11. The power of fitness
Are you the type of woman who jumps out of bed before daylight to go for a run or are you more likely to use your treadmill as a clothes hanger? When faced with the choice to take the elevator or the stairs, what do you choose? Do you play on a softball or basketball team? Maybe you have a physically demanding job, such as waiting tables or package delivery, that may provide elements of fitness. Is keeping fit part of your daily or weekly routine or it is one of those New Year’s resolutions that always goes by the wayside?
Energy is a force in motion, and when we vigorously move our bodies, we generate more physical and mental energy. When we don’t move, that energy can become stagnant, which can lead to depression and sometimes illness.
I didn’t grow up being physically active, nor was I encouraged to be. My mother had been sickly as a child and was not inclined to be active. My grandparents, with whom I lived until I was seven, were already older and not given to running around. I didn’t grow up with siblings or other kids in my neighborhood. I wasn’t encouraged to play actively; my mother and grandmother were afraid I would get hurt. I did get a couple of concussions on the playground at school in kindergarten and first grade, possibly because I hadn’t learned coordination in moving my body.
