I love a good workout.

I can happily sit on the sofa for a week.

These are two truths that make it complicated to be me.  Or maybe everyone is like this.

I have always been sporty with or without extra weight.  I suppose that innate enjoyment of exercise is why I’ve never had more than thirty pounds to lose.  The amount of exercise I’ve maintained has ranged from almost nothing to obsessive levels.

• wandering around the house in search of food or the tv remote
• walking for everyday life – errands and shopping
• playing orgainsed team sports
• walking for fitness
• walk/jogging
• going to the gym once or twice per week
• going to the gym four or five times per week
• running miles and miles in order to burn calories

Can you sense the shift from depressed to sane to compulsive? I have a genuine fear of both extremes.

I read this quote today over on the Paul Plakas site:

Melissa Joulwan once wrote: “An athlete is someone who takes joy in movement. Who knows they feel better after their workout than they did before. They enjoy the first trickle of sweat because they know that the reward for stretching won’t be too far behind. It’s also someone that knows you don’t have to be on an organized sports team to be strong, to have enthusiasm, or to be a winner.”
There is absolutely no mention in the previous quote of a top-10 finish or a personal-record time achieved. No relevance to personal performance relative to others.

I relate to that and I love that little bit at the end.  It helps me crave moving my body without fearing the euphoria that always leads to a crash.  I want to find moderation and that sheer pleasure of feeling my heart and lungs working hard.  I don’t want the kind of exercise that traps me into a routine that gets ever more demanding, just to keep getting better and better results. Instead, I want “balanced life” exercise that leads to the freedom of having a healthy and leaner body.

So today is another “first day”.  Better get moving.