Exercise Streaking

Since April of 2006, I've been on a journey toward better health and smaller pants. I've lost 56 pounds . . . yet feel the need to confess that I still want to lose 20 more pounds. I've been stuck at 170 pounds for six months, but that's neither here nor there. (Frankly, I'm kind of impressed by my plateau, because that means I'm not regaining the lost weight, something I've had a knack for doing for the past fifteen years.)

But, what about exercise? You might not believe me, but I haven't missed a day of exercise in over a year. I started an exercise streak in August of 2006, determined to exercise every single day for as long as possible. I'm still at it.

How? Well, first of all, I made it impossible to use an excuse. No time to get to the YMCA? I have an exercise bike in my bedroom. In my bedroom, it does not rain, so the weather is no issue. In my bedroom, I can exercise at any time, so it's never "too late." (On Christmas Eve, I exercised from 11:40 p.m. until midnight, but usually, I exercise in the early evening for forty-five minutes while the kids were bathing and heading to bed.) Too boring? I read or watch television while I sweat.

Last spring, a friend and I decided to walk in the mornings. You should know that I am not a morning person. I am unable to sleep before 10 p.m., even when I try. However, mornings are the only time we could meet for a daily walk, so we agreed on 6:30 a.m.

I hate this agreement with a fiery passion from about 6:15 a.m. until 6:20 a.m. At 6:20 a.m., I wearily stagger from bed, slip on my exercise gear, brush my teeth, put on my glasses and drive three minutes to my friend's house. We walk three and a half miles through our hilly town, chatting usually, yawning occasionally.

Having a buddy waiting for me gets me out of bed. And by 7:35 a.m., I'm finished with my exercise for the day. I love that almost as much as I love the shape of my strong legs now. I don't quite get enough sleep, but I gladly sacrifice it for the energy walking gives me.

I started my journey to lose weight and get in shape this time not out of vanity and a longing for smaller pants. No, this time shedding the pounds was about health. I took a clear-eyed look at my own mother, only twenty years older than me and realized that if I didn't change the direction my 226 pound body was heading, I'd end up like her, using a cane, driving around in a car with a handicapped placard, breathing hard just putting away dishes.

I want to be healthy and active as long as possible. If I waited until my kids were all grown or until exercising and dieting became convenient, I'd be finally taking up yoga when I live in a nursing home. (Only a slight exaggeration--when my youngest child will be 18, I will be 56.)

There's never a perfect time to exercise. But we find time to do the things that are important to us and for me, that includes daily exercise, even on Christmas Day.

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Melodee blogs about her diet at The Amazing Shrinking Mom and about her life at Actual Unretouched Photo. She has four kids, three cats, two feet and one husband.