I was going to title this article “Exercise is great” but many people haven’t yet found a type of exercise they like. What is without doubt is that exercising has great benefits for each of us.
It was only two or three generations ago that most of our families were working on farms, getting their daily exercise helping in the field or out in the barn. Those were the leaner, healthier days of fewer treats, less driving and a less manic lifestyle. When you contrast the simple farm life to today’s urban life the differences seem huge.
I have gone through various periods of sore knees and ankles over the past ten years, and I know without a doubt that I am not going to be jogging again. While that makes me sad, I take great pleasure in saying that just a moderate amount of exercise has helped my knees greatly. When I wasn’t exercising I found that small bumps to my knees, or just kneeling for a moment, would make my knees twinge and then hurt for a couple of days.
Nowadays I exercise three times a week at a local Good Life Fitness gym. I have the great fortune of being helped by my son, who is a Personal Fitness Trainer. With his help I have added a lot of strength and a lot of confidence.
It is amazing how three fitness sessions a week can change how you feel. It can definitely put a spring into your step, which feels fantastic — like being young again!
And don’t think that being fit and feeling fit requires you to be a super-slim person! People can definitely be above their ideal weight and still feel fit and great.
I once saw a video about a youth camp that promoted exercise. There was one very overweight teen boy who looked awkward and slow when they had him try a short run. But through that summer the boy kept practicing, developing his muscles, tone and balance. He did not become slim but by the end of the summer he could really run! He was thrilled and proud.
Our society tries to sell us a lot of “things” to make us feel good. While I am a fan of technology, food and entertainment, I think that the time you put into your body will be the thing that makes you feel really good.