Every week, I hear something different that connects me to exercise! This week was no different when National Public Radio announced an upcoming news story entitled "No More Gym? Don't Worry, Your Muscles Remember!" (A link to the story is included below.) As NPR promoted its "muscle memory" story, I began to think about how little I know about exercise's impact on my health? Or the science of exercise? Or the impact of exercise on disease? My mind flipped through these thoughts and then settled on an image - a mental flashback to my early childhood and growing up years. I began imagining the physical activities I engaged in as a young child, and became especially curious how these experiences may have influenced my agility, strength and exercise performance today?
Indeed this particular story took me back to my early childhood, and the quality of life in our neighborhood, school and community. Growing up in Ames, Iowa was like a dream. As a child, and somewhat of a tomboy, I lived outdoors in the summer and after school. I played baseball and football with the neighborhood boys, explored the curves and currents of the Skunk River with best friend Ruth, and raced around the Edwards, Sawyer and Whittier School playgrounds - the second fastest racer in my class! (No one could even get close to my other best friend Linda.) I balanced precariously on train trestle tracks and bridges, built forts under bridges, tunneled into caves like an explorer, hung out with neighborhood kids on walkie-talkies all night, and bicycled everywhere, throughout high school, college, graduate school and into my family life. When I was young, every aspect of life was both physical and outside! Indeed - surprise surprise - I now realize that "exercise" and "outdoors" had been essential ingredients in my life for almost 30 years!
As I grew up, every member of my family - myself, mom, dad, brother and sister - became more interested in regular, daily physical exercise. Partly, we watched my father, an Iowa State University professor, running, playing handball and racquetball every day (habits he continues to this day). And partly, physical activity and participating in sports was emphasized in my schooling and in a Presidential Fitness Program. From these early years on, until I turned 30, I indulged in/plunged into regular daily exercise, whether it was outdoor play, swimming, canoeing, biking, modern dance, or team sports like girls softball. In the future, I'll write about the family dogs and racquetball, how swimming rules, a college modern dance troupe, and my love for the hot/cold of cross country skiing and canoeing in the Minnesota Northwoods. But this is another blog.
So it is with great anticipation that I finally was able to listen to this news story about muscles' having memory. Maybe this is why I have had such success in the strength building and weight exercises that are part of my routine/class at Lifepointe? Maybe this is why I have made this commitment to exercise and to this blog? Maybe this is why I close my eyes to concentrate fiercely, and to relish in the "deep goodness" of the feelings I get when exercising? It gives me hope that my muscles are remembering and embracing their old selves, embracing me....and that they, and I, feel so very good.
Indeed this particular story took me back to my early childhood, and the quality of life in our neighborhood, school and community. Growing up in Ames, Iowa was like a dream. As a child, and somewhat of a tomboy, I lived outdoors in the summer and after school. I played baseball and football with the neighborhood boys, explored the curves and currents of the Skunk River with best friend Ruth, and raced around the Edwards, Sawyer and Whittier School playgrounds - the second fastest racer in my class! (No one could even get close to my other best friend Linda.) I balanced precariously on train trestle tracks and bridges, built forts under bridges, tunneled into caves like an explorer, hung out with neighborhood kids on walkie-talkies all night, and bicycled everywhere, throughout high school, college, graduate school and into my family life. When I was young, every aspect of life was both physical and outside! Indeed - surprise surprise - I now realize that "exercise" and "outdoors" had been essential ingredients in my life for almost 30 years!
As I grew up, every member of my family - myself, mom, dad, brother and sister - became more interested in regular, daily physical exercise. Partly, we watched my father, an Iowa State University professor, running, playing handball and racquetball every day (habits he continues to this day). And partly, physical activity and participating in sports was emphasized in my schooling and in a Presidential Fitness Program. From these early years on, until I turned 30, I indulged in/plunged into regular daily exercise, whether it was outdoor play, swimming, canoeing, biking, modern dance, or team sports like girls softball. In the future, I'll write about the family dogs and racquetball, how swimming rules, a college modern dance troupe, and my love for the hot/cold of cross country skiing and canoeing in the Minnesota Northwoods. But this is another blog.
So it is with great anticipation that I finally was able to listen to this news story about muscles' having memory. Maybe this is why I have had such success in the strength building and weight exercises that are part of my routine/class at Lifepointe? Maybe this is why I have made this commitment to exercise and to this blog? Maybe this is why I close my eyes to concentrate fiercely, and to relish in the "deep goodness" of the feelings I get when exercising? It gives me hope that my muscles are remembering and embracing their old selves, embracing me....and that they, and I, feel so very good.
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