No, I’m not on drugs or alcohol.
I am experiencing a new phenomenon in my life: an exercise high!
Eighteen moths ago, I would get winded going up a flight of stairs, let alone a walk around the block. I’d get heated just walking over to another building here at work.
Twelve months ago, I was able to walk a 2.5 mile loop path about once a week without too much grumbling. My feet would be numb half way through, and at times I thought I was going to keel over dead , but I could do the whole loop if I pushed myself. Of course, it usually took me a day or two to recover.
Six months ago, I was able to briskly walk that same 2.5 mile path without too much exertion a couple of times a week. In fact, sometimes I would walk a bit more along the path because I felt pretty good and didn’t want to stop. I was starting to test my limits.
About a month ago, I randomly started jogging a bit along the way. I’d start out walking along the path and get my pace going, and then I would move into a slow jog for a couple of minutes before resuming my brisk walk.
Recently, I have started to jog for longer distances on the same path. OK, I’m no marathon runner yet. HA! But I am jogging more and more each time. I start out walking, and then I can feel my body wanting more. So I turn my walk into a jog for a few minutes until I can tell it is time to back off a bit again, and I move back and forth from walking to jogging the whole way now. This is quite a big deal for me. I’m relearning how to pace myself and discovering how to breathe again and take it one stride at a time. And it feels so good.
I’ve always secretly hated those people that seem to love or crave a good workout. I just didn’t get it. They would talk about exercise like it was a drug or a need to them. Without it, their life was off some how. I would smile and nod, but inside, I thought they were crazy.
Well, I’m starting to understand their drive and motivation. No, I don’t get exercise in every day yet, and half of the time I still have to push myself to do it. BUT, I am starting to understand the exercise high—the physical buzz your body has when you regularly exert energy like that. It feels great to press my limits and push myself farther and farther. And when I am done with my walk/jog, I feel wonderful. I feel ALIVE. I’m pumped, ready to do a somersault and prepared to take on the world. It's an indescribable rush.
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