Life Happens: Exercising through the years

My thoughts turn to physical fitness every January. Maybe it’s because of all the gym ads on TV and the magazines in the supermarkets exploiting “Eight ways to thin your thighs!”

But whatever the reason, I always feel that I need to do something - anything to be in better shape. Over the years, I’ve tried many different ways to get fit. In my younger days, I used to jog. This was at a time when jogging was cooler than running and I have the sweatbands and leg warmers to prove it.

Then, there was the Jane Fonda aerobics phase. I happily bounced and pulsed my way to fitness glory, usually by staying in the back of the class and going the opposite direction as everyone else. The day that “step aerobics” was born was the day I stopped bouncing. Too many twisted ankles.

I did “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” for a while. Prancing along to all the 50s music I always hated did nothing for me, except to make me whine and complain. I once even muted the sound and tried to play Led Zeppelin while I did the video. It wasn’t a great success, but it was kind of funny to watch Richard Simmons shimmy to “Whole Lotta Love.”

I tried walking with friends. This was actually not a bad way to exercise. My neighborhood block is 2 miles long and uphill in every direction. There were two reasons why this didn’t work out, though. My friends could walk only at 6 a.m. and my body doesn’t start to function until at least 8:15.

When my son was around 11 years old, he started martial arts classes. It wasn’t long before I joined too, and for a while, I “hiii-yahhed!” with the best of them. Punching and kicking were so much fun that I did it four times a week. But, with the passage of time and the aging of my body, it was time to put down the fists of fury and find something a little less bone-breaking.

I have a super-athletic sister who exercises like it’s her job. It was only natural to ask her for fitness advice. Her answer? Snowshoes. Actually, she races on snowshoes. I plop through snow like Donald Duck, so, when we go, I see her only when she laps me, which she does with amazing frequency.

So, I’m wondering which direction I’ll go in to get my fitness groove on. Beside the above mentioned choices, I’ve tried belly dance and ballet, tai chi and yoga, kung fu and water aerobics. I’m sure there are even more varieties of exercise I’ve done, I’ve probably just forgotten them.

While I’m deciding, I’ll pop in an exercise video, sit on the couch and watch it with a cup of coffee. That just might be my new favorite way to exercise this year.