Exercise isn't Fun, But This Blog is

Who are we kidding....Exercise isn't fun, and I don't think I'm alone in that thought.

Trust me, I've done my fair share of exercise.... just not so much lately.

I started school athletics when I was in 6th grade. My father convinced me to join the cross country team. Then I did track and field. Both sports I did all the way through graduation. When I went to college it was the first year Women's Rowing became a varsity sport. Again, my dad gave me a strong nudge to tryout. I did, and for 3 yrs I competed and traveled. NCAA puts a cap on student athletes exercise work load to 20hrs a week in the sports season. Rowing is both a fall sport (long distance like cross country) and a spring sport (shorter distance like track).

Now for those of you who are thinking 3 yrs, why not 4yrs. It isn't because I graduated a year early, and it isn't because I got kicked off. May after my Junior year I got married. Yes, I was young. But we had been dating for 5yrs. He was two years older and finished with college and stick'n around our college town for me. I felt like it was too much for me to get my last classes and do a full time internship and find 20 hrs a week to row. Something had to give or I would be there another semester.

I've gotten totally off track. Back to the topic of Exercise...

I'll be honest, I was never the best at any of my sports, but I was good enough to letter in all of them several times (I have the jackets to prove it) and I earned a partial scholarship for rowing. So basically, I was good enough. Now, you all have evidence that I've put in hours of exercise. But get this, my degree....is in Exercise Science. Yes, that is a real degree, and I have it.

After college my husband and I moved to Florida. A bigger market for the TV biz (more money), and a great place for me to work with an older adult population. I had a great job (not much money) helping people get started working out and having a healthier lifestyle. Most, but not all, of my clients were grandma and grandpa types. Many of them I would check their blood pressure and heart rates before and after exercise. I would encourage them to come back, smile, be friendly, watch the showcase showdown with them as they rode their bikes. I would even bring gold star stickers to give them some mornings. I had one man, well over 80, hearing aid buzzing loud, who would flirt with me every time he came. I would have to yell all my sweet responses to him, but it was fun. That's right is was FUN! It was a great job! I miss that job! But I have a better job now and one day I will be looking back at it with only the fond memories.

Back on point. Exercise isn't fun, BUT community is fun. That's what I loved about cross country, track, rowing, my job. It was the people. The workouts stink. It is hard to get up at 5am and row a boat on a lake when it is barely above freezing. Who wants to do that? Well, I did it over and over because I was part of a team. A team of girls that I liked and loved. And they liked and loved me as well. It is so hard to exercise alone. But as a team we are strong.

That is what this blog is about. Teamwork. Fast forward, now I'm a mom with the responsibility to take care of others--husband, 4 kids, 3 dogs. My friends have responsibilities. We can't always schedule time to meet and workout. Distance is another huge factor. We aren't all close to each other. My hope is this blog will bring us closer together. We can hold each other accountable and have a Cyber Team. I know some of you are rolling your eyes and my cheesy team spirit, but not to worry. I still love you just the way you are.

Let's have fun being strong together. Go Girls!!!!