Step In Time
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I did something today I never thought I would do….again. I went back to step aerobics class at the YMCA. I would like to tell you that it was easy, and that I am in fantastic shape. But the reality is that I have let myself get really out of shape. I mean, I have never been built like Jillian Michaels, and tend to look more like a before picture than an after shot. But life has sort of dealt me an unfair hand.

Well, that’s my excuse, anyway.

I was born big-boned. At least that’s what my mom told me. I do have large wrists, a size ten shoe, and a size ten ring finger. But I am not sure I can blame all of that on my bones. But let’s blame some of it on them.

I was an athlete during my youth, played softball, basketball and ran track. That helped me stay in shape. I had what you would call “An athletic build.” Well, as long as I was an athlete, that made sense.

Then I got married and had children. From 1994 until 2003 I was either pregnant, nursing a baby, or trying desperately to lose the pregnancy weight and fit into my regular jeans again.

But alas, it is now 2012, and I can hardly blame my belly, thighs or jiggles on baby-fat. Shucks.

I have had years when I have been in better shape than I am today, and maybe that’s encouraging. For a while, my husband, Mike, and I ran on the bike trail and rode bikes on the country-roads that surround our old farmhouse.

Then, about three years ago, I went running and came home with tremendous knee pain. I kept thinking I must have injured both knees on that run. I wore a knee brace on the worst one, and waited for healing to begin. After six months when the pain was still severe, I finally went to the orthopedic surgeon. He told me I have severe and moderate arthritis in both knees. I asked how that could have come on so suddenly. He chuckled and told me that it has been coming on for well over five years, and that I had probably ignored it until it got so bad I could no longer ignore it.

I felt about eighty years old.

So my exercise regime (if you could even call it that) ceased while I tried to heal my arthritic knees. But that was just another excuse (in my card file of a million excuses) to sit around and do nothing.

And so the story goes. The extra weight came on, discouraging me. I exercised less and ate more, discouraging me. And more weight came. Ya da ya da ya da.

And so I went this morning to step aerobics class and I survived. I set my step up in the back row (always better to look at others’ rear ends than have anyone look at mine), took a deep breath, and stepped back into a healthier life.

I would like to tell you that it was easy. It wasn’t. I would like to tell you it was pretty. It wasn’t. But I survived the class and felt great when it was over. And I plan to go back.

Though I have a long way to go, a card file of excuses and no real sense of rhythm, I am trying.

Even though I may step to the beat of a different drummer.

Posted by Trish Berg 6:00 AM  

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