I was surprised the other morning when I had significant difficulty getting out of bed. My entire upper body hurt—back, shoulders, arms, you name it. Even my armpits hurt. What on earth had I done to myself?
Then I remembered: I had exercised.
I’m not going to lie, it had been a while. Like many mothers, I used to be kind of athletic and enjoy exercise for fun, but then life got in the way, schedules got busy, and I let the exercise slip. Right now I’m just not in very good shape, especially after being something of a recluse during my winter break. I’m not walking around campus with my giant backpack, and it’s too cold and icy outside for a walk anyway. After a disappointing Christmas weight gain, I begrudgingly dusted off the pedometer and forced myself to be honest about my activity level. It wasn’t pretty.
To be clear, exercise isn’t just about weight loss for me. It’s about feeling well, functioning well, and minimizing health risks. I miss running, and I want to be able to play on the playground with my kids and get up off the floor without groaning. I’m too young for all that. My other huge motivation is having the energy to get through med school and residency. Let’s face it. People in their 20s are exhausted by their medical training, and I’m on track to do it in my 40s. The last thing I want is to die of a heart attack or have to drop out because I didn’t take care of my health when I had the chance.
Part of the problem with my recent decline in fitness was moving to a smaller house. It’s a lame excuse, but it’s true. My daily activities aren’t substantially different from before we moved, but they’re happening in a much smaller space. I shouldn’t have been surprised because I had always noticed the opposite when visiting my parents—they have a big house, and I get a lot of steps in there. So what now? I do the only thing I can do and dust off the bike.
Making excuses for not exercising is so easy, but thankfully I’m a bit of a grouch and love to play devil’s advocate. I shot down every excuse I could make.
Excuse: There’s no room to set up the bike.
Rebuttal: Make room. It’s winter, and nobody will be using the sun porch for several months.
Excuse: It’s too hard with the kids. They get in my way and will stick their fingers in the spokes.
Rebuttal: You can see the toy room through the sun porch window. Plop them in front of the TV while you ride.
Excuse: It’s boring.
Rebuttal: So do something fun while you ride. You’re always complaining about not having time to read your library books. And you’re taking 17 credits this semester—kill two birds with one stone and do some homework.
Excuse: I’m out of shape. This is going to hurt.
Rebuttal: Yup, it probably will hurt at first, but you’ll get over it. You always do.
Excuse: I don’t have time.
Rebuttal: That’s just a lie, and you know it.
Excuse: My bike shorts are dirty.
Rebuttal: Who cares? You’re by yourself; no one is going to smell you. Or you could actually do laundry.
The final kick in the rear was a visit to the doctor last week where I had to admit, once again, that I kind of hadn’t lost weight. Even though I lost five pounds in January, I had gained seven over the holidays, making it look like I hadn’t made any progress. They even had the nerve to weigh me with my snow boots on, further hurting my cause. I still have eleven pounds of baby weight after a year and a half, and I’m tired of telling my doctor every visit that I really want to lose weight and am trying. If I don’t start seeing results, he’s going to think that I’m full of crap—if he doesn’t think that already. I don’t want my doctor to think that I’m full of crap.
After a week back on the bike, I’m feeling good and seeing an increase in my fitness level. My long-dormant winter cycling gear, which survived the Marie Kondo purge, has served me well during our recent snow storm and polar vortex. I’m riding for longer in a higher gear and actually enjoying it. My armpits and quads are no longer uncomfortably sore. And now that I’ve publicly proclaimed that I’m going to exercise, I must. I’ll report back to you all in a month to let you know how it’s going
