Left-Hand Lucy

by Kimberly Rudd

Dear Friend: When I’m 90 years old, and you’re 91, don’t be jealous if I can still recall names and places from decades earlier while you don’t even recognize my face.

That’s what I told my girlfriend after she laughed at me for beginning the habit of brushing my teeth with my left hand, aka the “other hand.” Like most of us, my life is led by my right hand – writing, reaching, turning, shaking, lifting. But when I heard advice from a researcher who is an expert on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease talk about the virtues of developing new habits using your “other hand,” I decided to give it a try. Who couldn’t use a little help keeping the brain neurons fired up?

My other hand is my left. Yours may be your right. In any case, the first few times of using my other hand were awkward. I loaded a dab of toothpaste onto my toothbrush, using the traditional “hold it with your right, squeeze with your left” method. Oh, wait, I thought. Let me try it the other way around. Great: a bead of toothpaste fell into the sink. Then, a bead fell next to the toothbrush. With the third try, I actually got the paste to land on the bristles.

Next, I began to brush with the left hand, but after a few seconds, my hand felt feeble and I thought I would drop my toothbrush. Yuck; hate to admit it, but my bathroom floor is NOT clean enough to brush your teeth on. So, I leaned further over the sink.

This was the longest-teeth-brushing experience I had ever had. It was wobbly, uncomfortable, slow, and less than productive. But that was the first time. Since then, I’ve tried to brush using the other hand at least weekly, and it gets easier – not easy – each time. You ought to try it. My friend now calls me “Left-hand Lucy” because of my lefty training methods.

Finding new ways to make your body work keeps life interesting. For example, I’ve had friends who’ve never tried to Hula-Hoop® give it a whirl lately as a part of their regular exercise program. They may not be smooth in their technique, but simply trying something new is praiseworthy.

I know a woman near age 70 who three months ago, had never sat down on one of those large, inflatable exercise balls. She looked at it as if she wondered, “what in the world does one do with this.” But after a little instruction, she could sit comfortably. Then, she could lean back on it. Now, she’s able to complete two sets of 30 sit-ups on the ball with the abdominal strength of a swimsuit model. With a little practice and determination, she got her body to do something new.

My left hand and I are still not the best of friends. When I try to stir pots with it, or doodle a picture, or open mail, this other hand is really kinda slow. But eventually, Left-hand Lucy gets the job done, and feels a small sense of accomplishment for having made the effort.

Kimberley Rudd is a certified circuit training and weight management professional, a writer and the owner of a local women’s fitness and wellness center in Blue Island.