Exercise

I'm seeing a theme in writing about exercise. From an interview with Tony Horton:

Stop focusing on your six pack abs, for God’s sake, and just focus on the fact that you’re going to be a better human if you get off your butt and eat better. Today.

And from a recent Times Well blog:

For those of college age, for example, physical attractiveness typically heads the list of reasons to begin exercising, although what keeps them going seems to be the stress relief that a regular exercise program provides.

I walk three miles daily, or bike ten miles and swim three-quarters of a mile. If you ask me why, weight control may be my first answer, followed by a desire to live long and well. But that’s not what gets me out of bed before dawn to join friends on a morning walk and then bike to the Y for my swim.

It’s how these activities make me feel: more energized, less stressed, more productive, more engaged and, yes, happier — better able to smell the roses and cope with the inevitable frustrations of daily life.

I can identify with that. That's how exercise was first sold to me: a friend said, "everyone feels better when they exercise," and it's true. I exercised regularly without seeing any fluctuation in weight; that's not why I do it. Once you get used to exercising, not doing it makes you feel crappy. I couldn't wait to get back to the gym after my wisdom-teeth extraction not because I was worried about long-term fitness benefits, and certainly not weight gain; it was more that being sedentary didn't feel good.

I would also extend that to eating well (and particularly, eating vegan), which is what I've tried and failed to convey to my mother. I'm not worried that my head will explode if I put cream in my oatmeal; I just see know need to do it. I feel good, and I don't see any reason to mess with that. I also understand how if you're not in that zone with either food or exercise, there's a lot of resistance to making changes.

And even more so than feeling good, it's a matter of functioning better. I'm cranky when I'm tired (or hungry). Sleep is important to me not just so I can feel good--I know I can function on limited sleep--but so that I'm the best me at work and around the people in my life. I take care of myself in terms of food, sleep, and exercise in part because if you don't take care of yourself, you're of no use to anyone else. My mom doesn't see it that way; she sees herself as a martyr for foregoing sleep, or as a trooper for skimping on food because she's just too busy. Honestly, it just exacerbates her already difficult disposition.

Just recently:

Mom: I'm so tired. I went to bed late and got up early. And it's making me achy.
A.: Go to sleep.
Mom: What does sleep have anything to do with it?

I've seen people at work 'martyr' themselves by pushing food and sleep, and then come down with debilitating colds. To people who think that kind of thing works, I probably come off as self-indulgent, perhaps even fitness-obsessed. I've only recently come to understand the magnitude of the divide between people for whom exercise is a part of life, and those who perceive it as an exotic hybrid of luxury and discipline. I maintain--and I'm vindicated by the above excerpts--that it's really about taking care of yourself and the people around you.