I Can't Believe I Missed It

I've been doing this exercise thing on and off my entire life. Really. I called it other things years ago, but it was exercise. When I was a kid, I was outside riding my bike, jumping off the boathouse roof, or playing Man from U.N.C.L.E. with Marcia.

I didn't play sports in high school, but I was in the band, the marching band. I carried a tuba I never did learn how to play. I played both clarinet and flute in concert band, but for marching around, I opted to carry a fiberglass tuba and not have to wear a hat and ruin my hair.

After high school, I went on to college and took my requisite physical education classes. I kept getting jobs that were physically more than sitting at a desk. I graduated from nursing school and my job became far more physical.

At the age of 27 I took up racquetball. I not only played the game now and then, I really took up the sport. I was eventually playing 9-12 hours per week. Admittedly, part of the time was recuperating between games. But I was at the gym and playing at a game that required both dexterous movement and powerful forehand backhand hits, but also caused me to build up quite a muscular frame.

Something happened after the last move back to Elyria. First, no racquetball and with it the loss of muscle tone and cardiac stamina. I then quit nursing and got jobs that entailed sitting. I went back to college and sat some more. I then taught for three years and was on my feet again. But it isn't the same as a workout.

After the move to South Carolina I became not only sedentary, but stationary. I sat at home, I got a job sitting at work. I quit that and sat at home some more. I've tried Curves for a while and water aerobics for a while. Both were fine, but stultifying and time constrained. The Curves place was only 15 minutes away, so I spent an hour (15 there, 30 exercising, 15 home) or twice the time needed. Water aerobics lasted an hour, but the place was 30 minutes away. Same problem, but it was also a scheduled class.

I've done nothing for over a year. Well, exercise-wise. I've gained weight. I've felt sluggish. I've gotten more and more depressed the more weight I've gained and the more sluggish I've become. Something had to change. I needed to be active again.

I got the elliptical knowing I'm so cheap I will use it only because I can't stand to waste that much money. I forced myself on the machine six days in a row and then consulted my personal trainer, AKA my son. He sent me a four week workout program. I've followed it.

Monday and Tuesday I did 20 minutes and then Wednesday I took off. Now, here is the scary part. I stayed up late Tuesday night and didn't go to bed until 2 AM Wednesday morning. I woke up late and reveled in the thought that I didn't need to exercise. It was a scheduled day off and I could immediately get to my e-mail. No postponing, no sweating. Just languishing around.

It was awful. I ate more yesterday, especially more junk food than I have been eating since the exercise equipment darkened my door. I was more restless yesterday. I didn't write as much yesterday. I paced more yesterday. It wasn't my best day.

Today I got up late again because I was up late again last night taking care of issues on the forum where I moderate. I got up, had one cup of coffee sitting on the porch. Then I got up on the elliptical and did my 25 minutes as Craig said I should. I then read my e-mail – nothing important there and the forum stayed quiet after I went to bed. I have written more today, eaten less, and feel better.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but: I missed exercising.