Planking for Victory

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This weekend marks 5 weeks of living on bottled water. Not the most auspicious of anniversaries, coinciding as it has with Plastic Free July and ruining all attempts on my part to live more sustainably. So the stress runs on, but we are building our resilience. 

In my case, I have found that throwing myself into exercise classes and some heavy gardening certainly helps and undoubtedly has me falling asleep even before I get into bed.

Last weekend the Village Gardening Club co-ordinated a tour of members' gardens. Rain had forced me to abandon any effort to weed and I confess that my flower beds, with some in an ongoing state of renovation, were an embarrassment. I devote my time in early summer to the vegetable patch and then never find a weather window to sort the rest of the garden; it's usually too wet, too windy or too hot making the clay soil seal like concrete. However, shamed by the success of others and helped by ideal conditions, this past week Mister E and I have finally been digging out, chopping down, conditioning the earth and replanting.

If that wasn't enough to develop my biceps (I swear I could pass for Popeye), I seem to have been cajoled into undertaking an ever widening range of classes involving boxercise, weights and resistance. Then of course, just as my arm muscles calmed down and stopped screaming at me, the University of Canterbury Christ Church had to go and publish the results of a study determining that the plank and other isometric exercises are brilliant for lowering blood pressure. 

Now I already have one instructor who loves to finish Pilates class with a game involving planking for an interminably long time but the last few days every class has jumped on the bandwagon. Forget the biceps, my shoulder blades look as though they are sprouting wings. Serves me right for finishing my last blog entry despairing about the hypertension caused by stressing. Of course if we could completely eliminate the risk of heart disease and strokes simply by planking for a few minutes every day, I might be tempted to live life on all fours. It wouldn't get the gardening done but I guess I'd get to see the weeds for a few years longer.

 

Comments

Treaders said…
When I joined the gym last year my trainer got me to do a plank at the beginning of every session. All I can say is it ain't as easy as it looks, although being "stacked" I was never going to hurt myself if I fell!
31 July 2023 at 08:24
Anonymous said…
Like your blog, and yes, planks are a good thing, albeit, challenging!!! I retired almost a year ago and have committed to doing 75-minute warm yoga classes 3-4 times weekly. Am feeling stronger, lighter, and less stressed. Hope that all of your activities mediate the effects of the water problems, etc...
1 August 2023 at 20:28
Caree Risover said…
Thanks for commenting and pleased to learn you are enjoying a less stressed retirement. Yoga really helps doesn’t it? As for planking, well it takes your mind off most things.
1 August 2023 at 21:05
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