Last summer I had begun to feel a little bit like an old lady - my feet hurt a lot if I was on them most of the day, I got a knee injury from climbing a few hills on vacation in San Francisco and when our family went to the beaches near our house, I would campaign heavily for the ones with the easiest beach access - no scrambling down huge rocks... I would get scared that I would fall and frankly it was tough to heave 250 pounds back UP the rocks. I was always glad when we had visiting (older) relatives because my hubby would automatically pick the easiest places to visit. And I didn't even notice that I was older than my age - it had all happened so gradually....
A few months ago the lovely wii fit plus program informed me that I was not actually 46 - but that my wii fitness age was 60-something. Gulp.
Being a chubby mama was one thing...but being older than I am?
So. Not. Acceptable.
That was what prompted me to go beyond the easy two mile strolls I had been taking with my friend 4 days a week. Now we strength train together two days a week and I tack on several miles a day without her. It would be simpler and less time consuming to do more intensive exercise without her. But Mary is my best friend and the one person who is able to get me off my duff to get in shape - she is happy with being moderately in shape and I need her constant arrival at my house to be a regular exerciser. It works.
I just didn't realize how well it has been working - oh I have definitely noticed the smaller jeans and the emerging arm muscles poking up through the flab (grow little muscles, grow...grow and conquer the evil fat!) But I didn't realize until memorial day that another process was underway as well - the de-aging of Ginny!! We hauled our 4 kiddos and a 12 year old best friend and an 18 year old boyfriend (worth his weight in gold for playing with my younger boys at the beach) and coolers and chairs and surfboards and we arrived at a beach i usually hate to go to.... Big rock scramble to gt down to the sand. Big rocks.
You have to carefully consider how you are going to pick your way down...carrying coolers and chairs.
Oh yeah - we brought that 18 year old guy with the muscles who still wants to impress our daughter - yay! He's got the cooler!
So I looked and I thought and then I started my descent.
And it was easy. Like 2 minutes. No embarrassment, no scraping of legs on rocks. Just a quick climb.
And guess who I met on my way down?
Yup - that same 16 year old me who I met at a rock concert this winter - this winter she was ticked off at me for what I had done to her body...but yesterday she smiled at me and said, "Nice going, Ginny - now we can do fun stuff again!!! I like those baby muscles you got going...keep up the hard work cause I've got great stuff planned for us!"
My husband came rushing over when I got down to the beach and said, "Oh sorry - I was just coming up to help you get down the rocks.."
So fun to smile a 16 year old grin and say, "What for? I love climbing rocks!!"
Yeah - and I was the one who got the cooler and the chairs back UP the rocks while hubby and teenage boy were putting surfboards on the car!!!
Rocks -pfffpttt - I scoff at you!!!