I'm sitting on the sofa hoping to crank out a blog before Quinlan wakes up - he's right next to me....and has that incredibly angelic look to him.....
I just realized that it's been 12 days since I detailed anything about anything.....and although there's a slight pang of regret, I'm okay with the fact that it's been so long. But it puts into perspective what my potential audience goes through....but only to a certain extent. Because what I'm doing is not exactly the same as finding time to exercise. Granted, there's definitely parallels to this and that, but it's quite a stretch. Me not writing isn't necessarily going to have a short or long term effect on who I'm being with my life. As i just said, there's a soupcon of regret and no more. Now, if I hadn't exercised in the same amount of time there'd be serious repercussions.
And here's why I write this blog and do what I do. And believe that I was put on this planet for a reason. I have a client at the gym who came to me about 9 months ago because she needed help. She's just about to turn 63 and is a really cool lady. Who is now faced with the inevitable truth that the life she has led up to now wasn't a practice one. She's been living the only one she has. And the decisions she has made over the last 20 years are now coming to fruition. Right now she is in complete agony....in many ways. By her own admission she was lazy and didn't exercise. And started to gain weight. Which of course made it even harder to exercise. And then because of the weight she developed a lower back, spine and hip problem. Which she, in her own words 'babied'.
And every time we work out I see this look of horror in her eyes as she realizes that instead of progressing she's regressing. And there's absolutely nothing she or I can do about it. She's probably got up to 100 pounds over her ideal weight....actually make that 75. Which means her nutrition is not what it could or should be. So it's a challenge for her to lose weight through a caloric deficit. And because she's so overweight the strain on her hip and back is huge. Which leaves her in constant pain. Which limits the amount of exercise she can do. And because she can't exercise for long because of the pain, she can't exercise for long because she's so winded...because she can't exercise for long...you probably get the picture.
So she comes to the gym 3 days a week. And does her volunteer work. And tries her best to lead a happy life as she heads towards the inevitable pine box that we're all going to take an eternal nap in.....and rues the decisions she's made. She sits on the bike and pedals for 5 minutes before her legs and lungs give up on her. A lot of the machines are to challenging in the lightest possible weight.
I doubt she'd ever admit it, or even be able to put it into words but I'm sure what she's thinking is "I blew it. All those days when I was physically able to get my sorry ass into the gym, or at least walk outdoors, I didn't. Instead of facing the physiological issues I was experiencing head on, I chose not to. I lied to myself and said I'd get around to them one day when I had time. And I had time all along. I just didn't have the desire. And now here I am. Lots of desire. Plenty of time available. And no body left to use. The classic, shoulda, woulda, coulda."
Of course I have no idea what she's thinking. But it won't stop me from trying to prevent that from happening to other people. I look around at friends and acquaintances and see that they too are making excuses about not being able to get to the gym or find time to exercise. And convince themselves that not eating breakfast is no big deal. And fast food isn't always as bad as people make it out to be. And we all deserve to reward ourselves on a hard day's work with liberal doses of libation. And that exercise regimen that we know is good for us will happen tomorrow! And as we all know tomorrow never comes. Inevitably it's replaced by a new wardrobe full of clothes because the old ones don't fit. And a demonstration of what I consider to be man's greatest achievement - 'obfuscation of the truth'....