“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.”
― Mark Twain
― Mark Twain
Leg Weights?
Phases. There was the one where I tried drinking a glass of water before each meal. The one where I had an oddly shaped device that would assist in my kegel exercises. (Yeah, yeah.. don’t go there.) The one where I dry-brushed my skin each morning. Sigh. Each of these phases had lasted a short time before I grew bored, pee’d too much, forgot, or misplaced the device. (As I said, don’t go there.)
Somewhere in the past I also wore leg weights when I walked our dog. I thought any extra resistance would be good for strengthening my overly generous peasant thighs. (By the way, thanks for those, Mom.) That phase passed as well.
Recently Dr. David Williams’ newsletter (Volume 20, No. 2, February 2017) mentioned leg weights. “Ankle weights don’t just help you lose weight; they also work by strengthening the muscles in your legs and hips. This is especially important as we get older.”
Dr. Williams goes on to say falls are the leading cause of injuries and death for folks 65 and older. Worse, 40% of people admitted to hospitals for falls never return to independent living. Yikes.
Recently my husband and I visited our chiropractor. The topic of weakened legs came up. My husband’s thigh muscles are very tight, and he is finding it harder to raise and lower himself onto and off of chairs. Our chiropractor suggested he lift partially off the seat three times before actually standing up. This exercise would help slowly strengthen his muscles. Twerking by furniture is fine for my sweetheart, but I got to thinking about those leg weights again.
Dr. Williams says that by wearing leg weights (2.5 pounds each), a person walking three miles can increase the number of calories burned by 25%. Nice! Easy!
It may become another phase, but I’m going to dig out my dusty leg weights. It occurred to me that winter may have been the reason I stopped wearing them. Wrapping leg weights around bulky snow boots would be tough. But! I saw two robins yesterday, and everyone knows that means spring is almost here. Besides, maybe when I find the leg weights I’ll find that kegel thingy too. Do NOT judge me.
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