Fitness Confessions

Why Make Time for Exercise?

Simple - it makes me feel good. Always has, ever since I was a kid. My three sisters and I couldn't be more different when it comes to exercising. I've jogged, stretched, skated, biked, kettle belled, race walked, and chased myself around the world. All the while, they've reclined, supine, and patted me on the head as I ran by, even though I'm sure they thought I was insane...

It's been 40 years since I started got started in fitness. I'm a 50s-something female who played at sports in an era when there was virtually no recognition or career path for women athletes, but I did it anyway because I love it. I've been a competitive team athlete, a weekend warrior, a race walker, a runner, a weight lifter, a calisthenics devotee -- all of those things in the quest for fitness.

Am I a top athlete? No. Am I a perfect size 2? No, in fact I've gone up and down several sizes, several times over the years. But as I look back at all of the exercising I've done, I realized there was a flaw in my thinking - the pursuit of perfection. I was always thinking about "running a better 10K" or "improving core strength to improve your running time" or "the ideal aerobic combination to burn calories and lose fat."

I don't regret it. It was fun, but not as fun as it could have been. I wish I would have focused less on perfection and more on "playing." I was always measuring my performance against goals set by someone else, whether it was a coach, a fitness book, a fitness expert, or an article I read in  Runners World. That was a bit of a mistake. Because in my mind, I never measured up because I rarely followed those plans to the 100% mark. To me that constituted failure.

That all changed in my mid 40s, when I met some other women athletes my age. I was now long past team sports due to business travel so I mostly exercised alone. I didn't realize it but I was in a rut. Connecting with others my age was an eye opener. We started getting together on a regular basis to walk, jog, lift weights, etc. I had more fun, and learned more about fitness than I had in a long time! In fact, because of this, I think I am in the best shape I've been in 25 years.

The secret? FUN. PLAYING. Using your own judgement to exercise in the way that you really want to. Staying tuned to fitness ideas, but assessing them with your own psyche and body in mind. I wish I'd learned these things sooner. It's had such an impact on my life that I'd like to share some of the things I've learned here.

Next time: Fitness Plans: Make It Your Own to Make it Stick

Fierce at 50

I just had lunch with a friend I had lost touch with for most of the last 15 years, beginning when we were in our mid 30s and working hard on getting our professional lives rolling. Of course, we got around to talking about the "then's and now's" of our lives. Many of her friends didn't like getting older much at all, she said. How did I feel? Straight from the heart, I replied, "I feel happier, stronger, smarter, more confident now than I have ever felt in my life."

Surprised even myself, but it is true. I don't understand what combination of personal goals, encounters or events have brought me to this wonderful feeling at this stage in life, but I am riding it for all it is worth. Life feels like a planetful of opportunity to me these days.

Start studying a new language? Sure. Teach myself to paint? Why not? Get myself into the best physical shape I've been in my life? Start tagging along with my husband to loud rock'n rolls shows at grungy music bars? What a riot! I have even taken a kickboxing class and conquered my fear of guns by taking a gun safety class.

Why not reach out and try something new? What do we really have to lose, except, maybe, our sense of being in control of the world for a little while? It's all out there to try. It is all doable. And the best surprise, it's been really, really FUN.

No looking back. Only forward. Howard Schultz has it exactly right with the title of his new book. "Onward."

Rudeness Unencumbered

I was in a public restroom yesterday when I actually heard a women going to the bathroom while she was talking on the phone. At first I thought there were two people sharing a stall and talking next to me. But I looked down and saw only one pair of feet besides mine. I could hear every detail of the woman's conversation, accompanied by a steady stream of urine. I was personally grossed out. I imagine the other person on the line would be too.

People, have some decency!