The Importance of Getting In and Staying In Shape - 2

We're talking about the importance of getting in and staying in shape. Our primary focus here will be on our bodies, but we'll try to work in some ideas about getting in and staying in shape in our spiritual life as well.

Our last post ended with some initial comments directed at those who need to get in shape. While both getting in and staying in present challenges, getting in, for many of us, really can be daunting. This is especially true when years of being out of shape have caused Brother Ass (St. Francis of Assisi's term for his body) to almost collapse into himself. 

While we can't offer professional, authoritative advice here, we can speak from a personal perspective. And there we turn the pages back a few decades.

Without boring you with all the details, suffice it to say that as a young man I was not the most athletic guy. So upon realizing this, and actually needing to do something to get into better shape (based on some physical issues that were threatening to mushroom into virtual disabilities), my choice was jogging.

At the time jogging was a kind of sensation. A magazine devoted to running (I think it was called Runner's Magazine) became rather popular. A fellow named Jim Fixx was the poster boy for what became a kind of movement to get in shape through jogging and running. It all seemed to make sense, and so that was the route I chose to get into shape. 

So with that determination, accompanied by a friend (who was in even worse shape!), I bought some jogging/running shoes at a store in Manhattan. (It was and I believe still is called Paragon Sports.) I must say it was both exotic and exciting to join this wave of folks getting into shape. (Remember too that there was no online shopping. You had to actually pick Brother Ass up off the couch, tread into Manhattan, and go to the store to get the shoes.) And I remember sitting to be properly fit with my first pair of shoes. (Contrast this with going online and clicking!) With that, I was all set.

Of course, there was still the putting the shoes on and actually getting out there. Having a friend was helpful here, although I suspect I'd have started on my own. Still, it was easier with a friend. 

We lived near each other, both young marrieds, no kids. And so one Saturday morning, we met on the street and began. It was a slow build. Jogging mixed with walking. The idea was not to strain anything, but to simply, slowly, carefully increase the jogging, reduce the walking. This went on for some weeks until my buddy quit. Just wasn't for him, I suppose. So that left me on my own. And the rest is, as they say, history.

History? Well, from that moment on, there was never a time when I wasn't doing something akin to exercise. For years this was mostly jogging, even some flashes of running. If for no other reason, sheer vanity was a motivator. But even more than this, necessity played its hand. Which of the two was more powerful? Well, necessity is what it is, and as such wields power. Vanity, sad to say, is not an uncommon fault, but it did serve a purpose here, I suppose.

In any case, enough of me. There's a point here. I wasn't particularly athletically inclined. Nor was I particularly disciplined. If anything, that "necessity" might have given me the leg up I needed to not only begin, but to persist after my friend dropped out. The key, though, was starting small. Didn't join a gym, didn't have any desire to lose weight, or look like a Greek god. So the walking/jogging was ideal.

For anyone, unless there's a disability or injury that stands in the way, perhaps walking is the ideal starter. Second to that, maybe an exercise bike or other contraption. But these can be expensive. 

The thing to realize is that even just walking can seem like a mountain to climb for some. And there's also the issue of where to walk. Some folks like to go to a park. But depending on where you live, just walking out the door can do just fine. I've been blessed to live in a part of a city that's livable, safe, and near a park. So I get the best of both worlds on those few days when I walk. Out the door, don't need to hop in my car and drive to a park, and head for the park where the surroundings are quite pleasant. 

Whatever your circumstances, if you're starting from scratch, at this point just figure it out. It's not that complicated, so don't make it so. Unless you're like my quitter friend, you'll likely find that with persistence, things won't seem or feel so difficult.

So that's something to get you started if that's your circumstance. Next time we look at building up and staying in shape - no easy task either.