The weather is absolutely gorgeous. It is just below freezing (so nothing is turning to slush) and sunny. A perfect day for skating on the canal. Tigger and I skated from 5th Ave down to Somerset and back for a total of just over 4 km. It took us 40 minutes. (Yes, I made her calculate our average speed.) She started off pretty well though she was going pretty slowly on the way back. She is getting to be a good skater. We rewarded ourselves with Beaver Tails.
I’m not at all sure why I want to blog about this topic. I’m the kind of girl who steadfastly refused to do the crunches the midwife recommended after giving birth. I figured that if one needed abs to walk (and when you have well and truly blown your abs giving birth, you realize that this is the case), then walking would strengthen my abs.
So I don’t go to the gym.
Basically, if it isn’t fun, I’m not going to do it.
A couple of weeks ago a friend asked if I wanted to go to an African dance class with her. She knows the instructor. It is held in a community centre rather close to my house (5 minute cycle ride; unfortunately downhill all the way, which means uphill all the way home and more than 5 minutes). So I said yes. It is great fun. This week the usual teacher was away and we had someone else. It was more of a workout than usual. And still fun. And it exercises odd muscles (like those ones between your shoulder blades).
The other thing I do is play basketball in a women’s recreational league. This is great fun. I’ve learned a lot and really improved my skills. And my teammates don’t seem to care that I don’t notice what the score it. The are practically jubilant if I score (not often; my personal best is 4 points in a game and yes, you get 2 points for a basket). And very encouraging. I’m the oldest person on the team and possibly the least fit. Others play Ultimate, run marathons, and that sort of thing. But no one minds. We have a blast.
I also take an Aquafit class at a local community recreation centre. Because I work for myself at home, I go in the day. I’m the youngest in that class which makes me feel really fit (though, quite frankly, some of those 70+ year old ladies are probably fitter than I am). Again, it’s fun. For some reason aerobics in the pool doesn’t feel as hard as it does on land. And they wonder where I’ve been if I miss a class.
For some reason it appears that everyone has a gym membership and exercise has become this chore that we all have to do. I don’t buy that at all. I cycle (not all winter like some in this household, but now the weather is better we’ll cycle more). I walk. I do fun things that are also good exercise. And I feel pretty good and am pretty healthy.
I don’t aspire to a particular sort of feminine figure. I’m a beer drinker and that has consequences. But I feel good.
Okay this is all starting to sound a bit preachy or something. Like I said, no idea why I felt like blogging about it. I’m going to go drink beer and knit. Replace some of the calories I burned off dancing and then cycling up hill.