Twenty two

One of my joys over the last few months has been the opportunity to reconnect with my friend Amy.  Amy and I met in college, lived, traveled, and grew together.  She currently lives outside Washington DC (very far away!).  We connected thru the magic of facebook and when our family went to DC this summer we had a lovely but too brief dinner with her.   It was amazing to see my own Amy (looking amazingly the same) with her beloved gestures and voice all grown up in a new, settled and happy place.  She is now my biggest blog fan!  She sent me a message recently asking about my post-ragbrai riding and I realized that though exercise is a daily part of my life, I haven't written about it.  

I started to exercise in college, mainly so I could eat as I wished.  I have continued to run since college, taking 16 to 18 weeks off during each pregnancy.  Other activities included aerobics during college which evolved to a period using a cross-country ski machine in residency.  Pilates bothered my hip and I never really bonded with the stair climber.  My running has become less frequent as my knees become older.  (Interestingly, after running in the light [as opposed to the dark] the past two days, I am getting negative comments about the speed of my running.  Why do people feel the need to comment?!)  In between runs, I walk and bike as well as spin and hang out on the elliptical trainer in the off season.  I would like to fit in yoga, but haven't managed it yet.  I consider gardening my weight training in the summer; I may try more yoga to replace it this winter. 

 

Still the exercise is to control my weight.  I am not a great athlete, not fast, not strong and I never will be.  I am incredibly aware, however, that this activity is what makes feel feel fabulous most of the time.  I read an article a few years ago that asked the question whether exercise makes people feel good or people who feel good exercise.  I think it is a point well taken but think the former is more commonly the case.  I speak with people daily about how their lifestyle impacts their health.  If only we could bottle the effects of regular exercise, this gig would be much easier.  I have decided that most people can get by fairly well into their early thirties, after that, if they don't move regularly, they feel worse and worse.

Ragbrai, as I have mentioned, is a huge part of my life.  I started spinning to help prepare and I bike on the road once its warm. Usually, I stop riding my bike on the road very soon after Ragbrai and move back inside to spin.  This is partly because the trip out and back to Rock Creek gets very boring after the 20th time (small town, only one bike path)!  This year, I have continued to ride outside because Brother C is here to encourage me.  We often comment that the ride goes faster and the hills are easier with someone to talk to.  Politics and tiny circus are our most common topics.  

Another special thing about this year's Ragbrai was an unexpected weight loss.  Although it may seem riders on Ragbrai would lose weight, it doesn't usually work that way.  So many calories are required to preform the days' ride that most people maintain or slightly gain weight.  That has certainly always been the case for me.  For some reason this year my weight drifted down about 5 pounds after Ragbrai and has stayed.  Although I am delighted, I am also baffled. (and wondering if the scale is not working!)  My life has been a series of attempts to lose that 5 pounds.  The only time I have ever been successful is while nursing a 3 to 12 month old.  Last year my dad mentioned he had given up candy.  I decided to do the same and for the first 3 months of last year, I ate no candy (generally its my 5th food group).  I did not lose one pound, not one.   I must say as I counsel patients it has been bothering me that I finally achieved my goal without understanding how.  I'm sure that weight will creep back on over the winter, but for right now am pleased. 

So that, Amy, is the synopsis of my current exercise routine.  Be careful what you ask, you may get an answer!