from nothing to everything

10/12/13  

Blog #1

Plump to Pump for No Quit Fit Outdoor Bootcamp

About Me:

If I had my druthers I'd strength train bootycamp-style 2 times per week, run 4 times per week, play volleyball once per week, core train with pilates 2 times per week, free my mind and increase my flexibility with yoga once per week, and I'd get paid big bucks to complete all these fitness activities.

Alas, my body revolts with injury when I pile on too much exercise so I have to carefully measure my fitness activities.  Plus, there are just not enough days in the week to do "my dream fitness plan".  I work full time as a speech therapist in a primary school.  I have 3 kids: one son is out of the nest, another is working on it (knock wood), and my daughter is a senior in high school.  I am eager for an empty nest and have been creeping more fitness into my life as my children have grown and needed less of my daily parenting.  My husband is a cooking rock star who makes dinner every night which carves out time for me so I can exercise.   I am having a small taste of empty nestdom now and I dig it.  Totally dig it.  I won't be one of those moms that cries and doesn't know what to do with her time once the kids are moved on.  I have my hobbies all lined up.  See first paragraph.  

Topic:  The challenge of getting back into fitness after a break.

I was chosen by school staff as the Outstanding Athlete (female) in my senior year of high school.   I was a three-sport athlete.  I was named to the All-Conference volleyball team during my senior season, though that sport was my least favorite.  There was so much standing around in volleyball.  There was only a one in six chance I could touch the ball every time it went into the air.  Those odds sucked.  It was frowned upon to shove my team mates out of the way to hog the ball.  While there were some off-chances for errant physical contact with my team mates, there was none with the opposing team.   Booo dullsville.   

I was a hitter and a standout in my grade, but overall my volleyball skills were subpar in comparison to great players.  This had something to do with my lackadaisical feeling about volleyball to be sure.  Running long distances was a ridiculous notion so joining the cross country team held zero interest for me.   I think those were the only two fall sport choices for girls.  So volleyball it was.  

The biggest negative about volleyball was that I rarely got sweaty and red faced.  My hair stayed dry during matches.  Blah.  I craved sweat to be dripping from my face and body.   I felt my absolute best in life when I was working so hard physically in sports that my hair was drenched in sweat.  Sopping, so that I looked like I just washed it, heaven!  The most difficult part of high school was the 2-3 weeks between sports.  I was antsy and restless for the next sport to start up, huh, but I just realized I didn't take it upon myself to complete any fitness activities during the dreaded time off between sport seasons.   Interesting.  Nevertheless, I brought 100% effort to every vball practice and every vball match.  And bided my time until my true love, basketball, began.

Heads and tails above volleyball was basketball.   I was a serious pumpkin pounder.   Defense was my specialty; I could steal the ball from anyone and could stuff even the tallest girls.  Bring it.  Year after year, I was always put in position to defend the opposing team's top scorer; I could usually shut her down down down!  That fact is my crowning achievement in my high school career, athletic or otherwise, I just decided.  

I day dreamed about switching schools in our conference so I could play competitive defense against our team's leading scorer Katy.  Katy was a force on the court and was the surest shot around.  Guarding her in practice drills didn't give me the information I needed.. could I defend and stop Katy from running up the score?  I never found out because back then everyone just went to the school they were supposed to go to and there weren't all these newfangled choices to make about your district.  I didn't really want to switch I just wanted to know that I could bring Katy to her knees when push came to shove.  Ooh great segue..  

The shoving!   The body contact!  The inadvertent scratching and the accidental hahahah elbowing!  Lawdy mae were there ever tussles for control of the ball!!  Basketball satisfied my aggressive athletic leanings.  Stealing the ball gave me a super high.  Just wish I could dribble the damn thing.  I could steal like a champ but then if I didn't have a team mate darting down the court awaiting my pass, I was forced to dribble and all bets were off.  I was lightening quick so whomever I stole it from was in my dust.   But often, after my cat-like reflexes of pick-pocketing this girl,  I would turn the blasted ball over due to an unforced error of losing control of the freaking ball while trying to dribble.   I was a total clod if I wasn't on defense or shooting.   I don't know what my stupid problem was, legs too long?  Ball had to travel up too far to meet my hand and got lost in the uncoordinated shuffle between eye/hand/ball?  Just a shitty ball handler.  Anyway, we could capitalize on my steals if the shorty short girls were close by that could make the damn ball go up and down rhythmically.   

Rounding up the school year was track and field in the spring.  Running around the track was the draw for me, an unwelcome field event was hoisted upon me every meet and required by the coach.  I was long and skinny and the shot put and discus were not options.  What else is there?  Oh ya, long jumping, did that a few times.  Eh, no spectacular performances there.  At one meet, the triple jumper was MIA so coach taught me how to "hop, skip, and jump" in the aisle of the bus on the way to the meet.  I placed 6th the first time I ever tried it, and then never competed in triple jump again.  Probably missed my calling.  

Most of the time I picked (or was coerced into doing) high jump and was a total fraidy cat of the bar.  Very few others wanted to do it, so there I was. I placed mid-pack usually, couple times in the top 3, but never was taught how to do it, or if I was it didn't take.  My fear of the bar caused me to jump differently nearly every time.  What a jumping jahosafat joke.  I'm glad my mom barely had a camera back then much less a video camera because I would not want to see replay of my flailing Bambi limbs going this way and that over the bar.  

The field event was just a means to the end, the track events.  I adored the 400 meter dash more than any boyfriend I had in high school.  The sun rose and set on the ass-crack of the 400 meter dash.  There was no other physical feat more strenuous or challenging than this race, in my opinion.  Sprinting one whole lap around the track was a daunting thought that I relished.  If I could have sprinkled sugar over some strawberries on top of the 400 meter dash, I would have eaten it right up.  There is nothing that made me feel more of a champion than winning those races.  It was an individual event (although team points were garnered) so I was the only one that could be held accountable for a poor showing or a top finish.  I loved the glory that came from winning solely on my own merits.

Then.  Duh duh duh dunnnnn.  I graduated from high school.  And all my physical activity ceased.  No intermural sports.  No organized sporting of any kind.   No roller blading.  No walks even.  Nothing.  I took up smoking cigarettes the summer after I graduated.  WTF.  I couched all my inactivity in "I just need a break from all the competition, all the go go go.  I just want to enjoy college." 

Total bullshit!  I reveled in that competition.  Not once during high school did I ever want any fitness ANYTHING to slow down nor did it wear me out to the point I wished for a break.  When we had two-a-days, I wished they would last longer than the first 2 weeks.   Alas, that was my weak excuse.  I should have been honest with myself and admitted that I didn't want to partake in that stuff.  No biggie.  It's my life, I live it how I see fit (or not fit haha).  But by being dishonest I left myself open for guilt.  Good gravy the guilt.  

 I gained weight.  I lost all my fitness.  My muscles were kaput.  I had fun!  I met great friends!  I drank!  I smoked!  I lived it up!  I went to classes.  I got good grades.  I was focused on my education but also kept a good balance of energy for parties and socializing.  I had zero money usually and I was buying packs of smokes now and I had to save some for Boones Farm Wine, so Ramen noodles and Mac N Cheese were my staples.  I don't know if I ate anything else.   I vividly remember a saucepan with dried crusty macaroni leftovers stuck to it on the stovetop.  For a long time.  Like, weeks or more.  If my roommates had been cleaner, someone would have noticed.   If I liked eggs back then I would have jumped on that shit, so cheap.  A dozen for a buck or so.  That's like 6 meals, how did I miss out on eggs?   I could buy 10 Ramen for $1 and I never got sick of eating them.  Was that my crowning achievement of college?  Egads I was a loser.  

My college-years' abstinence from exercise spilled over into my mid-twenties.  I got really comfortable with inactivity.  I didn't even question it.  Looking back, I loved my life and all that it entailed.  I wasn't unhappy.   I was in a good place.   I had met the man of my dreams, and while he was fit, exercise or sports weren't part of our relationship when it started.  I didn't feel a fitness void.   I did however hate my body and the rolls of fat I had gained from over-eating and under-exercising.  Not enough hatred to take any action mind you, just enough to give me a dull roar of unhealthy body image and feelings of not looking good enough,  for the duration.    I was keenly aware that my body was meant to be fit and I that wasn't taking care of it, but I wasn't motivated to do anything about it.  

I started a family at 30.   A few years after that, I got the urge to start a recreational sand volleyball team to play in a local league.  Ironically, it was volleyball that got me started back onto the road to fitness.  Volleyball was much more palatable in my older age; now I liked the bit slower pace since I was in sand and drinking beers.   We didn't win a single game our first season, and won one game the second year.  While I would have liked to win more games, my priorities are different as a mature woman and the camaraderie and having my OWN thing was the tops over winning.     Six years later, I'm a 39 year old marathoner and my co-ed volleyball team has improved steadily year after year.  We are presently in first place in the league!  Plays of the game this week:  I blocked a pair of hard spikes from guys that were 6 footers.  Go Sharks!

My break from fitness was a long one, about 15 years.   I can analyze all I want (and boy do I like to over-analyze) to figure out if the break was a hindrance to my happiness or harmonious happenstance, but really, bygones.  It's water under the bridge.   Or is it water over the dam?  At any rate, what's done is done.  I can't change the past so I don't dwell on it..   Kill two birds with one stone.   Oops one idiom too many.    

It matters less how I got here, and more where I am going.  I start from where I am.    Up with fitness, down with guilt!