I mentioned that sickness descended on my house last week. Since both Jeff and I rarely get sick, we tend to be big whiny babies when our normal life is curtailed by a cold. Jeff was the whinier baby, but he had cause: His cold started with a sore throat the night we got back from Paris, and within a few days it had devolved into a wicked sinus infection (Jeff: “It feels like someone stabbed me in the eye and left the knife there.”)
My cold waited three days to announce itself, and wasn’t nearly as bad, but being around someone who can’t sleep at night and wants to nap all day is draining, and not only because it interfered with my own sleep.
Anyway, all is nearly back to normal (Jeff had to go on antibiotics…he was even feeling sinus pain in his lower jaw!), and on Sunday we did some gardening and rooted around the house for unwanted items to purge for a garage sale. I was squatting down so I could peer into a low kitchen cabinet, when I suddenly realized how uncomfortable I was. I felt like I had aged 20 years in a week!
“Well, duh,” I said to myself. “You’ve hardly had any exercise.”
Indeed, since returning from Paris on April 10, I had managed one yoga session (Downward Dog doesn’t feel good when you’re congested), three mid-length walks and three very short walks (just to get out of the house and partially appease our golden retriever). That left four days with no walking, at all. Yikes! (I should mention that our house has stairs, so in doing things around the house I do get an extra activity boost.)
Yesterday, I gently hopped back on the exercise wagon. I did a short, not too strenuous yoga session of standing poses that left me with a light film of sweat glowing, which is not my body’s usual reaction, unless it’s summer and our house is hot. Maybe I was getting lymph flowing again (our hearts pump blood through our veins, but our lymphatic system doesn’t have a similar type pump)? Both Dug and I enjoyed a mid-length afternoon walk in the partial sunshine, and when I did yoga this morning I felt right as rain.
Since it’s questionable how much of a role exercise plays in losing and maintaining weight (likely a stronger role in maintaining), I stay active in part so I can continue staying active. My natural flexibility is so-so, but I like that I can touch my toes, and I don’t ever want that to change. I like that I can hold Warrior and Chair poses and lift fairly heavy weights…and I don’t ever want that to change. I like that I can walk briskly for miles and miles, at home or sightseeing in Paris…and I don’t ever want that to change.
Strength, balance, flexibility and endurance are all skills/traits worth maintaining and improving each day. Having them simply makes life nicer. Hey, the sun’s out…I think it’s time for a walk!