Weakened Muscles

Friends, it truly is correct that if you don't use it you lose it. We hear this all the time and we see it played out over and over again throughout life. Yesterday my dear family decided to walk to a local shopping center to hit up the Baskin Robbins. I can tell you with a straight face that walking totally justifies the guilt of going. It's a one mile walk each way. So, Copelands trekking 2 miles is a big deal. From the looks on Youngest's face it was a long walk. He tried everything from telling me his legs were jelly to saying they were too wobbly to continue. Funny thing, as our house appeared in front of us, his complaints got louder. Isn't it supposed to work the opposite way? Once you can see the end, aren't you supposed to feel better? Not if you're five.

I can also tell you that I haven't embarked on exercise since my beginning of the year journey with Jillian Michaels, via her wonderful 20lbs in 30 days DVD. I worked my butt off for 30 days straight, up at 5:30am, and ungodly hour if ever there was one, and I lost 4 pounds. Okay, maybe 5. I know you are wondering if I changed my eating habits. Yes. I sure did. I certainly made sure I was eating lots of vegetables, drinking only water with just one cup of coffee in the morning, cut back on red meat. And still. Four pounds. After that I took a self-imposed hiatus from exercising. If thoughts count I did look at the hand weight the other day as I was plopped watching Grey's Anatomy. Even went so far as to think I should do some bicep curls while I'm sitting here. The feeling passed. All this sitting lately did make last night's two-miler a trip.

As we got near the end I could feel how tired my legs were. Its true. You don't use it you lose it. That include muscle strength. As I laid in the bed last night I said to the Hub, "my everything hurts." This morning, my everything still hurts. The valuable lesson in this is to examine what in your life you may have let go of. For way too many of us it is the exercise. For others, it might be prayer, motivation, energy, drive. Hope I can encourage you to get it back. Get it going. Use the muscle so you don't lose the strength. I'm sore today but that will wear off. The benefit of being in motion is way worth the cost of a little everything hurting.

Youngest logic for you to enjoy today: after his third or fourth trip into the kitchen to nose his way into a conversation, the Hub says "what are you doing back down here again?" Youngest responds, "I didn't come from upstairs, so I am not 'doing down'. I came from the basement so I 'doing up." The Hub, amused says, "okay, excuse me. What are you doing "up" here again?" To which my darling almost-kindergartner replies, "actually dad, this is the middle level of the house. You should say 'what are you doing middle again?"