(no subject)
i have never been "athletic" but i used to be in decent shape. i have always had very healthy muscles that tone/strengthen quickly, so physical activity always yielded fast results. when i was younger, i swam and went skiing and played outside all the time. in high school, i danced almost every day. i never did sports - never was interested - and i never "took good care" of myself, but i got by.
it wasn't until college, when a bunch of things aligned just right, that i became "out of shape." it was a slow deterioration that lasted until october 2008, when i took my very broken body to my chiropractor for the first time. ever since then, i have been dedicated to healing my body, moving toward what i call a "neutral state" - a place where i am not in shape, but nor am i deteriorating, getting worse, or suffering from any sort of new ailment.
it's taken a bit over a year but i'm finally in as much of a neutral state as i will ever be. my spine is stable, my muscles are loosening, and my immune system is strong. this means it's time to move on to the next stage: exercise.
the human body cannot be physically healthy unless it gets exercise. once upon a time we all got exercise, but that's no longer the case for many people in developed countries. we spend so much time with our brains, our bodies are secondary concerns, and while that has led to many positive advances, it's just awful for healthcare.
i've progressed my health as far as i can within a sedentary lifestyle. i made an active decision over six months ago to not exercise for as long as it took for my spine to heal, because the body cannot heal long-term injuries and short-term injuries from exercise at the same time. but i'm past that, and it's time to get my body moving again.
costco had some amazing deals over the holiday season so danny and i weighed exercise options and how much we could afford to spend to get in shape before the wedding. (the wedding, you see, is an excellent motivator - it's a milestone in the future that we both want to look good for, so it's a perfect excuse, and any habits we develop before then will be firmly engrained after the wedding.) danny is a runner, so the whole exercising by walking around the neighborhood thing was ruled out as ineffective. our budget allowed us one of two choices: either we could each join a gym for two years, or we could buy one piece of exercise equipment for the house. we spent about a month weighing these options, researching equipment, looking into gyms, etc. the final list of pros and cons was pretty extensive, but most importantly, we were honest with ourselves about our expectations and limitations. i, personally, was dead against spending money unless i knew we would both actually get our money's worth out of whatever option we chose.
long story short, we decided to buy a treadmill on the grounds that i can't use most of a gym's higher functions for at least 6 months while i recover my stamina, and 90% of danny's gym usage is a treadmill anyway. danny ordered it today and i'm really excited to get started with it! i might not run, but i like walking, and i can always jog for little stretches depending on how i'm feeling. the treadmill, combined with pilates and free weights, should get me back up to speed by late 2011. i am really looking forward to not being all swollen and squishy. er, well, less swollen/squishy anyhow. it's a very nice treadmill, very modern with cushioning and electronics and everything. plus it folds up!
i need to cut out pictures of wedding dresses and put them up on the wall so i remember why i'm trying so hard to get healthy again. obviously, the long-term benefits don't need excuses, but it's easy to get lazy in the short-term, and that's why the wedding is so darn useful.
love kittie
it wasn't until college, when a bunch of things aligned just right, that i became "out of shape." it was a slow deterioration that lasted until october 2008, when i took my very broken body to my chiropractor for the first time. ever since then, i have been dedicated to healing my body, moving toward what i call a "neutral state" - a place where i am not in shape, but nor am i deteriorating, getting worse, or suffering from any sort of new ailment.
it's taken a bit over a year but i'm finally in as much of a neutral state as i will ever be. my spine is stable, my muscles are loosening, and my immune system is strong. this means it's time to move on to the next stage: exercise.
the human body cannot be physically healthy unless it gets exercise. once upon a time we all got exercise, but that's no longer the case for many people in developed countries. we spend so much time with our brains, our bodies are secondary concerns, and while that has led to many positive advances, it's just awful for healthcare.
i've progressed my health as far as i can within a sedentary lifestyle. i made an active decision over six months ago to not exercise for as long as it took for my spine to heal, because the body cannot heal long-term injuries and short-term injuries from exercise at the same time. but i'm past that, and it's time to get my body moving again.
costco had some amazing deals over the holiday season so danny and i weighed exercise options and how much we could afford to spend to get in shape before the wedding. (the wedding, you see, is an excellent motivator - it's a milestone in the future that we both want to look good for, so it's a perfect excuse, and any habits we develop before then will be firmly engrained after the wedding.) danny is a runner, so the whole exercising by walking around the neighborhood thing was ruled out as ineffective. our budget allowed us one of two choices: either we could each join a gym for two years, or we could buy one piece of exercise equipment for the house. we spent about a month weighing these options, researching equipment, looking into gyms, etc. the final list of pros and cons was pretty extensive, but most importantly, we were honest with ourselves about our expectations and limitations. i, personally, was dead against spending money unless i knew we would both actually get our money's worth out of whatever option we chose.
long story short, we decided to buy a treadmill on the grounds that i can't use most of a gym's higher functions for at least 6 months while i recover my stamina, and 90% of danny's gym usage is a treadmill anyway. danny ordered it today and i'm really excited to get started with it! i might not run, but i like walking, and i can always jog for little stretches depending on how i'm feeling. the treadmill, combined with pilates and free weights, should get me back up to speed by late 2011. i am really looking forward to not being all swollen and squishy. er, well, less swollen/squishy anyhow. it's a very nice treadmill, very modern with cushioning and electronics and everything. plus it folds up!
i need to cut out pictures of wedding dresses and put them up on the wall so i remember why i'm trying so hard to get healthy again. obviously, the long-term benefits don't need excuses, but it's easy to get lazy in the short-term, and that's why the wedding is so darn useful.
love kittie