Exercise is Getting Harder
I’m still doing it though
Once upon a time, I could jump rope and never be out of breath. I could do cartwheel after cartwheel and feel invigorated and alive. I could lift and carry heavy boxes without breaking a sweat.
Now I sometimes gasp going up a flight of stairs.
How insulting, that my body has degraded like this.
I mean, the daily chocolate and/or cookies probably hasn’t helped.
Fine, definitely hasn’t helped.
But also, I feel like I’m on the downside of a tipping point. Before, I could add a workout to my day and feel a bit of a strain but otherwise incorporate the exercise easily. Now, adding even the slightest bit of physical activity to my routine is like wading against a strong current.
This is one reason I’ve kept my walking routine up, even in the cracking cold of winter. I walk for about 45 minutes each morning, sometimes longer if the weather is nice. I consider this to be the base minimum of my physical activity. I can add more activity, but absolutely not subtract.
Over the years I’ve added and subtracted yoga fairly randomly. I’ve noticed, with increasing dismay, that each time I add it back in, the same poses are harder and harder to do. My muscles seem to have lost their strength…
