I don’t like to fail. I don’t think anyone does. The differences among us is that some of us handle failure better than others. Taking it further, I think we all handle some failures fairly well and others not at all. So what does this have to do with today?
As you may know, I’ve been working on getting #Fit4Fall with my SoleSisters over at Planetshoes, but my New Balance sneakers have been sitting on the steps week after week.
They feel great. They fit perfectly. So why are they still on the steps? Here comes the fear. I am not a runner. I hate running. When I was fit , dancing 40 hours a week, I still hated running. When I joined the Fox Lane High School soccer team so I could have one activity that was not inside in a dance studio or gymnastics gym, I hated running (well except sprints… I like those). When I trained for the Danskin triathlon (don’t get all impressed or excited here- we did it as a relay) after my son was born I really hated running. So what do I like? I love to dance. I like some classes at the gym especially spinning, Zumba and whatever they call kickboxing these days. I also love to walk.
I can’t dance because my body gets in the way. When there is less of me I will slip on my ballet shoes and pull out a barre, but I’m not there yet. My problem is that I can be a bit extreme. I’m learning that my sneakers are not asking for a marathon. I need to be ok with baby steps. It is all good so long as there are steps … of any kind.
On went the sneakers and I was not doing a class, a training run, a program, anything but changing our routine in a way that just so happens to help me be #fit4fall. The weather is beautiful. The walk is fun. So now, we walk to school. I start my day almost accidentally getting more fit walking 2 1/2 miles because we need to get from point. ‘A’ to point ‘B’ so why not walk?
Leah's Life: Pearls and Oysters 
It’s ironic that I write this right before I get ready to drive to an aquatherapy pool which is the only exercise my damaged vertebrae can handle anymore. My routine includes 20 minutes of interval running/walking on an underwater treadmill up to my neck in water (and I, too, HATE running, although, for me, the hatred seems to be confined to running on the ground/pavement). To me, there is no a hierarchy in exercise. There are some people in the wellness program that I’m in who come because, after decades of running on pavement, their hips/knee/ankles/feet are shot and the low impact environment of a heated pool is also the only exercise program that they can tolerate and maintain. I think what you’ve come up with is marvelous. You spend precious time with your children and you set them a good example by walking when you could have driven them. The best exercise program is one that you enjoy enough to keep it up on a regular basis.
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Thanks Margaret ! Have a great water walk!
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I did. It’s so much more fun when you’re up to your neck in warm water. ☺ This has been a life-saver. I think, given my genetic type (German peasant [Dad’s side of the family] appears to predominate), I’d be struggling with weight. Without the pool, given my mobility issues, I’d be fighting that fight with both hands tied behind my back and on a starvation diet. I’ve kept it up for years now.
I envy you. I used to enjoy walking a lot. It has pretty much the cardiovascular benefits of running but it’s MUCH easier on your joints. When my mother developed knee trouble, her orthopedist told her that the human knee was designed to last a lifetime. The problem is, according to him, that the lifetime it was designed to last was 35 years. ☺
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