While tutoring slows down in the summer,  the focus shifts.  Though not an exercise expert, the tutor continues with some of his ideas about it.

Connecting with my last post: I was discussing exercises I’ve gravitated towards, or moved away from, over the last couple of years. Skipping is prominent now, with outdoor running, running up and down stairs, and riding the stationary bike all taking back seats.

Skipping, I rarely get injured. However, in my experience, care needs to be taken not to overdo it. When I haven’t skipped for a while, a couple of minutes at a time is the most I should do, with a couple minutes “walking it out” in between. The danger: the connective tissues in the feet can get overworked without the skipper’s being aware. In such a case, when the muscles cool down, the skipper can be left with a bad strain. It’s happened to me. The same caution applies when I want to increase my skipping duration: I put rest walks in between the minutes I’ve always done and the “new minutes” I’m adding on. I only add a couple of minutes at a time.

To my mind, an exercise that bears the person’s weight is advantageous: if the person gains weight, the exercise burns more calories. From that perspective, a weight-bearing exercise is self-correcting against weight gain. Skipping and running share this feature, while riding the stationary bike does not. (Neither, to my mind, does swimming; I’ll say more about that in another post.)

For now, I skip two to three times per week, 15 to 20 minutes each time. I find it promotes the balance, quickness, and endurance that I need to carry me through my busy days with a nine and a twelve year old.

I’ll be talking more about exercise in future posts. For now, please enjoy this beautiful day. For those of you reading from other places: we are currently in a heat wave here. Good luck staying cool!

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.