In 2021, upon the incessant prodding of my daughter, I joined a cross fit gym. She herself is a cross fitter. I know the benefits of strength training for older adults. However, cross fit seemed too intense for me. I remember in 2016 when we were still in Cambodia, we joined a half-day boot camp in one of the gyms around Toul Tom Pong in Phnom Penh. It was free so my daughter and I joined. It felt good. I felt good.
Later that day my sister in law arrived and asked me to accompany her to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. I couldn't decline because she seldom comes to Cambodia. So off we went. However, my entire body was feverish from the pains of the previous day's workout. I could hardly walk. I was in pain!! That was my first taste of cross-fit exercise.
So fast forward, I joined again in 2021. It felt food once again. The sweating. The thought of getting back in shape, of gaining resistance and stamina and strength. It was a good routine. Or so I thought. After less than a week of enlisting, my lower back flared up.
I was back in bed flat for three days. Back in bed because my lower back is so fragile that it tends to crack every now and then and send me to bedridden for 3-4 days.
There is so much back story on this. Short story - I saw an orthopedic doctor who had me do MRI and XRay of my spine. I was diagnosed with Lumbar Spondylosis, an age-related degeneration of the vertebrae and disks of the lower back. These changes are often called degenerative disk disease and osteoarthritis. Among the many prohibitions are bending, jumping and twisting. Since my illness is degenerative, then all I can do is strengthen the muscles around my lower back. The best exercise for this is walking. But it would not strengthen much my muscles.
Walking is good. It is free but it can be boring especially that my route is on busy streets in the city. So although I like it, I always find reasons not to do it.
Then my daughter comes back to me to get me back to the gym. I was hesitant because of my fear of another flare. So she had me see a sports PT to check and see if I can do cross fit. I passed the test and got the assurance that the gym coach is able to scale down my routine.
So she signed me up for a month. I have gone there for a couple of times already and I love it. The coach knows my limitations and I am given simple routines. I also make sure that I do my stretching and mobility exercises in the morning before heading out to the gym.
This picture was taken after our workout. The 6am class schedule works best for me right now. There is also an older couple who goes to the same gym. Fitness has no age limit indeed.
