“Knees”

            In high school, I danced on the drill team during half-times. Our sadistic sponsor forced stretching and exercising workouts on us that make today’s PT specialists fume over the casual negligence of our young bodies. Vivid memories haunt me of the hard gym floor pressing into my chest as my partner sat on my back to force my muscles to stretch, stretch, and stretch. One position required us to fold back our knee on the floor, place the other leg straight ahead, and roll down with hands extended to touch our chests to the extended leg. Then we’d shift to the bended knee to pressure it into the ground. If the stretch wasn’t low enough, my partner pushed against my lower back, or sometimes even sat on me to hold me in place.

            No matter what injuries my knees sustained in adulthood, like falling down stairs at work, or slipping and twisting while mopping the kitchen floor, I know every twinge in my knees as I’ve aged began with this torture rendered in high school.

            In 2020, my abused left knee gave out while I was walking and required extremely slow, painstaking rehabilitation that I did following a PAs instructions. I never needed steroid shots. Tylenol Arthritis took care of my pain. My life changed dramatically as I let my knee recover. At first I couldn’t walk around our backyard without stopping. Stairs became a one-step-at-a-time process. After months, I returned to walking to the park. Within a year, I challenged myself with treks up “Suicide Hill” in our neighborhood. Then, I blew out my right knee by a combination of walking and raking leaves. Back to slow and steady rehab.

            During the time of my second knee recovery, we decided to get a stationary exercise bike. With my left knee, I found getting on the bike at the gym provided a safe way to get my heart rate up while not stressing my knees. Purchasing our own bike put my therapy steps away and removed the barriers of gym clothes and gym hours. At first, my knees protested even on the lowest resistance settings and with only fifteen minutes of riding. Now they sing through thirty minutes daily without nagging at me.

            My relationship with the bike is a love/hate one. I dread the thirty minute spin, but love that I can now walk up and down stairs effortlessly. I resent the push against the pedals, but enjoy the satisfaction of sweat. I resent the routine, but understand the need. I envision myself at age 80 with my resistance up and my heartrate low! 

   

 

Copyright 2024 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman

             

“Coming Late to Tech”

 

            While everyone around me updated phones with each configuration of the devices, I held on to my iPhone 4 with tight resolution because it still worked. The more phones cost, the more I convinced myself that I could wait. My trusty iPhone 4 never failed me, but in 2021 my son convinced me that it was time to rejoin the world with newer tech. I welcomed an iPhone SE that I basically used exactly like my old, limited phone—calls to my family, texts to friends and family, and very few apps all neatly arranged into categories like SOCIAL, PRODUCTIVITY, or ENTERTAINMENT. Basically, I hummed along the same phone usage as I had for the previous dozen years, except for the camera. I fell in love the convenience of having a decent camera that fit in my pocket or purse.

            Fortunately, my son pushes me onto new tech that forces me to stretch into different areas. For last Christmas, he purchased a pair of AirPods for my long neighborhood walks, which I took with nature as my background beat. Each morning, I’d select from YouTube favorite musicians that put pep into my pace. He also gifted me with an iWatch 9.3.1 for my birthday.

            Learning how to use the watch proved more of a challenge. On one of my first walks, I unknowingly swiped at or tapped onto the little green walking person and accidentally recorded that walk with all this wonderful data. When I tried to replicate gathering the information for my walk the next day, the tech defeated me. Once I arrived home, with watch in hand, I farted around until I saw the option for LIST. 

            “I love lists,” I thought. Selecting that option made all of those small icons that crowed my watch face change into a respectable and manageable list that let me discover WORKOUT. Dancing around the bedroom with excitement, I saw the option for “Outdoor Walk” and selected it. I never ventured beyond that choice.

            Another overworked knee (too many times up the steepest neighborhood hill accompanied by sweeping leaves from the house front) meant nursing the injury and not returning to my daily walks. Our family Christmas gift, an exercise bike, came to the rescue to help me get back into healthy knee shape. The first time on it, I wore my watch and left it on the “Outdoor Walk” option. I felt pretty silly when I scrolled further down the options and found both “Cycle” choices. Yesterday, though, I ventured down the choices on my WORKOUT option and discovered “Dance”.

            With AirPods in place and Nickelback blasting, I danced from room to room for thirty minutes! I pulled into muscle memory for old drill team routines. 3 Doors Down and I swirled and pumped. Evanescence accompanied me though adding small weights to my spins and twirls.

            This new tech allows me to have accountability for my exercise goals, but it also adds an element of fun. I don’t know what today will bring, but I fill thankful that this new tech becomes part of my daily routine.

 

Copyright 2023 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman