“YOUNGER NEXT YEAR FOR WOMEN”

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

And what does a book like this have to do with weaving?

Bonnie Tarses recently made the following statement in a recent blog post:

Winding small amounts of yarn at frequent intervals forces me to take lots of weaving breaks. Next year I will celebrate 50 years of weaving. I owe my weaving longevity to this "slow" method.

Go here to read the whole post.

There is no way I will be able to celebrate 50 years of weaving since I didn’t start weaving until I was in my late 50’s.  But I do want to weave for as long as I am able and to do this I have to take care of my body.  One way Bonnie takes care of her body is taking lots of breaks.  That is really important.

Back to the book. Which is really about more ways to take care of your body so that in your 80’s and even 90’s you can still live an active and productive life.

This book is by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, one of whom is a practicing physician.  I found the book in an Atlanta bookstore last week.  Or did it find me?

I learned from the book that my current exercise program is pretty good. But I already know that from how my body feels and from the things I can do. More important, the book told me that I wasn’t doing enough and why what I was doing was not enough.  And the authors explain this in ways I can understand and in ways that truly make me want to do more.

Basically, according to these men, beginning about age 40 our bodies are going to start going downhill.  And with each decade that downhill slope increases. But we have a choice;  we can choose to go uphill.  Exercise, primarily aerobic exercise, but also weight-lifting, is the magic ticket. 

I knew this before I read the book.  But what I didn’t know was why exercise works.  What I did not know was how much of what kind of exercise works.  And I had never read anything presented in such a vivid way that it burned into my brain.

Also important are food, a sense of purpose, and being connected to others. But for me, the real thrust of the book is exercise. Not specific exercises.  There are trainers and gyms and books for that. The real thrust of the book is telling us how, why, and what kind of exercise works. Being convinced and remaining convinced is what can keep me weaving for the rest of my life.

Yes, there are times when I truly resent the fact that I cannot simply jump out of bed, shower, dress, eat, and be to work by 8:00.  It seems so unfair.  After all, I used to be able to do this…….

Still, I really have gotten to the point where I enjoy my morning yoga so much I cannot not do it. I doubt that I will ever get to that point with riding my stationary bicycle. Which I now know I must do for 45 minutes a day six days a week.   I am just waiting for the South Carolina heat to dissipate to the point where it is humanly possible to walk outside.  Oh, and for ragweed season to disappear as well………….

And then I need to find or replace my heart-rate monitor……..

“Younger Next Year for Women” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on August 21, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.