Come on, let's exercise!
I must tell you that exercising - being in motion - has been the most therapeutic part of my recovery! Just DO IT!
As puny as I've been, as soon as I could, I started back at the rec center. Creeping along with my walker, lifting very light weights and riding the recumbent bike slowly but steadily.
At first, I could only ride the bike with the controls OFF - no weight at all! Little by little, I have gotten stronger and built some stamina.
So many of us avoid exercise and only notice the strain and effort when we do it. I implore you - re-focus and let exercise - of any kind - give you strength and power and happiness! Don't focus on the work, focus on the child-like wonder of movement. Children move all the time and delight purely in the joy of motion. Try and regain that child-like feeling - it's more empowering than you can imagine!
Truth is, I came to exercise quite late - I did NOTHING till I was in my early 30s. I was terrible at sport as a kid and decided that sport and exercise wasn't for the "smart" crowd. After confronting my thighs at age 31, I decided to try something and started jogging. I was terrible at it, but could do it on my own time and there was no team to let down. Finishing the first mile took almost a year, but I did it. The day I finished 4 miles I thought, "I can take care of myself and my life!" It was so freeing and empowering!
20 years later, I'm still at it and it has given me great pleasure. My running days are over due to the hardware in my foot, but I can bike and I will be able to hike and I can lift weights to stay healthily strong. I'm no spring chicken anymore, but I will cherish every chance to keep moving.
You DO it! Walk, bike, swim, hike, dance, whatever you like - just DO it! It will enrich your life if you focus on the positive. Of course you have time. We all have the same amount of time and this is important! Who knows, it may save YOUR life too!
As puny as I've been, as soon as I could, I started back at the rec center. Creeping along with my walker, lifting very light weights and riding the recumbent bike slowly but steadily.
At first, I could only ride the bike with the controls OFF - no weight at all! Little by little, I have gotten stronger and built some stamina.
So many of us avoid exercise and only notice the strain and effort when we do it. I implore you - re-focus and let exercise - of any kind - give you strength and power and happiness! Don't focus on the work, focus on the child-like wonder of movement. Children move all the time and delight purely in the joy of motion. Try and regain that child-like feeling - it's more empowering than you can imagine!
Truth is, I came to exercise quite late - I did NOTHING till I was in my early 30s. I was terrible at sport as a kid and decided that sport and exercise wasn't for the "smart" crowd. After confronting my thighs at age 31, I decided to try something and started jogging. I was terrible at it, but could do it on my own time and there was no team to let down. Finishing the first mile took almost a year, but I did it. The day I finished 4 miles I thought, "I can take care of myself and my life!" It was so freeing and empowering!
20 years later, I'm still at it and it has given me great pleasure. My running days are over due to the hardware in my foot, but I can bike and I will be able to hike and I can lift weights to stay healthily strong. I'm no spring chicken anymore, but I will cherish every chance to keep moving.
You DO it! Walk, bike, swim, hike, dance, whatever you like - just DO it! It will enrich your life if you focus on the positive. Of course you have time. We all have the same amount of time and this is important! Who knows, it may save YOUR life too!
posted by Pam at 8:13 AM
3 Comments:
You are still inspiring, Pam.
Keep doing it!
Tim
ah. i remember those days. the early running days. i also remember the Chicago marathon. how very happy and proud Mom was. she glowed. truly.
I just came across your post. I'm 31 yrs old, and I do work out. I started working out at a gym at the age of 25. This is my problem though, I am trying to jog/run, and for some reason, I am so out of breath. I have had physicals and other exams, heart, etc...and nothing is wrong with me. I get major palpitations when I jog or run. It sometimes discourages me to work out when I get strong palpitations.
I'm wondering if weight lifting or maybe something else rather than jogging will enable me to shed pounds. hmm. I know it's so healthy to get good cardio in, but it's also scary when your heart screams, "HELP!" while working out.
I'm happy to see that someone is so motivated as you! Great post!
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