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Gloria Just Does It

By Gloria Diaz

Check out Gloria's Blog — Edge of Gloria!

Fort Wayne Reader

2017-02-03

I had a weird fall semester. It was good, and it was also frustrating. Only a grad student would get it.

For some reason though, even though I had time to exercise, I didn't. I went from jogging and doing yoga, to pretty much nothing. I had zero appetite too, so I had two choices: starve or eat the only thing that sounded good to me. That "thing" was Panda Express's Panda bowl — orange chicken, fried rice and cream cheese rangoons washed down with Pepsi. Sometimes I'd get green onions and chop them up and add them to the bowl. (I love green onions.)

It didn't really fuel my need to exercise though. I don't know if I was just bored with my routine, but despite the most beautiful, warmest fall I can remember, I stopped jogging.

I'd really rather be swimming. But I know myself, and my personality, and some things need to be made simple, or else I won't do them. Swimming involves packing a bag with towels, driving to the pool, changing, then getting used to the water. Then, when I'm done, I need to shower, change, put my swim suit away, dry my hair, get dressed, then drive back home. I got exhausted just typing that sentence. I've written about it before, but I want my own pool. In the meantime, I have to use someone else's.

I have no excuse for not exercising during the fall, but December was bitterly cold and snowy, and icy. Jogging on ice scares me, and it wasn't smooth enough for skating. It warmed up again, and the ice melted. And I finally started jogging again. I was scared. I figured I'd lost all my stamina.

But I didn't. I was pleasantly surprised to discover I could do my usual route, at my usual pace, without collapsing. I need exercise. I have to keep reminding myself of that. I also started up with yoga again, and despite how serene it looks, I struggle with poses, as I attempt the cow pose, and gasp at the muscle spasms, and the sweat that creeps down my back. Yoga is WORK. I can feel it as my ass gets firmer, doing that one pose I can't remember the name of. It involves balancing on one foot, with the other leg and both arms extended. I have to cheat and put my fingertips on the windowsill or else I'll fall over and start crying from frustration. If I want relaxation, I'll take half a Trazodone and crawl into bed. That works every time.

I'm glad though, that I could do it. I don't jog very fast, but I'm able to do it. The tough part, as everyone knows, is getting out there. But I try to remember to dress for the weather. Double layers, and once I get started, I'm usually warm enough. I try to mix it up. I've learned that due to my personality, I need to be multi-tasking in order to get anything done, because I get bored so easily. So how the hell am I getting through grad school in three years with just summers off? Well, I have my motivations. Anyway, with the exercising, I'm trying to mix it up so that I'm doing something, just not the same thing every day. It's jogging and yoga and weightlifting one night, just yoga, on other nights, and yoga and weightlifting on the nights that are left. I can't wait until it's warm enough to swim again.

Maybe though, I need to step it up a little bit. It wasn't like I was flat-out running five miles a day. I don't expect four minute miles ever, but when you enter 5Ks and retirees are leaving you in the dust, it's a bit of a comedown. However, I was pleased during one 5K that I was a healthy distance ahead of a high schooler, whining about her discomfort. Score one for the fat chick.

What's the moral of this story? Just get out there and do it. It's hard. Don't kick yourself for not being able to run 100 yards, let alone 100 inches. I need to remind myself of this several times a day. It's hard getting started. I realize this. But once I get started, I keep going until I've accomplished whatever I wanted to get started/done that day. And I realize I've done something, which is a lot more than a lot of people.

It's after midnight, but I'll be doing yoga before I go to bed tonight. I can sleep in tomorrow, after all.