she would take an adjacent path while I passed, but I knew the dogs were agitated enough and would simply pull away from her if I continued. As I turned my back to her to retrace my steps I told her, no, I’m going home. I don’t want to be bitten.
She must have stood still as I disappeared around a curve and up the hill because I heard no more barking. Reaching the street I turned right, relieved and a little angry. She was, indeed, obeying leash laws, but she would not have been able to restrain her two, large pit bulls if they decided to break free and attack. No amount of resistance training on her part could prevent it. They should have been wearing choke collars but, even then, I’m not convinced it would have helped.
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