My exercise routine at home that ticks a lot of boxes
I bet he does a lot of intense exercise
7 June 2020 I am proud of myself. Bit of an arrogant statement but what the hell. Every day always starts with a quick burst of aerobic activity. Enough to get my heart beating faster. Remember I’m badly disabled by multiple sclerosis, I cannot walk unaided. Is this exercise routine at home good for me? It ticks a lot of my boxes so it should be good.
What is the exercise?
I pretend that I am punching a punch-ball. I do it every morning after I get up. Now it is a part of my routine, just like having a shave or cleaning my teeth. It tells my body “I am awake”. Is taking my rollator for a short walk and pretend boxing turning me into an exercise junkie? Nope, definitely not.
Is this a good idea?
During the Covid19 lock down I need challenges otherwise I vegetate and get depressed. Any exercise that gets the heart beating a bit faster is good for me and remember serious aerobic exercise is a serious challenge for me.
New routine
I like new challenges and finding a way to take correct aerobic exercise was one of them. Overdo it and I am a wreck for the rest of the day. Running or going for a good walk are not an option. Earlier this year I spent just over 2 minutes using a rowing machine, that was 110 seconds too long.
Exercise routine at home
I saw a film and there was a scene of a boxer standing up and repeatedly punching a ball, he made it look easy. “This is an idea that I can adapt”. Here is my version; I sit on a loo seat in our wet room and punch an imaginary ball and do it as fast as possible for as long as possible. Before I get out of bed I do need 15 minutes stretching and loosening up, sort of Pilates. When I wake up I feel like a scrunched up elastic band.
The first time
I sit on the loo seat, take a deep breath and mutter “I will punch this imaginary ball one hundred times alternately with each fist”. After about 75 ‘punches’ I am exhausted and must stop. “Ummm, this idea needs a bit of a rethink”.
Sportsmen who are training do bursts of intense activity followed by a short rest. “OK”, I say to myself “I’m no athlete but the principle is the same. My body will never resemble that of a Grecian God but what the hell”.
Next day
I’m going to do four repetitions of 50 punches and see how that goes. Between each repetition I will take 5 deep breaths. I bet you are all sitting there thinking “how puny and pathetic”. In my defence I will say that you have got to start somewhere. After all this is my exercise routine at home
4 weeks later
I now complete six repetitions of 60 punches. My target is six repetitions of 100 punches. To be honest I do feel a bit of a twit but deep down there is a feeling of achievement and satisfaction. I’ll never “float like a butterfly or something like a bee”. Nonetheless I do feel better and that is what counts but I don’t want to be a boxer.
Associated articles
MS Society introduces the 1 Km walk
Do my morning exercises
June 2020
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