E is for Exercise

You can find a list of all of my A to Z posts here.

Today's topic - why, oh why, did I choose this one?? - is exercise.

I hate exercise, I really do. I was one of those tall, awkward kids in school that were picked last - or dang close to it - in gym. I am not coordinated. Nor am I speedy, strong, accurate, have good balance, stamina, or even have decent hand/eye coordination.

Frankly, I suck at sports. Consistently.

It always perplexes me when fitness experts say 'do an activity you love!'

Um. Last I knew, quilting isn't exercise. Fat quarters don't weigh that much and while lugging my sewing machine out of the house and to class takes a bit of huffing and puffing, the act of porting it around doesn't really get anything sewn.

So, frankly, for uncoordinated, never-been-athletic people like me, that 'do an activity you LOVE!' nonsense is utter bullshit.

Still, we all need to exercise. All of us, even clumsy people like me.

I walk around our little town several times a week if the weather's decent. I have a pile of exercise DVDs and actually use some now and again (especially Richard Simmons' Sweatin' to the Oldies). Frankly, nothing's more comforting to people like me than seeing other people like me huff and puff through a work out. Those aerobic and tae-bo workouts with slim, athletic people? Total turn off. They're like the unreachable goal (and they're obviously the same folks that made fun of/thumped on the non-athletic as kids)

Well, maybe not obviously. I'm sure some are very nice people. They just remind me of the asshats of my childhood years, is all.

And, oh, I have a Wii. I actually do like Wii Sports Active, strangely enough, even though it consistently kicks my flabby ass. But my cat ate the sensor cord (seriously, it's in three pieces on my desk right now) so my Wii is defunct until I buy a new sensor.

Anyway, with exercise, I TRY. Honest. It's good for me, and I usually feel perkier afterwards. During, though... not so much. For me, and I'm surely not the only one, exercise is one of those things you have to do, but don't want to do, so you just do it and get it done and go on with the rest of your day.

Once I find 'an activity I love!' I'll let y'all know. Until then, I'll just keep making myself jive with Richard or take a mile-long walk across town.