But What If?

My legs are so sore this morning.  My back aches, my feet and I aren't on speeding terms.  

 I did, however, meet Captain America...

So last night was a costume party, and I went as a USO girl...aka Capt. America groupie.

 

Because you all know how much I adore Capt. Steve Rogers😜

We had a wonderful time, and it was so much fun to dress up.  For years I was told not to, and why I listened I don't really know.

 Bethany, Jules, Rebecca, Edie, Sherissa & Jason

Being able to enjoy my inner geek (and now have another outfit on hand for ComicCon) meant I felt something I haven't in awhile: acceptance.

Exercise, plain and simple, has rejected me my entire life.  It's rejected many people, with the exception of the 20% who thrive on it.  Changing this is something I've been chewing on for a week...ever since I spent time with the masters who loved breaking things.  Could what naturally came to them ever naturally come to me?

I've experienced it a few times-the pull and desire to exercise.  I notice it's always been when there is a positive emotion associated with it...and for me most often when a challenge is offered up.  We are psychologically predisposed to associate things with pain or pleasure...I contend that the many early rejections I experienced concerning exercise, from the lack of coordination, the pain of breathlessness, to being chosen last in the school yard pickem's made an indelible mark of "pain" on my brain.  The few exercises I do enjoy-swimming, biking and hiking-are all things I did as a child or young adult that I endlessly participated in and enjoyed and thus associate with "pleasure."

These?  Well, even though I knew I'd hurt at some point, the joy of towering over everyone (except Jason) made it worth it.  I usually am rejected for my height.  Being in costume?  It was accepted...a rare thing, due to circumstances.

So how do I change my exercise circumstances to a place of acceptance?

As much as I adore swimming, biking and hiking, they are time gluts.  Currently, I am getting home at 7pm; I alone care for my children and get these two busy teenagers from here to there.  With the exception of the rare weekend free, I am unable to really indulge in these sports.  But what if?

I'm sore today.  I did exercise yesterday (just try tottering around in those heels and dance!) doing something I enjoyed.  Could exercise be introduced into the daily elements of living?  What if when I went upstairs I did ten quick reps of that bottom stair.  What if I did squats while doing dishes.  (Of course I hate cleaning, so maybe that's not a good idea--we want to combine exercise with actions we perceive as pleasant.). What if I turned watching Project Runway into an hour stretching session?  Hmm.  What if I did squats while brushing my teeth (good oral hygiene is very important to me!). What if I just did one thing for a week?

It took FOREVER to get ready!

To get to the final look, I watched YouTube videos on hair and makeup for the '40's.  Then I applied that new knowledge step by step...practicing some new techniques I'd never tried.  The thing is I had immediate results with that time invested...and with exercise you don't get immediate results.

I like immediate results.

Slow down.

I'm learning.  You can't rush a good thing (or if you do, you worry about losing said good thing, sigh.) I can change my perception of exercise....and I'm learning this slowly.  It needs to be something I associate with pleasure...and quite honestly, there's so much pain I associate with it.  Can one unlearn a forty year association?

 

Maybe.

 

It might be fun to try.