i wish i'd had deportment lessons

I no longer crouch down in public since the time I crouched in Boots to look at lipstick on the low shelf and fell flat on my back making a sort of loud squawk noise as I landed, there were two assistants at the beauty counter who just ignored me as I scrambled to my feet and scuttled out of the store as fast as I could

Like Jackieb, I was told I was too tall. Thereafter I stooped, and my posture remains poor. I have neck problems which give me an almost permanent headache in winter. I always envied the girls in my school who sported deportment badges, but I never gained enough points to get one.

I. Always think about posture..... I can hear my 5 foot mum saying” get your head up and look the world in the eye” . She was still as straight as a pole at the age of 92. I follow her example. It worked for her.

I don't think money is wasted on good footwear. It can make all the difference.

sandelf - My boots are Merrell and walking trainers are Salomon. It may seem a little extravagant to have two good pairs but we have two dogs and we do a lot of walking.

True lemongrove. (I would do a thumbs up but I'm on desktop)

I don't do water! Well, unless it's safely in the bath and nice and hot.

Struggling to stand after crouching down is pretty much the norm for older people I should think.?
We’re still here...that’s the main thing.

I walk with my head down because I'm scared of tripping over. I'm a fast walker because I find if I get a bit of speed up it's easier to keep going in a straight line and my knees don't hurt but if I fell I would go down with a heck of a bang.

Seriously I really feel the benefit of Aquafit classes. I go twice a week and up to my neck in water. It's great resistance work built into cardio exercise but with good joint support.

I might be an old crock.

Is a powerplate machine one of those things where the platform vibrates? I tried one of those in John Lewis and my knickers dampened.Never hopped off of anything so fast in all my life. And that was years ago.

I was always a fast walker. Then suddenly I couldn't walk fast anymore.

Jane10 I've just seen your farting post. No way could I go to any kind of lessons. Everyday life is bad enough so far as that is cncerned.

My dad was a fast walker and we used to jog after him, begging him, " Daddy, slow down!" I'm grateful to him now, though!

Also, they say, "The faster you walk the longer you live!" So speed up a bit! (A little bit at a time, of course!)

I joined a gym (about eight months ago) that uses power plate machines. I do a fair bit of squats work on these and the first major improvement I noticed, after only a few weeks, was getting up without using my hands to push. If you're interested, here's a link (below) but many gyms have only one machine that no one uses and possibly no one is trained for. Power plate technology was first used to train Russian astronauts, I think. It's just a vibrating plate you stand on while doing exercises but it's incredibly effective.

www.fitness-superstore.co.uk/blog/guest-blog-11-proven-powerful-health-benefits-of-power-plate/

I don't do pilates or yoga because of the having to get up from the floor thing. I do tai chi, which doesn't require any lying on the floor and is good for balance and movement and flexibility. Old people in China do it until their 80s or 90s.
U3A run classes and local authorities do too in some areas.

Emelle - How interesting. I do find the right shoes a big help. Merrell, Salomen etc so not 'ladylike' but they do the job. Pilates and exercises off the internet help - Google physio exercises for posture correction. Change not quick or easy. Most days for 6 weeks. (I only know this as I HAD to do something about 'skinny bum' - don't ask) anyway got exercise sheet and did stick to it and it did work - but it was hard work and I did ache.

"Lucy" have you tried Pilates? I have aPilates reformer at home and use it daily .Its not exercise as such no cardio ,but it strenghtens and lengthens the muscles and gives you a great stretchOr try an Invertermy friend has one of those and she gets great results says she has regained lost inches by hanging upside down and putting her spine back to where it should be .

I am 5ft 1 - down from 5ft 5 1/2, so most people look down on me these days Lanclass.

I realised I was stooping a little and have tried to correct my posture with little success. I recently went to buy a pair of Hiking Boots at a specialist shop, where they examined and measured my feet in detail. I was told I suffered from pronation which affected knees, hips and posture and on recommendation bought a pair of insoles. They have made a difference to my walk and as a result my posture.

Notthatoldyet Then do something about it

I walk, ride my bike, (although it seems to get heavier everyday), use exercise bike, kitchen dance, and stick to healthy diet.

Would appreciate any realistic suggestions of what else I should do.

#stillknackered

I daren't crouch or bend down these days unless I have a hefty and solid piece of furniture to cling to!

Lucywinter you are so right.
I was still (in my mind) a youngish woman until I was 78 and then suddenly I couldn't get up easily when I had been weeding the garden.
The one thing that consoles me is that being tall ,I will never
be referred to as a little old lady although when I had to give my age recently over the telephone I was referred to as “dearie “ which I found patronising.
My father used to tell me to make people look up to me rather than me look down to them
Kate in my opinion is too thin and her heels are too high.

Then do something about it !
Exercise
Line dancing
Diet
Take classes
And yes i am 62 with various medical conditions
One of my tutors is 80 and dances