The First Step

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Lao-tzu

My single step was walking into the gym last night and writing a check I can’t afford. I need to exercise. I need to feel healthier and have more energy. One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to exercise. A lot of people resolve to lose weight or to make drastic lifestyle changes. I know that is a naïve way to approach this. My goal is simply to add exercise into my weekly (if not daily) routine. However, this hasn’t been an easy goal to achieve.

As all of our friends love to point out, we are very busy. We spend a lot of time with out of town family and friends. We try to make time for activities for just us with J as often as possible. We attempt to pursue our own hobbies (even if it is not as often as we’d like). All of this leaves us with little to no “free time.” However, once you decide something is critically important, it is amazing where you can find little niches of time. Taking care of your health is obviously one of the most important things in life. To not make time for it is foolish and we are trying to rectify that now.

Earlier this year we made a commitment to start eating better. We’ve done pretty good by and large. We can still do better. We also made a commitment to exercise. We’ve not done as well in this area. So, after much deliberation and conversation, we joined the gym. My rationale is that if I am writing them a check each month, I will go. Additionally, they have a pool which J is extremely excited about so he will encourage us to go because he will want to be in the pool as often as possible. Once he turns five, they also have an athletic club for kids which will be good for him. I never want him to fall into the childhood obesity trap that so many kids these days find themselves in thanks, in large part, to convenience foods and high-sugar foods. We try so hard to limit his intake of these items but it is nearly impossible to regulate everything. So, the kids’ activities will become increasingly important as he gets older to keep him in shape and keep him healthy.

So, my journey of a thousand miles toward feeling better, living longer, and being healthier hopefully starts here. I look forward to the challenge and am trying to maintain a positive attitude despite my past experiences with exercise. This time it is going to be different!