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| Photo by Jack daniel from Pexels |
I've done a better job in 2019 of exercising regularly than I've done since, well, the couple of years right after 9/11. I've not lost weight, but I feel better and my mood is noticeably better when I've had some physical activity. (Who notices? My wife. I'm not mean when I get down. But I definitely get down.)
Alas, I'd had a slowdown over the previous few weeks. And it mattered tremendously. Somehow, I injured my right heel working out - I think it was the bad use of a couple of machines I normally never use - and stayed out of the gym for a little bit. My energy went - I could barely stay awake during most the daylight hours. My spirits declined drastically. It felt like I was going into permanent decline.
Then, on Thursday night, my wife took me to the gym.
It was kind of her. (Sometimes I need that little bit of help getting started. I appreciate that she offers it.) So was her advice: "If you can only do 10 minutes, do 10 minutes."
That's about what I was able to do - 10 minutes of walking on the treadmill before my legs gave out.
She took me again today. Somehow, I did 20 minutes on the treadmill, plus some light weightlifting. And I didn't have to fight low energy levels all day. There was an afternoon nap, but mostly I was alert and engaged.
For me, when I lose momentum in exercise, it takes tremendous effort to renew it. That's what happened again to me in July. But I also have found that energy begets energy. If I invest a little bit, I usually get more in return. I hope to keep building on this.
It pays off for me. It pays off for my family, too. My wife just told me she's taking me to the gym again tomorrow.
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