Fubby Bubbles

 

Baby Fub

In elementary school, I was given the nickname “Fub” (not to be confused with the acronym FUB, please!!!). This led to “Fubby” and then a teacher rechristened me “Fubby Bubbles” – which may or may not have been an improvement! According to the Oxford English Dictionary, fub is derived from the “…late 18th century: from dialect fubs ‘small fat person’, perhaps a blend of fat and chub.” Fub describes the body with which I was born and, most probably, will have at death. I am becoming fubbier.

At my last appointment I complained to my doctor (a marathon runner) about my medication weight gain. I told her that I felt like “a marshmallow” and that, while I continue to run and practice yoga, my body was turning into “a blend of fat and chub.” I really am a fub.

Fubby Bubbles

“Oh, that’s not just a result of the medication. It’s also a result of aging called sarcopenia,” she responded. She went on to explain that sarcopenia is age-related muscle loss. Just like bone density decreases with age, we also lose muscle mass. The decline in skeletal muscle is a natural process that occurs in everyone over time. It can begin at around age 35 and occurs at a rate of 1-2 percent a year for the typical person. After age 60, it can accelerate to 3 percent a year. The loss may be mild, moderate, or severe—or muscles can remain in the normal range.

 

But on average, adults who don’t do regular strength training can expect to lose 4 to 6 pounds of muscle per decade. And most people don’t see the number on the scale going down, which means they are replacing that muscle with fat – hence my increased fubbiness. Yikes!

fitnessology.net

Well, the good news is that I haven’t totally “fubbed” up. I am already doing activities that can help with sacropenia.

But I need to do more!

“Keep up with your running and yoga,” my doctor told me. “But you need strength and weight training, too – doctor’s orders! Strength training increases your resting metabolic rate which burns more calories and will help in weight loss.” 

 

Decreasing my fubbiness would be nice but, more importantly, I want to: 

• Maintain my independence for as long as possible, completing everyday activities such as walking, cleaning, shopping, dressing and, definitely, bathing! 

• Have the ability to cope with and recover from an illness or injury. *Harvard Medical School reports that disability is 1.5 to 4.6 times higher in older people with moderate to severe sarcopenia than in those with normal muscle mass. 

• Balance properly when moving or even standing still – avoiding falls. *According to Harvard Medical School, 1 in every 3 adults ages 65 and older falls each year leading to broken bones, long-term care and even death.
  

It would be easier to attribute all of my fubbiness to my medication or aging and leave it at that. But my neglect of regular strength and weight training also plays a major role. So, I am starting to “Fubbercize” with home weights, strength exercises and online videos.

Fub, Fubby, and Fubby Bubbles may be unique nicknames but the things that make me most human are not particularly unique nor impressive. I love and am loved. I help people and people help me. I am aging and so is everyone else. I am more interested in my health and the health of others than in anyone’s fubbiness or wrinkles. I am a fub who is willing to accept that, whatever the cause, my body is ever-changing. My greatest hope is to inspire you to accept, respect, and care for your ever-changing body.