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Dear Sally; everyone, despite their age and current fitness level can make great improvements and strides towards improving their health, fitness level and everyday output. The key is to make sure that you start out slowly. May I suggest that since a lot of people cannot walk fast or long enough to receive the aerobic and weight-bearing benefits because of orthopedic and medical limitations, that you get what is called a peddler – which is a small device and inexpensive that you can put on a table or use it under the table to move your arms or legs in a circular motion to improve your cardio, which is key for your condition.
Sally; even if you are only able to do it for 1 or 2 minutes to start, over time, you can build up to 10+ mins. which will help your condition and also get your endorphins to kick-in.
The important thing to note here is that we all want the Z in fitness, but one can only get there by starting at A, going to B, then so forth and so on…
If you are waking around, doing chores and taking care of your loved one as you’ve described, you are capable of doing much more fitness-wise, which will make you more aerobically fit, stronger and enable you to start doing more exercise-related movements.
Stretching for 5 minutes daily Sally, will also help you and ease some stress to your joints…
Edward
Thanks for the tips, Ed. I have COPD, am old, and overweight, and am the ONLY person within 2000 miles to haul groceries, Depends. Make jello. Mow the lawn. Shovel snow. Drive the old dear to one live-saving doctor after the other. Pay the bills. Clean the house. Try to get a home health aide in here. If I was 30 or even 40 this would be useful advice, and thank you for posting it for the younger, fitter caretakers who still look ahead to the future.