I have really been trying to get back on the exercise wagon lately. Everything feels better when I’m exercising regularly, both physically and mentally.
Within the past year or so, I’ve noticed that my body just hurts when I’m not getting enough exercise. My back hurts, my knee hurts, everything seems like such a chore. It is clear that as I age, I need to be downright aggressive about keeping my body moving.
I’ve put on a bunch of weight, so now even bending over to pick something up is hard to do. It’s awful. If I drop a dollar on the floor, I might offer you $0.50 just to pick it up for me.
As recent as a couple of weeks ago I couldn’t even walk one mile because my back would start hurting. My Wednesday night wintertime basketball nights were depressing and painful. I was twice the player I used to be, and half the player I used to be, all at the same time. I hated it.
I know that I need to start small and work my way up again, which for me, at least for now, just means walking. I need to get out and walk as much as I can and as often as I can. Walking is awesome because it is something that you can just get up and do whenever the mood strikes. Almost.
Unless I’ve planned ahead at least an hour, I can’t walk for long without my blood sugar going low. Then I have to eat something, which pisses me off because I’m walking to lose weight! I know in my head that even though I’m eating to fight off the low, the walking is still good for me. But emotionally? It kicks my ass. I get SO MAD that I can’t just get up and go for a nice long walk whenever I want to.
Typically, I’ve got myself so mentally worked up about this stupid thing that when I start planning ahead I get all pissed off about it again! Then my motivation to move disappears, and I go do something else (not exercise related).
As my frustration around all of this builds, I’ve noticed that the sheer frustration has buoyed my motivation a bit, but I worry it won’t last long. As the weather warms again I’m also reminded of how frustrated I got when doing all of the “outside jobs” around the house. I mean, who plans for hours before mowing the lawn?
