On Exercise

People who run have always fascinated me. There's something about moving fast and smooth that's so...relaxing-looking. Sometimes when I was younger (before my body had trained my brain to not even think about it) I'd be overcome by these crazy urges to RUN. I remember getting off the bus at sleepaway camp one year and I was so happy that I needed somewhere to put all that crazy, misplaced energy. I went for a run around the camp that ended in a horrible "asthma attack." It was so worth it...

But I resigned myself to never being able to run. I had "asthma", and though there are plenty of asthmatic athletes, those were always the people who could be controlled by meds. And, of course, if they caused an attack, they could just take something and it would go away. But since it never worked like that for me, I could never be one of those people.

I don't know what it was that inspired me to really buckle down and try it, no matter what the cost. There are quire a few of them. And since my brain thinks better in lists, well, here they are, in no particular order.

1. Last summer, I could barely finish a sentence before needing to take a breath. I gained about twelve pounds in three weeks before I decided I had to do something about that. (We have NO idea what caused me to gain so much weight so fast, especially since it was after more than a month of sitting and doing nothing--during which time I gained no weight.) So I went on the treadmill for an hour and forty minutes every morning before work (I was an assistant to a division head in a local day camp). I just walked, but I noticed that my breathing was better during the day. Also, I was less hungry, I had more energy, and I felt better overall.

2. Two of my professors in college run marathons. They were two of my favorite profs, and they both seemed to really enjoy it. One of them pushed me to start running, stating that my breathing would get better, that I'd feel better. I didn't believe her, and I argued with her. (I can't wait to see her this Fall so I can tell her!)

3. Diabetes is a scary disease. It can cause a ton of damage, raise your risk for all kinds of heart problems, and it's overall a terrible thing to have. Exercise reduces the risk of complications from diabetes, but it also lowers blood sugars, which further reduces the risks....What's the opposite of a vicious cycle?

4. Running burns more calories in less time than any other form of exercise. I'm supposed to be losing weight (and I somehow managed to GAIN weight this summer...*sigh*). I can't see that happening, because my weight usually stays the same no matter what I do, with a couple of exceptions. (Those are: when I get bronchitis, I usually lose between 2-5 pounds, which I do gain back slowly over the following months; Passover, when I basically starve for a week and also usually lose about 5 pounds; last summer and this summer, when I gained weight for NO reason.)

5. As mentioned before, the relaxation and the coolness of running...and have I mentioned that I'm the most uncoordinated person ever, and that running somehow seems to help that?

6. My mother's father died of a heart attack. I'm pretty sure her mother died of the same. My father's mother died of a stroke. My father has had high blood pressure for more time than I've been alive. He's also had high cholesterol for forever. I get migraines, which are a risk factor for strokes. Have I mentioned the diabetes risk factor? Let's face it--I have a million factors against me for cardiovascular issues. I want to do everything I can to reduce those.

7. Fibromyalgia is, supposedly, helped by exercise. So far I'm seeing more joint pain and stiffness with exercise, and I think my muscles might be getting worse, too, but we'll see what ends up happening.

So there you have it! Reasons to run! And the weirdest thing out of all of it?

I'm enjoying it.

"If I had the chance to make one wish/ Every, single moment would be like this" ~Rascal Flatts