Dancing With Fruitcake

Category: Healthier Me

  • A Scam, Maybe?

    A person exercising on a fitness machine that allows for adjustable incline positions, demonstrating the 90-degree angle setting. The setting features two additional graphics displaying 60-degree and 30-degree angles for workout options. The background includes a well-lit room with windows and furniture.

    Remember the Aense Pro-Squatter I mentioned in my last post, My AquaFit Adventure (And Why I Ghosted the Pool)? That spiffy-looking piece of equipment popped up in my Facebook feed and seemed perfect for getting some low-impact exercise without destroying my arthritic knees.

    I got excited, placed the order, and waited… and waited… and waited some more.The payment cleared my bank in a day or two, but the package never shipped. I gave it extra time thinking it might be coming from overseas, but after weeks of silence I started digging. Turns out, plenty of other buyers had the exact same experience — paid and never received a thing. I emailed support. No response. Tried their chat bot, which asked me to pay $5 just to forward my message to the “right person.” Hard pass. A couple more emails later, their support links were disabled and the whole company seemed to have vanished. Classic scam.Thankfully, my bank took the claim seriously and issued a full refund right away.

    So instead, I went to Amazon and picked up the Sunny Health & Fitness Smart Heavy Duty Row-N-Ride Squat Assist Trainer.

    The Sunny Row-N-Ride arrived in a thousand pieces, but I was determined to put it together myself. Three hours later, just as I was about to attach the seat, I realized I had assembled the entire frame backwards. Oops.

    Thankfully, I found a 5-minute assembly video, made the corrections, and had it fully built in no time. By then I was already wiped out, but I climbed on anyway.

    First attempt? Just five repetitions. Not five minutes — five single reps. My body was like, “Nope, not today.” Before bed I pushed through 20 more, moving slowly and protecting my knees the whole time. When I woke up this morning… my knees actually felt stronger and hurt noticeably less. My thighs were a little sore (in that good way), so I hopped back on and knocked out 40 repetitions. Let me remind you — I’m 67 years old with arthritic knees. The fact that I could do this at all, and feel better afterward, is kind of amazing.The machine comes with a free app full of guided video workouts (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced) plus a community section where you can connect with other users.

    I’m genuinely impressed. This really is a full-body workout — my thighs and abs are already letting me know they’ve been worked!

    I’m starting with a goal of just five solid minutes, but I plan to build up to at least 30 minutes per session, three or more times a week. After the Aense Pro-Squatter scam, this Sunny Row-N-Ride from Amazon feels like a real win. Here’s the little beast all set up and ready for action:

    A rowing exercise machine positioned on a hardwood floor, featuring a seat, foot pedals, and ergonomic handlebars, with a cozy living room environment in the background.

    Anyone else using one of these? How’s your experience been? I’d love to hear your tips!

  • My AquaFit Adventure (And Why I Ghosted the Pool)

    A large group of elderly adults participating in a water aerobics class in a swimming pool, all smiling and waving at the camera.

    In my last post, I proudly declared I had become “one of those people” — the kind who actually goes to the gym and does AquaFit. Well… let me tell you how that worked out.

    For over four months, I showed up two to three times a week like a champ. And honestly? The results were fantastic. I lost weight faster than I expected, my knees hurt way less, my muscles felt toned, and I just generally had more pep in my step. I actually looked forward to it. Who was this person?!

    Then the universe decided to throw me a curveball.

    Two nearby gyms closed their pools for maintenance, and suddenly all those regulars flooded into our pool. Some days there were over 60 seniors packed in at once. The water looked like a crowded cruise ship pool on a hot day. That’s when I discovered something about myself:

    I might be a germaphobe.

    Twice I walked up to the edge and the water was milky. Not “slightly cloudy” — straight-up gross. I’m guessing it was a delightful cocktail of everyone’s lotion, sunscreen, deodorant, and who-knows-what-else. Another day there were mysterious little floaty things brushing against my legs. I nearly levitated out of the pool.

    After that, I couldn’t unsee (or unfeel) it. Every time I thought about getting in, my brain helpfully supplied images of 60+ seniors happily peeing in the water like it was their own private ocean. And that was it. I was done.

    Now just the thought of the pool makes my skin crawl. I’m genuinely disappointed in myself for not being able to push through it, because I really did love the workout. But here we are.

    So I’ve been hunting for a good full-body, low-impact option that won’t murder my knees. This little gadget popped up in my Facebook feed, and the ad promised it’s joint-friendly. I ordered it from Aense nine days ago… and it still hasn’t shipped. (I’m side-eyeing them pretty hard right now.)

    A woman exercising on an adjustable fitness machine in a bright room, demonstrating different angles of use.

    The Germ Lesson I Learned:

    I can live with my own mess. My house is far from spotless, and that’s fine — I just hire someone to help keep it civilized. But other people’s germs? Hard pass. Apparently I have very clear boundaries when it comes to shared bodily fluids in a giant public soup.

    Has anyone else had their fitness routine derailed by something like this? Or found a great knee-friendly workout they actually stuck with? I’d love to hear your suggestions while I wait for this mystery package to finally show up.

    Stay tuned — I’ll let you know how it goes!

  • Off to a Great Start

    A plate featuring cooked chicken, black-eyed peas, green beans, and a variety of roasted vegetables including zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and colorful bell peppers.

    Yesterday, I started the New Year off with a water aerobics class. It was nice, yet tough. Three-fourths of the way through the class, I started to wonder if I’d be able to climb the steps to get out of the pool with my bad knees. I made it, but it was awkward and there were people looking. I came home and iced my knees to try to offset any major arthritic flare-up. I’m not nearly as sore today as I expected to be, although I did take the exercises easy to prevent pain later.

    This week, I’m planning to eat the same meals each day to minimize uncertainty that would enhance the risk of cheating. For breakfast, I had plain oatmeal with nothing in it, for lunch two eggs on Dave’s Killer Bread, and for dinner see the picture above. I cooked the chicken in the air fryer and the veggies in the oven. Since it was New Year’s Day, I threw in a half cup of black-eyed peas. A banana was my only snack.

    I did a WW workshop. My plan is to do 90 workshops in 90 days to stay connected with the plan and to get new ideas for meals. Some of them are exercise workshops.

    I like to weigh every day. It may not be the recommended way, but it keeps me on top of what’s going on – and sometimes depressed if it’s not going my way. I’m down 1.2 pounds since yesterday. It may be water weight, but whatever. I did drink a good bit of water as well.

    A month or so ago, I bought a vibration plate to use for my knees. I’ve heard they are good for weight loss. If that’s true then it will be a plus. I’m using it twice a day for 15 minutes. It does help to lessen the knee pain. I’m moving around and going out more since using it. I had stopped leaving the house much because of the pain, but I’m out and about again, so the vibration plate and ice have helped my quality of life.

    All in all, yesterday was quite successful.

  • One of Those People

    A group of older women exercising in a pool, using dumbbells for water aerobics, smiling and enjoying the workout.

    In the past, I’ve made fun of those people who start a new diet on January 1st and start going to the gym. They overrun the gyms and annoy the regulars just by being there. Well, guess what…I’ve decided to be on those people this year. That’s right. I made a plan and everything.

    Starting January 1, 2026, I’m going to the AquaFit class at the gym. I’m already a member, but my attendance has long remained dormant. I’m going to do AquaFit four times a week and weights three times a week. I’m also starting back on Weight Watchers. I have my menu made up and everything.

    I did WW last year and lost 30 lbs. I’ve kept most of it off. The thing is, I’ve only been a half-hearted participant. I dial into the virtual workshops, leave my camera off, and fail to participate. I don’t participate in the Connect Community or listen to the audio coaching. I don’t journal. I cheat, and I don’t exercise. There has been no real commitment.

    I’ve decided that this year I’m going to put on my camera and participate in the workshops. I’m going to post in the Community and exercise. I even have a journal. My son gave me The Hero’s Journal, and I’ve already started filling it in.

    The WW coaches ask us to define what is our why? I never really had a why. This time I do. My knees hurt, and that keeps me from living my best life. I bought a vibration plate and started icing my knees, and that has helped a lot.

    I retired this year and have the time to commit and focus on myself and getting healthier. There are no excuses. Of course I’m sitting here right now eating my last-ish chocolate toffee bar…but Thursday is a new day!!