I know this flies in the face of all that Jeff Noel stands for, but I have got to be honest. I hate to exercise. The minute I set foot into a gym, the distinct odor causes my gag reflex to kick in. I love to swim, but living in the Northeast means there is a definite season for that. Indoor pools = public toilet bowls.
All that being said, there comes a point in time when a decision must be made. We can either keep on ignoring the truth and hope for the best or we can force ourselves into submission. I don’t think there are many people out there who have not heard the benefits of exercise. The same as smokers know that smoking is negatively impacting their health, drinking heavily isn’t doing them any favors and fried cheese steaks with mayo and a side of fries is making substantial deposits in their arteries, we all know that we should try to incorporate physical activity into our life. We KNOW!
Sometimes true motivation comes from desperation. Arthritis has caused me to wake in the night with hip pain and stop wearing anything but supportive shoes. When I turn my head my neck makes the sound of milk being poured into a bowl of Rice Krispies. One day when my ankle was nice and swollen I got some free medical advice from my son. “Looks like arthritis, Mom. You know, dropping a couple of pounds would mean less weight on the joint.”
As I sit typing this post, I can see the park at the end of my street. The Township just paved a quarter mile walking trail around its perimeter. I’ve been forcing myself to go down there (almost) every day for the past two weeks. I walked a mile on day one, not wanting to aggravate my joints. Yesterday I walked two miles. Last night I slept through the night without waking up in pain. I feel like a hamster on a treadmill, pointlessly going in circles around the track. I haven’t bothered to see if I’ve lost any weight. This gal loves her sleep and doesn’t enjoy pain, so I will be heading down there later today, as soon as the rain stops.
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