Get Up…Get Movin

Football is over except for rumblings about players misbehaving. Hockey is done messing around with the first half of the season, and now it's time for "old-time hockey" and the drive to the Cup. Baseball is heading down south, where there is no snow on the field. March Madness isn't quite mad at this point, and the NBA is experiencing a history-making team. The Olympics are gearing up for the summer, and golf and tennis are just a blip on the radar. Big wave surfing is in full swing, and alpine skiing is exciting to watch if you can find it on your television.

This is a good time of the year to not watch sports and get into the gym. It could be time to take some golf lessons or start jogging around the high school track. I dusted off my bicycle and almost rode a mile. The knees popped, and the legs were a little wobbly, but it felt like progress. It's time to put the beer can down, get out of the recliner, gulp a protein shake and shoot some hoops. Even if it's raining or snowing outside, gear up, toughen up, and run around the block like an Ironman. Take off the clothes hanging on the elliptical machine and crank out twenty minutes of sweat and pain.

You get a chance to reinvent yourself every winter before things warm up, and before you walk outside with shorts and a tank top on. Wouldn't it be nice to step outside sporting some new muscles, ones that look bigger and less wimpy? For me, I want to start lifting a little weight but even more critical, and I want to be able to touch my toes and feel more limber. They say having tight hamstrings results in back pain. Who hasn't had back pain? Stretching is the least expensive of all exercise programs unless you hire a coach to yell at you to hold your legs and keep your head down. I began stretching in bed. After having an excruciating leg cramp in bed, I discovered this little jewel of a trick that felt like someone dug an ice pick into my calf. As you get older, getting a sports-type injury in bed is as about as bad as it can get.

So today, make it a day to challenge yourself with an activity that requires some sweat or at least some grunting. Shoveling snow doesn't count, but if you are in snow country, strap on some cross-country skis and trek on down the road and hopefully not fall. I am going to go bike riding today and extend my journey to two miles. Who knows where this could lead? Maybe I have to buy those shiny shorts and fancy shirts and get serious.