Tuesday, October 26, 2010

May I Just Go Back To Bed??


Every morning I spring from my bed, a big grin on my face and rush downstairs (who needs coffee?!) and begin my morning calisthenics ("exercise" sounds sooo crass). Of course, I don't sweat, I glisten. With a smile. Everyday. Right. If you believed any of that, I've got a bridge to sell. The truth is I've been exercising for years and years. I despised P.E. as a child. I was only ever good at one game in gym- dodgeball. And just at dodging. So I had ZERO ability to throw the ball back at my opponent. I just dodged around until the inevitable happened. Then in high school I got into aerobics. My mother was a heavyset teenager, so I had lots of maternal (shhh...pressure) to suck my stomach in, to be active. I know she just wanted me to avoid the pain she had endured for years. The other reason I started to workout was physiological. I have a tummy issue that thrives on being sedentary. So it's pretty much exercise or else! Which would you rather, a series of hospitalizations or a little sweat? Yeah- some choice...

All that to say, I'm almost 30 and I've been doing this for YEARS. Why is it I still hate it? Why is it the only thing that keeps me going is a fear of hospitals and a desire to burn off that extra cookie? At some point, doesn't self-discipline become pleasurable? Evidently not for me. It takes about 30 minutes of good, hard, old-fashioned work for the endorphins (those feel-good hormones) to kick in and then I'm smiling. Do you know how long 30 minutes is to a MOM?! Whine, whine, whine, whine....

I think a lot of life is like this. Kathryn asks me a lot if we can do something NEW- something we've never done before. She craves new experiences, and I try to coordinate interesting days for her. But that being said, life is rarely new experiences. No matter how beautiful the house may look at Minute 1; at Minute 1.3 there will no doubt be another thing to redo. Ever calculated how many loads of laundry you will do in your life? OK, don't! (I did!) Life is about living the ordinary, the repetitive, the mundane with excellence. When Kathryn asks me why I exercise, I say, "So I will be a strong, healthy mama." And that's why we do what we do- because we love each other. The joy in the day comes from the growth in our relationships and feeling His pleasure as we work for Him. Or work-out. Time to break that sweat. :o)

1 comment:

Lanee M. said...

I could have written this blog, word for word! I've lost 12 pounds of "baby fat" and have now hit a plateau and can't get over it. I'm so tired of exercising! I gotta keep going though, cause with my family health history, we've already picked out my coffin :)
With 4 wonderful blessings it sometimes seems impossible to exercise, keep the house straight, teach, do laundry, eat healthy,etc. but I'll keep going!!!
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. . . lol Thanks for the encouragement.