Speaking as an arthritic, overweight, older person, I have great difficulty with the bend and the stoop. It has become very easy to rely on a Gopher to pick up those constantly dropped items rather than putting myself out to remove them from the floor. Food dropped is easy because Slim races to pick that up (isn't she helpful?). But I find myself relying on The Gopher far too much for little objects dropped. Sometimes I will walk around the house for several minutes trying to find The Gopher to pick something up and I could have picked up 50 things in that time frame.
Today, unless something is too high for me to reach, I'm giving up the gopher. If I can manage to ride my exercise bike for 40 minutes a day, surely I can add bending over to pick up something as part of my fitness program. I will get a genuine workout when the grand kids visit because I am constantly picking up socks, CDs, DVDs, magazines, Game boy games, dolls, tiny plastic parts, etc.
Ron and I both will occasionally find ourselves staring at something in the middle of the floor and you can tell neither of us wants to feel the pain of retrieving it but if we don't pick it up, it will cause the other pain. From now on, I'm going to rush to pick up the item as part of my calling in life. Last week I was late with my fitness report so now I'll be early. Tomorrow will the my 9Th week anniversary and as of this morning I have lost 12 pounds. This new bending exercise should also help make some changes.
Other than required equipment for medical reasons, do you rely on any technology that softens you and you could and would be better off without? Do you use gophers/grabbers in your life?
I think that Gopher is a nifty gadget - I haven't heard of that before. But I applaud your efforts to go without it. And I think you look beautiful in your photo (overweight?), but applaud your efforts to be more fit, too.
ReplyDeleteBecause of where our house sits and the most common wind direction, after strong wind sorms which we always get in April, the gopher is the ideal tool for picking up papers and other trash which has blown into the yard.
ReplyDeleteRalph
The Gopher does sound useful but I can understand why one could become too reliant on it.
ReplyDeleteWell done for the weight loss, I'm very impressed!
I sometimes use a trolley to carry my dj equipment into a venue when really could carry it.
Congratulations, Annie! Twelve pounds - that's amazing! Don't be bending over from the waist - do the squat (if your knees can take it) because it's easier on your back and uses more large muscles.
ReplyDeleteI used to use my kids as handy retrieval agents - lol!
I am on arthritis meds and usually take 2 extra-strength Tyl*nol per day. I try to bend as much as possible because I know that if I don't, I will only get stiffer and it would be more painful. I also go up and down stairs at least 7-8 times per day, which helps.
ReplyDeleteI use the grabbers, cause the dystrophy has been horrid to my upper bodyparts. Those little suckers are a God send when it comes to getting things down from high shelves.
ReplyDeleteToo much sitting at this damn computer. I need to stop pausing at the mailbox when I drive home and instead park the car in the garage and then walk back up the road (1 block) and get the mail.
ReplyDeleteLynn -- Drop by and I will give you a quarter for that nice compliment. Thank You!
ReplyDeleteRalph -- I use an old grocery store basket to roll around the property and pick up trash with my gopher. I'm not sure about changing that process. I might start out without it and then finish up with it.
Joe -- I was shocked to realize how much I use that thing. Only quitting this morning, I have reached for it at least a dozen times. I believe this is going to be a good thing. It is funny how losing weight wasn't my ultimate goal on this exercise bit but it sure is a nice added reward.
Talon -- I'm really working on the bending at the knee business. I'm afraid I don't look much like a ballerina doing it though. LOL
Kenju -- I take quite a few extra strength Tylenol a day too. Hopefully the arthritis won't win this round. Our house is split level so I go up and down stairs also but there are only four. Still that has to help some.
Dani -- The gophers were designed with you in mind. They are to help those who need it not those who are lazy like me.
Quilly -- Darn it! I drive to the mailbox also. Okay, I'm dropping that routine as well. The really bad thing I do is park in the handicapped spot when Ron is not with me. The plaque is for him not me. I'm going to stop that as well.
You're going to laugh - I saw this before reading and my brain thought, "A gadget to grab a gopher?!"
ReplyDeleteI actually hadn't heard of one of these before. I'm not telling my husband, or he'll never leave his armchair ;)
Yes, we have one of those gopher thingys... I only use it outside to pick up pinecones.. and things that get behind stuff that my arms just can't reach.. My cousin picked up a snake with hers inside her house and threw him out. I'd be too scared to do that..
ReplyDeleteWay to go on the program! My useless gadget could be the remote or the laptop!
ReplyDeleteCool, this is the first time I hear of this and I think it is certainly very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI think I found all that weight you lost. Congratulations to you. I once lost a lot of weight. I know what you've gone through to attain that girlish figure.
ReplyDeleteI thought I left a comment yesterday but couldn't find it today. My husband is the gopher user. My dad gave him one years ago and I have not been happy about it since. I fuss and gripe all the time that he needs to just bend over and pick things up. I totally understand that some people do need a gopher. Hubby is not one of them. The up side is...at least he does pick things up, lol. Congrats on the weight loss...that is awesome! But like Paul...I think I found some of it, lol.
ReplyDeleteRiot Kitty -- We actually have a gadget to grab gophers. It is called SLIM! LOL
ReplyDeleteAncient One -- Since we do have snakes around here I better keep the gopher handy in case I need it to grab one. Yikes!
Jean Mac -- Wow you picked the gadget we are all most reliant upon. If we got rid of our TV remote we would both get skinny. A friend emailed me that she got rid of her electric can opener and only opens cans with one of those old turn things.
Shionge -- Now if you get one, be careful not to become addicted. You're too young and cute to get lazy and put on pounds.
Paul -- You probably didn't find the weight I lost because I'm pretty sure mine is hiding around some corner waiting to pounce back on me. I'm afraid the "girlish figure" has left me forever. I just want to control my cholesterol.
Bonnie -- The upside is too great. Don't take away his gopher. Maybe I should get one for each of my grandchildren. They might think it was fun to pick up things.
There's no shame in have a Gopher dependency ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe have a grabber at the bar I work to grab bags of chips from the rack. I'll admit that I have not used it for that purpose since I used ti to retrieve a dead mouse from underneath the ice machine.
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