I am an active person. Always have been, hopefully always will be.

I remember during my senior year in high school when I was in basketball practice just days before the district tournament. A teacher/athletic director was walking through the gym and came up to me, rested his hand on my shoulder and said, “Oxnam, isn’t it depressing to know that this is the best shape that you will probably be in for the rest of your life.”

Dagger to the heart.

Although I continue to be active in a variety of ways, I’m not so much a fan of running or working out. In fact, I would consider myself lucky if I could run a mile…a single mile, without stopping. My friends are constantly talking about the 3K, 5K, half marathon and marathons they’re training for and I sit quietly thinking how boring this conversation has become! 🙂

I try to work out, I really do. When I was in college I participated in every intramural team I could think of; flag football, bowling, basketball and dodgeball. But struggled to drag myself to the gym.

A marriage and two kids later I find even less motivation to workout. We have a treadmill which I use a lot when I’m pregnant and sporadically when I’m not. But I don’t run. I walk. A mile and a half. Pat myself on the shoulder and go about my day.

But as most are aware the winters can be cold, long and drawn out in Milwaukee. So I clung to the idea that working out would be just the thing I would need to fight the winter blues. Steve so kindly bought a gym membership for us last year for Christmas.

We used it here and there. Nothing more than a day or two a week. A day or two turned to once every other week and then three weeks. Finally I put the membership on hold. Summer was fast approaching and I was spending a lot of time outside. So we started up again in November. The whole month came and went without a visit. And December came and went as well. January we’ve used it on Saturdays. But not enough to make it worth it.

I should use it. I understand that. But the thought of getting the kids ready, driving to the gym, getting the kids settled in kids care just makes me exhausted and that doesn’t even count the workout. It’s official, I’m just not a gym girl. I can say I tried. I just don’t have it in me. So we canceled the gym.

To further my explanation, when Steve and I were toying with the idea of getting an iphone I was 100% okay with canceling the gym membership to pay for the monthly iphone bill. And that is where my loyalty lies. I would rather have a cool gadget than a healthy body. 

At least in my 20’s.
I have high hopes for being a powerful runner in my 30’s.