Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Five...Four...Nine

I've decided to add to my unregimented regimen for physical lifeness: Walk five blocks to work, after work four more blocks to the 'gym'-exercise, and then nine blocks back home, 60% uphill.
It felt good today, and I hope to do it often enough to add it as a habit, at least in the Spring/Summer/Fall during good weather. I do have enough sense to stay out of the rain.
I am heartened in my quest for better health to see seniors keeping fit at the gym every day, doing the work to keep their bodies working. I hope that I am still able to grind it out in my seventies.
Last week I realized, when visiting my brother's graveside, that I am now the age he was when he passed away. He had a hard life, fighting ill health through most of it. Both he and my Dad had diabetes; their health problems have spurred me on to exercise and to take better care of my health. No diabetes so far!
Dropping coffee (five months now) has been good; if I ever go back on the bean I won't beat myself up over being weak, but I'm enjoying tea now.
Here's the nut of the issue: back before I started exercising, when I was drinking coffee and junk-fooding, sitting in a computer chair/laying in bed watching TV...I was becoming immobile. I hurt-aches and pains from too much stress-I had a trick knee that would yell at me going up and down stairs.
Thanks to another knee-one of my Dad's, which had to be replaced-I would bring him to rehab at the hospital physical therapy.
Since I had to bring him to PT, I joined the gym...and discovered how stress would melt away, how I could feel better. Soon, rather than me waiting for him to get done, he would be waiting for me to finish my workout.
That was a few years ago now, and I have never felt better in my life.
Anyone dealing with STRESS in this especially stressful world-get thee to a gym and start working. You'll feel better and be better. Nothing wrong with that.


2 comments:

Doug said...

In 2010 I bought my house, which has 14 steps in a staircase-I've said that those steps will help keep me young. I also do that parking farther away from the entrance thing, walking downtown to the mailbox, etc.
You don't need to re-vamp your entire life just to get moving-the little things you add (or subtract) from your life can do wonders over a lifetime...but only if you do them.
Thinking about exercising never burned a single calorie.

Lucia said...

I started working out last summer; I swam at the town pond, starting with 300 yards and eventually working up to about a mile. When fall came I joined an exercise studio, where I've been since, and now I'm back to swimming again. You're right, it's good for a person in all kinds of ways, although since I swam yesterday for the first time in many months I have a few aches to replace the ones I got rid of. All in a good cause.