Like anyone, I had (and have) a limited amount of
discretionary time outside of my full-time job and other non-negotiable
obligations. I’ve found that I can usually only handle one “extracurricular
activity” at a time—playing on a recreational slow-pitch softball team, taking
a continuing education class, that sort of thing. Whenever I contemplated
taking up the violin again, I told myself, “If you have that kind of time, you
should be exercising more.”
These days, that attitude strikes me as harsh. It strikes me
that I was sort of punishing myself for gaining weight (as I have over the
years): “No music for you! Hit the gym.” At various times I did maintain a good
exercise habit, though I was streaky with it—a few months on, a few months off,
that sort of thing. I exercised most consistently when I set up a reward system
for myself where I got to buy a book at the end of any week where I had
exercised six times. A foot injury brought that routine to a screeching halt,
and I never have managed to find an exercise routine that both appeals to me
and accommodates lingering foot problems.
Maybe the foot injury gave me reason to be less harsh on
myself about not exercising. In any case, when the idea struck me last fall to
take up violin again, I didn’t shame myself out of it. And now? Maybe letting
go of the guilt actually has motivated me. As of yesterday, I’m going to try to
fold one unambitious form of exercise into my routine again: lifting weights.
Whenever I (re)started strength training in the past, I
found that I lost a clothing size or two (and did not bulk up by any means).
Here is more info on the benefits of strength training, particularly for women:
- From the Mayo Clinic
- From the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- From The New York Times
Reading this stuff is very motivating for me. If I succeed in this, I will try not to be too smug about
it!
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