I fell off the regular exercise
wagon this summer…HARD. There are
certainly reasons for my downfall: I tweaked my back and neuropathy issues, but
there aren’t really any good excuses.
Yes, my sore back plagued me for several weeks and it made it difficult
to walk for very long before it started to hurt. However, it didn’t hurt so badly that I couldn’t
walk at all! My feet hurt on occasion
but they didn’t hurt enough to keep me from walking, and yet I let these
reasons keep me from doing what I knew I had to do.
I’ve gained weight this
summer. Not a bunch, but just enough
that I feel uncomfortable in my clothes; just enough to make me feel bad about
myself. I’m not a thin person, and
haven’t been since I was in my early 20s.
I don’t need to be a thin person, nor is that my goal. But when you don’t feel good in your clothes
and it causes you to think too much about it, then it’s a problem.
I’ve been focusing on what I’m
eating and how much of it to see if I can’t do something about this additional
weight. I would love it if I could just
lose about 10 lbs! (Jeez, how many
millions of times have I said that in my lifetime?) Unfortunately, the weight is stubbornly staying
where it is. I do feel better now that
I’m back to eating more mindfully, but I still have this damn gut!
Now that I’ve written this down
it makes me feel like a dolt that I didn’t make the connection sooner: if I
would just get back to regular exercise, then I will probably drop a few
pounds. Duh. So, 3 days ago I climbed back on my treadmill
and walked for 30 minutes. Then I did it
again yesterday…and again this morning.
3 days in a row! That may sound
like it’s not a big deal, but when I look back over my summer I can see that
this is a good thing. I’m back to
working up to regular exercise and it feels great.
I spent some time this summer
working in my yard, as my back would allow.
While any movement is good for us, I fooled myself into believing that
just because I wasn’t planted in front of my computer or in my recliner reading
all day, I was getting regular exercise.
I wasn’t.
I know that I may not lose these
extra pounds just by exercising, but I’m betting I will. Regardless of whether or not I do lose the
weight, I know that the added exercise will give me more energy, help my blood
sugars and clear my brain. I’ll feel better about myself. Do I have to? Yes, I do.