When exercise becomes recreation
I’ve extolled the virtues of exercise until I’ve gotten blue in the face - and not just from the thin air up here. But it bears repeating, particularly as the years pass and our egos start to write checks our bodies can’t cash.
I’m not a natural athlete. Far from it. I’ve got at least one reader (hi Kate!) who was present for my morning push-up coaching sessions in high school. I needed to do nine push-ups in order to pass the physical for the Air Force Academy, and I started off unable to do a single one. So I understand being averse to exercise, especially when you fear making a fool of yourself.
The key to it - and obviously, this is no secret - is finding something that you truly enjoy. That gives you a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of empowerment. That makes you feel good while you’re doing it, even if you’re working hard.
Back in New Jersey, a friend of mine introduced me to a Saturday morning circuit training class. I was at the gym for my usual 45 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer (yawn), and she convinced me to join her. Thanks to her encouragement, I gave it a try, and I was hooked. It was fun yet challenging, but not so challenging that I felt as if I couldn’t keep up.
Here in Colorado, I tried a core strength training class where we used those huge exercise balls. Mine inevitably rolled across the room several times over the course of the class, but I wasn’t the only one, so I didn’t feel like an ass. But when I tried the Sunday morning step aerobics class, I was completely and utterly lost. I didn’t know the basic steps, I couldn’t follow along, and I just stood there in bewilderment, unable to join back in.
But biking on the trail has become my top choice for exercise. Not to beat a dead horse (much more), but it’s wonderful. The air, the scenery, the solitude, the physical and mental challenge - with a spark of adventure each time I ride somewhere I’ve never ridden before.
When we bought our bikes, I hadn’t been on one in more than ten years, and that’s a conservative estimate. I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. And if I hadn’t given it a try, I still wouldn’t know.
When exercise becomes recreation, there’s no longer a struggle to fit it into your week. It becomes a priority. Granted, there are weeks when I don’t ride, due to weather or…oh, I don’t know…pregnancy. But I’m active in other recreational ways, like taking care of the yard or shoveling the driveway or walking around the block with the girls.
I’ll never look like an Olympic gymnast or world-class marathon runner, nor will I ever attain that level of fitness. But that’s no reason to sack out on the sofa with a bag of chips all weekend. Because as much as I enjoy a good lounging session, I actually feel better - physically and mentally - when I get off the sofa and get outside.
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What? You can’t exercise because you have nothing to wear? Well, you’re in luck because today you can win some fab new workout gear from Ryka. Go write a post about how you fit exercise into your life (even if it’s just doing 12 oz. curls), link to Ryka (http://www.ryka.com/goodforyoursole) and the Parent Bloggers Network (http://blog.parentbloggers.com), and email us at parentbloggers@gmail.com with the link to your post.
And then go take a lap. Take two.
September 14th, 2007 at 7:48 am
[…] When Exercise Becomes Recreation […]
September 14th, 2007 at 7:56 am
Bossy enjoys working-out her eyeballs: Left, right… left, right… Switch blogs…
September 14th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Sigh, I’m with Bossy. If I devoted the time to exercise that I devote to the laptop, I’d be hotter than a swimsuit model.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:12 am
Jules, you know how I feel about exercise and how if I did not include it in my life. It helps me in so many ways it is hard to even imagine life without it. It has been a part of my life for so long that I fear I would not recognize myself if I did not run. I attribute a lot of this to living by myself in a small Colorado mountain town with few friends and grew to love hiking and biking by myself, then trail running and other outdoors activities.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:12 am
I do it. I’ll never enjoy it, but I’ll do it!
September 14th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
That’s why I run. One foot in front of the other. I trip much less now…
September 14th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
How bad is this…when I read your title, I heard, “When exercise becomes re-creation.”
Re-creating what I thought?
September 19th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
I relate very much to this! Not a natural athlete, never thought of myself as athletic. But I started running in January and I’m addicted. I finally *get* why people do it, whereas I used to think they were crazy. It is recreation to me, it is also “me time.” It empowers me because I’m doing something I *never* thought I could do and I’m starting to see myself as athletic (even if I’m slow!), which I *never* did. I can make goals (small or big) and with some work, actually accomplish them. Now when I go on vacation or work trips, I wonder “when I can go for a run?” It’s very weird for me to be that person - still kind of shocking to myself - but it feels good.