Functional Fitness

[frustratedearthmother]

DH and I both have grip issues. As far as physical work goes, I am generally more able than him. However, he is good for a few minutes of pure brute strength. But he'll whine about it the next day, lol!

Stamina is important. I've always been pretty capable in that area. I had a scare several months back and got overheated while working on fencing. I was fairly close to finishing a job and kept pushing to get it done and ended up getting too hot. It threw me for a loop and greatly impacted my ability to withstand heat for the rest of the season.

At my age I think it's a case of use it or lose it.

 

[flowerbug]

SHTF for me the first one would be SHTT (S*T Hitting The Toilet).

my leg and lower back gives me troubles at times so as long as i can keep moving and gardening i'll be doing that. crawling if needed. i don't mind weeding a garden while sitting on a ground pillow or even laying on a few of them. it just takes time to move around in between finishing areas.

 

[flowerbug]

...
At my age I think it's a case of use it or lose it.

we say "When you rest you rust."

i know about the heat being an issue. taking off extra weight really helps me for that. i still have a ways to go but i'm doing better this year than last year.

 

[tortoise]

Stamina is an issue for me.
...

I can't think of a specific functional goal right now.

I'm wondering if biking is a reasonable functional goal for me. I live 6 miles away from the nearest town. There are 2 hills, not including my driveway which has a *slight* hill. Last summer I could not bike to the end of my driveway - 1/4 mile). The driveway is gravel and my tires are hybrid/road tires so I lose traction on gravel and it takes a lot more effort. However, I'm sure I couldn't do it even with gravel tires! I'm in much worse condition now than I was in summer, and worse since I started this thread.

Biking didn't make sense as a functional goal in the past because of children. But with kids in school, DS14 able to bike well enough, and DS6 getting close to being able to bike or stay home when DH is working on the farm... it's starting to make sense. It's definitely a good cardio workout which would help me with general stamina.

I have a bike. I just got a bike stand trainer so I can start gently during winter. I don't know if I could bike to town, but any amount of cardio conditioning will benefit me.

 

[Hinotori]

I could get to a store by bike. I'd have to walk most of it back though because of hills. Just not a feasible thing here.

I can walk though. Hubby can't. He has a hard time doing half a mile. I had been doing laps so a few miles then a short break and I'd be fine. Plenty of people have rain shelters at their driveways for school bus stops.

I've learned to listen to my body and stop before I have issues. Taking breaks while snow clearing has been a must. Still strained my lungs a bit, though.

 

[flowerbug]

i had to take a few weeks off gardening this late fall and that bothered me a lot. it was the right thing to do, i'm gradually healing up and improving but it may be a while longer before i'm fully recovered. in the meantime i have to still keep active enough in some ways to maintain some health and to work off stress. so there is that. i won't be trying to lose weight and would be happy if i can just hold steady enough for the next few weeks. the more snow we get the better. i can shovel snow, my body does good with that as long as i listen to what it tells me.

what i really do need to do is get back to some kind of workout that flexes my back and hips more and works on stretching my legs too. my old Tai Chi workout did that so i should unwrap that again and get back to it. for my overall balance and health it was the time when i felt pretty good. sure improved my ability to deal with slips and falls too.

it will be interesting to see how i can manage it with so many changes. it's been a long time and a lot of injuries.

 

[Britesea]

Tai chi is a great way to get back into shape. You move slowly enough that you have time to back off before injury if a particular move will hurt too much. I've started up my Tai Chi again this month, although not as regularly as I'd like. Our house is too small for a decent form so I go to a friend's house and we do it together, but heavy snowfall has made it harder to get there

 

[livinglandnz]

Very good question, and a complex one. I hunt a lot so being able to squat/climb up hills with a heavy load on my back is important. I am a trail runner as well which I think in a SHTF situation is extremely important.

 

[tortoise]

Very good question, and a complex one. I hunt a lot so being able to squat/climb up hills with a heavy load on my back is important. I am a trail runner as well which I think in a SHTF situation is extremely important.

I do not have the stamina to run, but I see a lot of value in being able to navigate a trail. I work on the strength and flexibility of my feet and my balance. My family took a more advanced trail on our recent vacation and I was happy with my agility/strength on the more difficult parts of the trail.

I also think that foot callous conditioning is important. (I was barefoot on the trail). I've watched a couple episodes of Naked and Afraid, and it seems that needing tough feet or footwear is a common theme on the show.

 

[tortoise]

My physical fitness is still not great, but is better than my usual. I accidently discovered and X-rated activity that is very good for my core and back strength and endurance. That's a workout plan I don't mind!