Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: AuRavelling79 on March 20, 2005, 12:32:45 pm
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Working as a window cleaner naturally helps you keep fit, but do any of us do anything else:-
e.g. swimming/running/cycling/weights etc?
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Although my attention towards training has faded in recent years, I do still play cricket.
A tame game some of you may think?
But I am a bowler, a seam bowler, I have no great pace anymore, but I am a swing bowler.
Although I am not a 'fast' bowler, I do put every ounce of physical effort into my bowling.
When you are doing up to 2 hours of bowling during nets it is incredibly demanding on the seam bowlers.
The stresses and strains for the spin bowlers differ.
Indoor nets are now 3 weeks old, the aches and pains now only take 2 or 3 days to fade.
This will soon move to outdoor nets, and training perhaps twice a week and one or two matches on the weekend.
So from now until September I will be training about 4 hours a week, and then matches on the weekend when the season begins.
This just about manages to maintain my fitness levels above most people in their 40's & 50's
I have found that as a result of doing a physical job all my life plus an awful lot of training in gyms, 20 years of just about sub county squash (finished playing about 6 years ago) I am far stronger and have far more endurance than people half my age.
It shocks me sometimes when I see how weak and feeble adults can become.
Many on the forum will have good strength and stamina, even if they do no training at all, the job sees to that.
And those of you who are young and fit will not notice how feeble those only a few years older than you are, or is you do you may assume it is just another facet of getting older.
Window cleaning, whether you are lugging ladders or using WFP may well put more than a few stresses on out bodies, but it keeps us strong too, and those of you that have the energy to indulge in sport that raises your cardiovascular levels have the best of both worlds ;)
Talking of cardiovascular workouts, doing this post has kept me from going out on my mountain bike. I'm a fair weather mountain biker, I'm off out for an hour or two ::)
Ian
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I cycle, although i've not done much over the winter. Plan to do 1/2 hour at least 4 mornings a week plus a good run on Sundays.
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Come April I swim every morning in the sea.
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Karlos,
An initial jaw drop :o
Then remembered (and read) that you are in the middle of the Med ;D
I too would be the same as you, I love swimming & snorkling, when we holiday somewhere with a warm sea I'll spend 3 or 4 hours out in the sea.
Usually no more than an hour & a half at time as the missus panics if I am gone to long.
Ian
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I lift a few weight most saturday nights in my local, thats enough for me, if i had enough energy to go to the gym then i havent worked hard enough that day
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Hi all,
i play five a side on friday and sunday evenings, and badminton on wednesday. Its my intention to start jogging soon becuase i want to do a marathon next year.
Cheers Mark
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mountain bike about 60 miles a week two day rides and one night ride. bikes worth more then my car. ;D
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If the missus see's me sitting down she believes that I've nothing to do and gives me a list, So I exercise my mind and find ways of looking busy, and she thinks I'm dead good - always on the go.-
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Diving, Motorcycling,Surfing, Skateboarding,Judo,Boxing....or maybe just go up the pub... :)
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Gym 2-3 times a week for an hour or two.Depends how knackered I am.I do work 8-9 hard hours a day but find since doing gym work & giving up caffeine I get less tired after a days work.Strange eh?
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I sometimes hunt for the telly controls!
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Cycling does for me ;D During the Summer I try to take Fridays' off and take off for the day...well 4/5 hours anyway and see how far I can go. 110 miles in 6 hours my longest in one go. Although I did cycle down the PCH in California which is 512 miles from San Fransisco to LA over 10 days a couple of years ago.
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That's amazing chartermarque - the most I've ever done in just one hour is 17miles! (On a cheapo imitation "mountain bike".)
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I'm a fair weather jogger, but Wor Lass - who's also a window cleaner - is a FANATICAL runner. Body of an athelete, with black or missing toe nails to boot.
She runs at least four days a week, six if she's training for a marathon. She also races for Chepstow Harriers. She's just had her name in the sports pages in the local rag for the womens team.
I honestly don't know how she does it! Cleans windows all day; in-between guzzling some energy drink; then goes for a ten miler; returns home and does the dishes!
She's one of those people who just can't stay still. She wakes up; grabs the hoover and rattles it all round the house.
She certainly enjoys (and deserves) her sleep though!
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blimey...she's just like mine then...can't sit still for a minute...
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I go weight training 3 times a week and have done for over 25 years, and also play tennis between 2 and four hours a week, which is tough going here in the summer after sweating all day cleaning windows. my poor missis has a mountain of T shirts to wash and iron every day. :(
Mike
Southern Spain
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I never used to do exercise because I would be too tired after a hard day.
Last year I broke my ankle and was on cruthces for 6 weeks and found I needed to use weights to beef my arms up. Now I workout most days and have found my stamina level has gone through the roof. I never come home and collapse in the arm chair like I used to?
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I dance! Ballroom mostly, with some sequence.
Started last year, once I recovered from bypass surgery in June 2003 [4 bypasses].
I find that having "worked up" a small W/C round a few weeks ago, two or three halfdays per week, together with the dancing, is sufficient to keep me quite fit, thanks.
I'm building up the muscles in my legs, and at nearly 60, I'm probably fitter, [but not necessarily stronger], than many chaps half my age.
John, [Baldeagle]
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I recovered from bypass surgery in June 2003 [4 bypasses].
I find that having "worked up" a small W/C round a few weeks ago, two or three halfdays per week...... and at nearly 60.
John, [Baldeagle]
I'm really impressed and I'm sure that as your round grows; so will your strength, health and fitness.
But what possessed you to start a window cleaning round at 60?
Regards
Tosh
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Hello Tosh,
I didn't set off to start one!!
I got made redundant six weeks before the operation, having been off sick for a year with a dicky ticker.
Having recovered, [I was 16 months on incapacity benefit], I found that the two small pensions I have, are more or less, enough to live on.
Several ladies where I go dancing were moaning that they "Can't get a Handyman to do the little jobs'".
I'd been a maintenance electrician/engineer for 40+ years, [Elec Board, NHS, BT and finally as Senior Engineer for Nat West], so I set up as a handyman, part time, just a couple of days a week to provide a local service, and to earn a small amount, although interest and enjoyment were more important than money.
Trouble was, the work's erratic, it's either 5 jobs at once, all got to be done this morning, and then nothing for 3 weeks!!
Then someone asked me to clean some windows, [something I'd done part time, many years ago, to help out a local W/C at weekends.
Love it!!
Outside in the fresh; work Tue, Wed, Thursday only, [dance Mons and Fri's].
Interesting and enjoyable.
Meet nice people, and I've built up a round from a part of the town that was "abandoned" by a local W/C who packed up last year, so I'm not treading on anyone's toes.
How do I know that? 'Cos I cleaned his windows last Thursday afternoon!!! [Whilst he was chatting to me, as it happens, and cleaned his Father-in-Laws this morning!!]
And I get to read this forum; what a lovely lot you all are, so helpful, so friendly!!
John [Baldeagle, soon to be in "The Pheasant Inn"]
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with a thingyy ticker.
Hi John,
Thanks for a nice reply. For what it's worth from me, welcome to this forum. I find it's good when you've had a guts full of window cleaning; you can come here and get re-motivated!
Sorry about your 'thingyy' ticker. This site has got a strange spelling corrector. C O C K N E Y is spelt Cockney here!
I actually took on a new clean today. The guy who's house I started cleaning had had a triple by-pass (I haven't a clue really what that means apart from some heart operation plumbing) and he said he could get about, but window cleaning would be out of the question.
He was probably about your age; so you must be some 'lad' to do it; even if it is on a part time basis at the moment. Where do you wish to take it? Full time? Employing people?
As for the several ladies who:
where I go dancing were moaning that they "Can't get a Handyman to do the little jobs'".
Sounds like you're onto a winner with them! ;)
Regards
Tosh.
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Hi John
Welcome to the forum.
What an interesting posting. How many people can say they've started something for themselves at nearing 60?
With regards health, I see an osteopath about every 6 months. About 8 or 9 years ago I broke a bone in my neck at work (the arm rest of a chair gave way as I went to sit down) and I needed proper treatment and as it did me a power of good, I go back regularly for check ups and advise.
Since window cleaning my general physical health has improved. Last year when I asked the osteopath about this he reckoned that window cleaning is one of the few proffession where, because you stretch this way and that all day long, you are unlikely to suffer any serious RSI type injuries if you excercise or do stretching excercises regularly. He also said that physically, provided you don't fall from a ladder or over strain carrying ladder incorrectly, that window cleaning is healthy work.
You do ballroom dancing also which is really good excercise.
Sounds like you have a perfect combination.
Cheers
Ross
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Interesting re: RSI, Ross - before I got my pole I found that after a couple of long days w/c my right wrist would ache with the squeegee motion exacerbating it. As I do a lot less squeegee work now that I have a wfp I don't get the discomfort.
I now use different muscles when wfp'ing and then different again when squeegeeing - and feel better for it.
Good huh? :)
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Hi MalcG
I can't wait to go over to WFP's and am planning to introduce it by stealth to the other two sceptics I work with.
I've got them to agree to a small Ionics attatch to a tap type filter thing for doing consevatory roofs except I am not going to order the one they think I am I'm going to order something better by mistake as in ..............'oops silly me ........ well as we've got it we may as well try it out' type mistake.
With regards the wrist thing - I did get that untill I did wrist and arm streching things from a chart the osteopath gave to me and after a few weeks, the aches vannished.
Cheers
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God evening (morning) Gents, ;D
Hope you all are having a great week. Myself, it is great to manage my business and not go out to do hardly any of the work, but I have to say I miss the exercise. 8)
I am a very petite woman(5feet 2), and I fluctuate between 103-110 lbs.
I spend a lot of time in front of the computer; so I schedule work outs every day. Bike riding is the best. Also do light weight training and isometrics; stretching. ;)
As I have said before; I began having tennis elbow very badly from window cleaning; had to give it up a bit. And once you go in that direction; gotta keep going! :P
Now I welcome the opportunity to clean windows; but have to keep up with the money machine because everyone wants to be paid on time! ;D
Lately I have been shorthanded and I have had a couple of challenges; but it all worked out fine; customers happy, and my ladder guy is back in town now. I still got it! :o
What motivates me is wearing bikinis! I intend to continue wearing them until things begin to look bad!
Have to admit I like turning heads. A girl thing. I love feeling beautiful. Again, a shallow female thing. 8)
God Bless you all! Hope you have had a productive week! ;D
Hugs,
Texas Girl :-* :-*
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:DIt must be nice for you over there ;D is the weather always warm ???
regards
Terry :-*
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Terry;
It isn't always warm here; but almost 10 months it is pleasant or warm/ then hot.
I love the heat tho. I think it is nice here; the economy is very strong; lots of growth and hence potential.
Fort Hood is 20 miles from my house; they have recently built a new international airport. 8)
I am thankful for the growth. I live on the lake so I am really blessed.
I thank God for the blessings He has provided: my son,s death could prevent me from enjoying the blessings; but I know where he is, and he is in paradise. :D
So I am determined to be happy again and enjoy what God has provided. The enemy will not destroy my life. ;D
Good luck
Hugs Texas Girl :-*
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;)Yes I think someone is looking over us,I have been united with my sisters and brother just before christmas,who I never knew untill my dad died,in 1988 then the secret came out slowly over the years,october last year I had a call to tell me had 2 sisters and a brother,we all met just before christmas,it was great!this was all ment to be,thank god ;)