Saturday I got up at 7:30 a.m. to go train for a 5K I have committed to do in November. Now, if you do not know me well, that may not seem like much of a big deal. For those of you who do, I know, it is unbelievable! The most crazy part of it was that I enjoyed it.
I have always said I hated exercise. The problem was that I had never found anything I could do physically and feel good about until I discovered yoga in 2008. It sort of snuck up on me. I went to a "class" where it was usually just me and the instructor. That gave me a chance to learn some moves without feeling embarrassed. From there I ventured into a class that was a combination of yoga, aerobics and dancing to the oldies. I did fine even though I have two left feet. I was developing a habit when the gym closed abruptly. I got a yoga DVD and started practicing at home. Very convenient but hard to stay committed.I proclaimed 2009 was going to be our year to get healthy. I gave Jerry the big speech about us getting older and fatter. He did something about it! He hired a trainer and started going to the gym twice a week. I noticed what a big difference it made in him physically when he played church softball that year. I continued to make excuses and ate my way through an Alaskan cruise.
At the end of 2009, Jerry told me he was going to sign us up for a family gym membership for 2010. "You do want to work out, don't you?" he asked me. Then, when our church women started a new study in January 2010 focused on being healthy physically and spiritually, I knew it was time. I started cutting back on food and working out with Tracy. That was the key because I would have felt so uncomfortable around all those sweaty guys and scary machines had I not had someone to show me what to do and stand there with me while I did it.
My trainer got a full-time job and I have to go workout by myself now but I don't mind it. I just do my little routine he wrote out for me. I have also found a great, Christian yoga instructor. I now look forward to my yoga class or going to the gym. I even took my yoga DVD along on a family vacation so my daughters and I could practice together. We planned a trip to Burgess Falls and Jerry said "you can hike down to the falls this year." I am glad he is proud of me. I am proud of me.
I hope we can keep the physical activity up. Jerry hurt his shoulder this year and missed a couple of months at the gym but he is back now. We both want to be as healthy and active as possible well into the future. We feel we owe it to our children and grandchildren. We owe it to ourselves and to God, too. I am sorry it has taken this long not to hate exercise.
