Why Fitness?

       At the age of 45, I fear my body may be a ticking time bomb. In the last year, I had a torn retina (which tends to occur in people over 40) and unexplained hip pain that developed soon after I signed up for 10 trendy Pilates sessions. A personal trainer I went to (only once) commented that I had surprisingly bad posture. Friends and relatives of mine are getting arthritis and fallen arches, backaches and bunions, cataracts and high cholesterol, diabetes, farsightedness, gout, hypertension... Who knows what's next -- for them, and for me?

       Peggy Brill writes that "The Core Program" allows one to develop a "proactive strategy for taking care of your  body". This is exactly what I need. Brill continues. "The core exercises help undo the muscle tightening and weakening that can lead to pain and injury, thereby reversing any long-standing mechanical problems and preventing new ones."  Obviously, it can't prevent everything, but the cover states that it can "stop aches and pains", "end fatigue", "build strength" and help one "feel energized all day long".  

       And if all this can be done in only 15 minutes a day, as promised, so much the better. I know myself well enough to know that  I might not stick with anything more demanding.

       So I tried it today, for the first time. I set an alarm clock to go off in 18 minutes, rather than 15, to allow myself some extra time for reading and figuring out the exercises. While doing the exercises, I made an honest attempt to do them correctly -- with slow, controlled movements, and the listed number of repetitions.  The exercises included silly-looking ones, like the "tongue stretch", tougher ones like "heel beats" (done while lying on my stomach) and graceful ones, like the classic yoga pose "the cobra".  As I worked my way through them, the dog lay nearby, watching closely and whimpering empathetically.

       When the alarm went off, however, I had accomplished only seven of the 14 elements in the core foundation program. I considered doing more, but didn't want to cheat on my 15-minute plan. Instead, I simply paged to to two final warmdown exercises and called it a day -- or at least a good quarter-hour.  In the coming days, as I get to know the exercises better, I expect to get through the entire core program in the alloted time.

       As for today, when I walked the dog soon afterward, I felt that maybe I was walking a little straighter.  Was that possible, or was it just my imagination?  And now, after writing this, my neck aches a bit. But it's a "good ache", I think.  Only the coming days will tell.