Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Exercises for pianists over 50 to gain strength/stamina

This is advice I posted on the Pianist forum:

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, then, relax. Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks.

Then try 50-lb potato sacks. And, then eventually, try to get where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks!

So, what do you do to encourage/enhance strength/stamina at the piano?

Betty

Technical advice needed: What do I do with all those potatoes?

Betty - I can't stop laughing

Got me there

Best one I've heard in a long while.

Thanks Betty.

Been around the internet for a couple of years, anyway, but still cute -

Cathy

Potato Soup!
Scalloped Potatoes!
French Fries!

Betty, you must be kidding, I tried the 5lb bags and couldn't hold them for more than a couple of seconds. I could try resting them on the backs of my hands to replace the quarters whilst playing the piano.

Funny how the eyes see what they want to see (sort of like when I'm so sure when I've played the right notes, only to find out differently at my lesson).

Try reading it again.

As long as we\'re talking about potatoes ...

Akira,

He, he, he, he, he. Good one!

Betty

A menu for three days. Thanks!

I have to watch my carbs. ...maybe lentil sacks.



l's dad

Chunky Potatoes with Cheese, Garlic and Pesto

(makes 12 side-dish servings)

(Note: I could eat all 12 side-dishes myself)

5 large russet potatoes (about 4 lbs), cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cups whipping cream
6 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons prepared pesto
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1-1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 6 oz.)
1-1/2 cups grated jarlsberg cheese (about 5 oz. (don't ask me!))

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place potatoes in 18x12-inch rimmed baking sheet. (A pyrex dish is fine). Mix cream, sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, garlic, pesto and white pepper in a large bowl to blend. Pour over potatoes; stir gently to coat. Sprinkle both cheeses over potato mixture. Bake until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.


Potato heaven!

After this you are definitely going to need to start lifting bags of potatoes. But be happy! You can then make this recipe again!

I hope it's not too late, but I'm thinking of putting potatoes eyes in the ground and seeing what comes up. We've done it before and enjoyed the results.

That and zucchini seem compatible together, and the size of those zucchini can get pretty large. Use them for the exercise!

And, I wish I had put strawberries in the planter boxes this year. All that stooping and lifting of the humongous berries should help too.

Thanks for the potato recipe - Bernard!

Betty

what about twice baked potatoes??? Does anyone have a good recipe for that???

Time to Google:

Idaho Potatoes

or

OreIda

for all those delicious potato recipes.

Who has a great potato salad recipe?

Betty

Bernard,

YUM! That recipe sounds delicious! I keep wondering if "Chunky" refers to the potatoes or the person who eats this dish though !


Sophia

My moms potato salad recipe, but I always make it to taste, so no quantities:

Boiled Potatoes diced
Celery diced fine
Onions diced fine (I normally use too many of these for my sister)
Hard Boiled Eggs, pealed and diced
Carrot shreds for color
Salt & pepper on potatoes to taste

Dressing:
Miracle Whip
Milk to a creamy consistency
Lemon Juice to taste
Pepper to taste
Sugar or splenda to taste
Mix dressing well

Mix all ingredients carefully and top with pepper rings and paparika for color. It's almost a sweet and "sour cream" type dressing.

Rich