Superstretch Resistance Bands

I have been using the Hinge Health app for preventative PT exercises for over a year. It is a voluntary part of our health care insurance. With it comes advice from an assigned physical therapist. Most recently I used her for exercises specific to plantar fasciitis. Initially it was geared towards low back pain but has now been tailored to helping with my foot. Some of the exercises require the need for resistance bands. I still had one from several years ago but it was almost worn through. So I ordered another set on Amazon. They come in a set of five strengths. So I use the second out of the heavy duty five. I don’t use them for other than the PT exercises, although they come with instructions. I also have a jump rope style resistance band that is used every evening for just a few minutes. I have to say I really get sick and tired of exercising all the time. We take a two mile morning walk, then this afternoon hinge health bit, and then again around ten PM both my husband and I do exercises related to pelvic floor strengthening due an other medical issues. It feels like Deja vu every day. I’m just hoping the plantar fasciitis pain eventually subsides. At least I have a way to communicate with a PT who can offer some help. 

Dynapro Resistance Stretch Bands

It seems all one does these days is walk in the morning for two plus miles and then do a short exercise regime in the afternoon for twenty minutes. All of this is in the name of staying “healthy” and flexible. Then right before tea after dinner I usually do a very short bit of resistance bands - just enough to know my arm muscle strength is shot. The other day the band snapped and broke off from the handle - so they were pretty useless after that. The bands were probably about eight years old. I’m not sure how long they are supposed to last. So I ordered a replacement of the same kind from Amazon. Apparently you can change the tension on this but I am happy enough with the one it already has! The new one feels better - maybe because it stretches a lot easier and isn’t as stiff as the old one. I was trying to think if we would ever need the old bands for anything. We couldn’t think of anything so we tossed them out. Maybe you could use it to stretch your arm muscles while sitting on the couch. Getting older is not fun, and these bands just remind me of that. 

Hinge Health Update

Nine months ago I started doing a physical therapy program through Hinge Health. It is sponsored through my health insurance as a way to either foster an exercise routine or help  with a sore knee, back, etc. problem. You work through the app - with or without sensors - and move your way up the program steps. Along the way you get rewards and kudos for completing parts of the program. I started out with a lower back pain exercise program. You are also assigned a physical therapy person to ask questions via text and they also check up on you. You can be as engaged or not. You can also set up appointments for specific concerns. Lately the exercises haven’t changed to I asked my contact why that was. She noted that I had completed the forty steps and suggested to start over and try using the more difficult version of each exercise rather than the “beginner” version. She also realized that I am not doing these exercises specifically for a particular ailment, but more for an every day routine. Originally I was using the sensors that were sent but later on didn’t feel like doing that anymore. You also get a yoga mat that is required for several moves. Aside from our morning walks and doing either these exercises or my own made up routine it feels like Groundhog Day sometimes. I don’t always like having to do this every day but am glad when it’s over. Maybe I’ll contact my PT person again and ask what exercises would be recommended for a basic routine. I suppose it doesn’t matter as long as you stick with it. 

Hinge Health Update

As a part of my health care plan there is an option to join an exercise app. So I did join - about seven months ago. We already walk every morning for over two miles and I do a bit of cardio exercise five days a week in the afternoon for about 20-25 minutes. But these Hinge health exercises are done following specific instructions. At first I used the sensors but found them to be more annoying than helpful. So lately I’ve been just following the app without the sensors. You are also assigned a coach who checks in with you every once in a while and offers encouragement and answers questions via text messaging. Since I had a bit of lower back pain - but only at night and if I sleep on my back - I selected the exercises related to back pain. That meant there were exercises that didn’t help my right knee that also has been periodically aggravated over the last few years. It just occurred to me that I’ve been at this now for seven months because I was just sent another badge of honor. Has this approach helped? I’m not sure. In some ways I think so if only because the exercises are different from what I was doing, including using a yoga mat which I never did before. You are supposed to do it at least three times a week and I have been quite consistent. If nothing else I feel better about doing it but don’t necessarily look forward to it. Many times it feels like Groundhog Day - over and over and over. So I’ll keep doing it until who knows when. It’s probably a good idea. 

Hinge Health Sensors

Last week I signed up for hinge health. It’s a preventative exercise/physical therapy program recommended by our health plan. We walk every morning but I thought this might be interesting because I like gadgets and the programs are tailored to reduce/relieve pain. I happen to have it in several spots but decided to start with the lower back. It only bothers me after sleeping in my back and if I lean forward. So I downloaded the app and followed the directions. Along with the app come sensors that you strap in your upper chest and lower back. As you exercise the sensors inform you if you are in the green zone. Also you are connected to a physical therapist that you can chat with. After each round they ask how you are feeling and there are articles to read. There is also a support group if you do desire. I’m not really in to it that much but find the whole process intriguing. Since my right knee is also sore some if the exercises stress it, and there are other options you can follow. What seems like minor movements has resulted in sore muscles - so it’s obviously doing something. So I will try to do this but about three times a week before my usual thirty minute workout in the afternoon. That workout is listening to music and moving around - obviously nothing extravagant. This program is free and probably a good idea for anyone who doesn’t like going to a gym or physical therapist. The sensors are rechargeable and I’m sure the routines will become more grueling. I also joined a program about heart health because if my family history - but that one is a clinical study and you can make some picket change by participating. I suppose being in health care myself gets me interested. 

Hinge Health

I’m not sure what I got myself in to. I like gadgets and I like staying in good health. My health insurance has offered preventative programs - for free. I signed up for a BP program and shortly after I received the BP cuff and downloaded the app it was discontinued. So I was sent another email from another vendor associated with my health plan. I signed up for it and they said I didn’t meet the criteria? Why did they send me the invitation? I got another email invitation this week - this time for physical therapy and exercise. We already walk at least two miles a day, but my right knee and lower back oftentimes hurt but not enough to cause any problems. But I would like to avoid them getting any worse. My lower back only hurts after I sleep on my back at night. Of course it was my favorite position. There is also some discomfort when bending forward. So I decided to give it a try. I was immediately enrolled and downloaded the app. Then you fill in a questionnaire. You could only write in one area of difficulty so I started with the back. A set of exercises is set up and you then follow along after viewing how to do it, then you do it. Some of the moves bothered my knee which doesn’t help. After that bit I got a text message from the assigned “coach.” After competing a second set of exercises a second day the coach was right there asking how it went. It is encouraged to do minimally three times per week. They will also be sending sensors to see if you are doing the exercises correctly. It all sounds interesting and creepy at the same time. I already do a half hour set of exercises Monday through Friday. I suppose I will just add this bit in with that. I suppose it’s good to try and stay ahead of the game but I don’t want it to be so intrusive that I stop all together. We’ll see how it goes.  

Cubii Go Portable Compact Elliptical

We walk every morning - in the neighborhood and once a week in DC. We can put up with the heat and the cold, but I really hate the rain and the ice. Our building has a nice sized garage that we use on those days. We used to have a small standing upright exercises bike but we left it behind when we moved to northern Virginia. We don’t use the fitness room and it’s closed anyway due to covid. So I researched small exercise equipment and came across the Cubii ellipticals. Apparently the company has been making these sleek machines for a few years primarily for the seat bound office workers to be used under a desk. I don’t have a desk, but I sit on the couch - for long periods of time. The elliptical has morphed in to a few different models - the original, the enhanced version that can be hooked up to an app and track all the data, etc, and the newest version which is the Cubii Go. It’s under twenty pounds and can be either rolled or carried anywhere in the house. It arrived nicely packed and simple to set up - there is no set up, which was also appealing. I placed the Cubii Go in front of my space on the couch. It also has eight resistance levels. Since I’m just starting to use it, my machine has been set to one and I’ve been building up time this week and just upped the level to 2 - and you can definitely feel the difference. My knee and hip are sore on some days so I really like the elliptical motion compared to the standing bike. At the end of the day I do use the app to manually enter in the time, strides, and resistance. That is converted to calories and miles that are graphed. The only problem with that is if my husband were to use it the data wouldn’t be accurate, but I’m not really using it for that anyway. I just like to idea of moving around without really thinking about it. Every little bit helps, and this is a great way to keep your legs in shape. It psychologically feels good too. It comes with a two year warranty and I’d have to say was a great investment. 

Back to Daily Walks - With Masks

We used to walk at least two miles every day - except Saturday - since I retired four years ago. On Saturday we would drive in to northern Virginia from Capitol Hill, have breakfast at McLean Family Restaurant, and go grocery shopping. How things have changed. When we moved to northern Virginia last year, we resumed our same walking pattern. But rather than walk along the Mall, Navy Yard, Yards Park, and Capitol Hill, we found a great little park across the street. If the weather was too hot, too cold, or rainy, we would drive to Tyson’s Mall or galleria to get the walk in. Since March 13, we have stayed in doors. I would try to do a bit of sit ups and leg lifts, etc - but it’s not the same as a good walk. On May 1, we began to venture outside little by little. The big distinction is we now wear face masks because we are in the “at risk” age group and care about everyone we come in contact with. Since the park is typically busier with foot traffic, our walking course has changed to immediately around the neighborhood where it is easy to cross the street to avoid oncoming pedestrians. At first it was really hard getting back to our usual pace and time outside. I would get rather short of breath. But as the days passed, it’s getting much easier. Now it’s starting to get warm - or should I say HOT. It’s tough wearing a face mask in 90+ degrees. We are not in any hurry to go to the mall for walks yet, so that means I will need to wake up earlier to walk earlier since my husband won’t walk at dusk - my favorite time of the day. Unfortunately we haven’t yet reached the 2 mile target. We are only getting in 1.2 or 1.3 miles. At least it’s a start. Just getting out of the house is a good idea. Thank goodness we have a balcony we can sit on - without masks - and enjoy whatever happens to pass by, tend to the “garden” and play games on the iPad in the evening if the weather permits. All in all our life really hasn’t changed that much since this darn pandemic, but it can still be claustrophobic and you can’t really plan anything. We just need to take each day as it comes. What else can you do?