There are many different Keep-Fit programs here in the retirement home. When we first moved in, I read the list of exercising opportunities that ranges from chair exercises to water aerobics to a fully fitted gymnasium, and pondered over what was best for me. I immediately went into exercise denial and did nothing for the first couple of months. Then guilt reared its head and I tentatively went to something called “chair exercises”, thinking this would suit my level of inactivity and still allow me to maintain my status as a fully fledged member of the couch-potato club.
Surprise!
The super-fit instructor has built a routine of exercises where the attendees are all done while sitting in a sturdy chair. She begins with arm exercises. From there she moves up to the head and neck and then all the way down to the toes, leaving no muscle untouched. The session lasts for 45 minutes and each set of exercises lasts for about 15 seconds with a break of about 5 seconds between the sets, meaning that there are over 100 different exercises in the session.
When I first started this innocent activity I sneered at the thought of exercising while sitting. Chair exercises? A sure oxymoron! I soon discovered over 100 aching muscles in my body that I never knew about. Today after about 9 months of attending this group twice a week I am fitter and able to do all the exercises reasonably well. I haven’t got used to the idea of telling others that I attend ‘chair-exercise’ sessions. And that I enjoy them.
But this morning while she was exercising our finger muscles – yes, you read that correctly – finger muscle exercises – I felt a sharp pain in the top joint of my right pinkie.
Can you tell me, instructor, am I getting stronger or weaker?
