Chronicles of Nonny (A Grandma "Feeling the Burn")
by Sandra Carol Mers Clayton on Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 8:22pm ·
This is only the second day and I move with difficulty. STIFF difficulty. If "feeling the burn", as it's said for exercising, is good for you - when is the GOOD gonna start????
Committing to join an exercise class at this late stage in life might have been a mistake. My doctor tells me "do it" - it's good for the diabetes, the arthritis, the fibromyalgia, for losing weight. My kids tell me "do it, Mom" - it's good for the diabetes, the arthritis, the fibromyalgia, for losing weight. My husband tells me "do it", Sandy - it's good for the diabetes, the arthritis, the fibromyalgia, for losing weight - and "you'll soon get used to it." Yeah, right.
What no one was telling me is that it's gonna HURT. Like, PAIN. And STIFFNESS. All of which I have already been experiencing. Who needs more? According to my "friends" (?), I do. Well, they don't tell me I NEED the pain, but they tell me: "It will get better. Pretty soon you'll be used to it. Keep it up." Well, maybe the second day isn't the time to give it up; I'll give it some more time. If I can still drag myself out of the bed in the morning.
You need to understand that I have been out of the practice of arising early for some years now; especially since the morning stiffness and pain became worse. This exercise class is a MORNING thing and MORNING things are not "my thing". Now, however, I have committed to doing a "morning thing". My brain must have still been asleep when I did that. For some of you, I know, nine o'clock isn't exactly early, but for me these past years ................. :(
"Why am I doing this?", I ask myself. Well? Why AM I doing this? To regain my 21-year-old-figure-that-I-never-thought-I-had-at-21 (I look at photos of me at 21 and see that I actually DID have that figure even though I didn't think so at the time!)? No, that's not why I am doing this. It would certainly be nice to have that figure again, but I don't see it happening. If I can keep this up I might lose weight, but I don't see the sags and bags going away, leaving me my 21-year-old-look again. So, why am I doing this? For two reasons: (1) for myself, my health and (2) for my family ... my husband, my kids, my grandkids - I wanta be around as long as possible with them, in as good a health as I can have. I am seriously asking God to help me keep up the exercise, for those reasons. Seriously.
Right now I may go pop an aspirin in my mouth, or not. I'll think about it. I will try encouraging myself to plan on sliding out of that bed in the morning, no matter how the body feels or how slow it is moving. I don't have any "fancy" or expensive exercise clothes to put on, though I did buy some nicer, better-fitting tennis shoes today. I will wear what I have to wear, at the moment; I will go and exercise in the morning. Again. Third day. I will go. I will. I will. I will.
The "Chronicles of Nonny" WILL continue ............................
No fancy exercise duds, but ...
"I will continue, I will continue, I will ..."
The old shoes ... will the new ones help me stay in sync with everyone else?
