Exercise and Imagination
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Exercise is a regimen--effective when done with discipline
and regularity. However, exercise need not be a dull regimen, without
imagination and spontaneity. Experts tell us to get our heart rates up into the target zone for at least twenty minutes three times a week. That is good advice, but nobody has to tell us how. We get to decide, and that decision-making could be the key to an effective routine that doesn't fizzle two weeks after the latest New Year's get-in-shape resolution. If you live in North Dakota, you understand this as necessity being the mother of invention. Last year we relied on indoor exercises as twenty-below windchillers blasted us. Any one of a dozen machines and venues helped us cope. We ran and walked in schools and shopping centers, What we didn't have to do is the same thing everyday. I can honestly say I did all of the above at least once, and I finished the winter in decent shape--less than ten pounds over my swimsuit edition. This El Nino winter has called for new ways to make the heart pound. On Thanksgiving I played touch football with the kids. The next week I ran on the frozen river near our house. That melted and I switched to hitting 7 iron shots in a deserted park and then sprinting after the ball--a relatively short sprint for a duffer like me. Evening walks with my wife have occurred at least three times a week all made more enjoyable by Christmas lights. Outdoor stuff is great in a winter like this. No matter what the weather brings, variety is the key. Having more than one option allows little room for excuses, especially if those options are pleasant enough to motivate us to belly up to the exercise table for a heart pounding diet that never grows old. |
About the Author:
| Steve Graner is a Christian educator and familyman employed by the Minot, ND Public School District. A licensed laypastor, he is passionate about Christian writing and Christian drama. Along with family and friends, Steve has performed numerous self-written dramas and musicals for area church audiences. |