A "Fall Back" Exercise

When I am feeling in a rut with exercise I like to change things up. It's tough to do the same exercise routine day in and day out. It just gets boring! Cross training is really the way to go. You work different muscles each day and you keep your routine interesting. And when I really can't bear to think about spinning or boot camping I get in the pool -- the place where I learned very early on about the joy of exerting oneself!

I was one of five children. All of us were hard-wired with frenetic energy and out of desperation my mother enrolled us on the swim team at the local YWCA. We siblings needed to be exercised like horses each day and swimming was the one exercise that seemed to actually chill us out. Most of the swimmers on the team were kids who were just giving it a try, but my time with the Puddle Jumpers began a love affair with water that lasted well into adulthood. I took to the water like an otter. I was happy to spend hours and hours slogging through the pool, up and back, up and back. For me the water felt like a warm cocoon...it was a place where I could feel safe, supported by the waves around me and free from the stress of the dry world above.

About two months into fighting cancer I remember my oncologist looked at me and told me it was time to get back in the pool. This was a professional who intuitively knew what made me tick...never mind that I had just undergone two difficult surgeries and was in the process of receiving chemo every few weeks. He knew that in order to get well again that I needed to get back to what gave me joy. So I took his advice and started swimming - bald head and all - at the local pool in my neighborhood in Magnolia. And, indeed, those times in the pool that year were some of the safest moments I had while fighting cancer.

Every time I have had tough times in my life I find myself heading back to the pool. I actually just went yesterday...not because times are tough per say, but because I needed a change from my usual routine and I needed a good work out. And once again I felt free. I felt joy. I jumped in my lane and started swimming a work out that I had created in my head and then lo and behold some guy wanted to join in. After 10 minutes in the pool I had the entire lane - about 8 people - who joined me in my work out. And it was just like being back at the Puddle Jumpers...just like being a kid again. We worked out hard and every one had a smile on their face as they climbed out of the pool and clambered over to the big hot tub to let their aging muscles rest up (something we didn't need to worry about when we were younger!).

So when you find yourself in an exercise rut or you are in the process of attempting to establish an exercise routine I recommend finding a "fall back" exercise. Go to something that feels familiar, something that you might look forward to doing. You don't have to do it all the time...just go to it when you are having trouble motivating yourself or looking for something to mix up your routine. Look back into your past and think about activities that made you feel alive and happy and well. Enjoy!