I’ve never been a devotee of exercise. In fact, I’ve been known to brag that I went through sixteen years of schooling without ever attending a gym class. But I’m reconsidering my position.
When Earl and I gutted our bathrooms about a year and a half ago, we needed a place to shower so that we could maintain our position in local society. So we joined the South Shore Health and Racquet Club (SSHRC), an organization I’ve written about on more than one occasion. None of my blogs is complimentary.
However, in the time I’ve been a member I’ve lost ten pounds, become more firm and muscle-y, learned to curb my appetite, and generally have greater stamina than I had before. I don’t like exercising any better, but I do like the results. And, in spite of the dirtiness of SSHRC, I’m committed to maintaining my new level of fitness.
Earl once said to me, “Find something physical you like to do, and then do it forever.” So I took up rollerblading about twelve years ago. I would blade on the streets of Chicago, careening in and out of parked cars and challenging busses. But the downside was that I broke my leg in a rollerblading tournament, which meant my physical passion became my cautious exercise. In effect, I had to find something else that would allow me to pursue it at a more advanced age.
So, I’m trying to bike more often. Biking is something one is supposed to be able to do into advanced age; and this is evident with my uncle’s brother-in-law, Rene, who biked in races into his late seventies. That means I have a good ten years to enjoy this pursuit. Hopefully, I’ll continue to be flexible, fit, and firm.
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