Now is the time.....

The question is: do I continue to accept the physical deterioration of aging or do I try to do something about it. Nearing 60, I decided no time like the present to at least try to battle the ever increasing speed of deterioration. The last decade found me doing many things, but unfortunately, regular exercise was not one of them. Consequence: fat and out of shape. Plan for this state of affairs: join the new health club three blocks from my house making it impossible to say exercise is just not convenient. Strategy: hire a trainer because then when you find excuses not to go, it costs you money.
Harry and I began walking everyday after he had recovered enough from his surgery. Then, in early May, we received a brochure in the mail from our new neighborhood health club offering us a deal we could not refuse. (Especially if you are really out of shape and feeling bad about it.) My health insurance company, Medica, willingly pays for half my membership fee. The club is not fancy but has what you need. I belonged to a very fancy health club back in my younger days. Back in those days, I was a few sizes smaller and so fit I biked the MS 150 to Duluth with only a 15 mile ride on the sag wagon. Now, nearly twenty five years later, a 150 mile 2 day bike trip would undoubtedly kill me.

We decided not only to go with the bargain priced club membership but to go with a personal trainer twice a week. This was due in part due to the state of our deterioration and in part to lack of discipline. This trainer thing has had an unexpected surprise benefit; I love being the student and not the teacher. These adorable and fit young people take us through a challenging regime of upper, middle and lower body exercises for 30 minute sessions. We use machines, mats, weights and balls. The trainer tells us what to do, sets up the machines for us and records our progress. They encourage us to do just a couple more reps when all you really want to do is give up because it hurts so much.

The days we are not with the trainer we are encouraged to do cardio workouts. I tried a cycle spinning class this week and before class started the instructor told me most people do it once and never come back. That put the fear of god in me. She was right, it was brutal. I find I lack motivation doing cardio machines on my own and the class experience helps to spurs me on. My class inspiration turned out to be a woman my age who was on the cycle next to me. She kept up with the "20 something" instructor. I could not believe how fit my classmate was. I wanted to leave after 20 minutes of the 1 hour class, but stuck it out just to show that instructor I may be out of shape but I am not a wimp!

Today our trainer was Joe. Joe and Harry found a lot to discuss about the up-coming World Cup. These young, college graduate, physical education majors are very kind and respectful of us old folks. I think Joe enjoyed learning a few new facts about World Cup history from the old, but getting fitter by the day, Englishman. As for me, I was grateful I know nothing about World Cup soccer because I was in such pain during the workout I could not have carried on a conversation if my life depended on it. I did manage to moan quietly, however.

My short term goal is to make it through 4 months of this torture. No! What I really meant to say was that my goal is to complete 4 months on this balanced exercise program. I do feel stronger physically after just two weeks and I have no good excuses not to keep going. I may just have to break a bone in my foot or something.