The Joy of Exercising…

When I was growing up, exercise was something everyone else did.

As I grew older, I did appreciate the need to stretch my muscles, and I even tried it a few times. It was so boring, I didn’t keep it up.

Even when I gained a few pounds, I couldn’t summon much enthusiasm. I had all the good intentions in the world, just not the will to make them work.

I have always been disgustingly fit and strong. Even when life started to assail me on a regular basis, my strength prevailed.

All of this came grinding to a halt earlier this year, when my strength began to ebb away. Every day I grew weaker, until my body stopped working. Paralysed from the waist down due to an inflamed nerve in my spine, I ended up trapped in my tiny office, a prisoner for the foreseeable future.

They didn’t know how to help me. Too old for surgery, but regular exercise might get me moving again. Might?

For months, exercise became my friend, and painfully slowly, I began to get stronger. I’m not quite there yet, but I can stagger around a bit now.

Back to the point of this post.

Most things in life involve exercise to make them work properly, and that includes writing. I have come to realise that everything I love to do and feel confident about has involved regular exercise. Every time I write a post or a new chapter for a book, this is an exercise. It must be, because I am getting better with these too.

Every book I have ever written has needed an incredible amount of exercise.

Our brains thrive on being stretched, and everything we want to do involves regular activity to make perfect…


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Responses

  1. dgkaye Avatar

    If we don’t use it we lose it is real. 🥰

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      but not if we are pushing too hard, I have discovered. I think I was putting far too much stress on my body. I have toned it down to a more gentle level now and the pain has gone down a notch…

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Widdershins Avatar

    I’m partial to a bit of exercise. I like how I feel afterwards, but the doing of it? Not so much. :D

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      I have always hated exercising, Widds, but now its ‘do it to walk and I can’t argue with that…

      Like

  3. Miriam Hurdle Avatar

    I know. I’m glad you’ve gained your strength. Our muscles and joints get stiffer and lose the flexibility. It’s worrisome. I must stretch my hips and legs so I won’t fall.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      and for someone who never exercised before, I am so glad to do it now…

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Miriam Hurdle Avatar

        I also take glucosamine for the bones and turmeric for arthritis. They help. I can tell.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

          I have never liked turmeric, I think it upsets my stomach, but I could be wrong. Everything tends to upset it these days…

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Miriam Hurdle Avatar

            Turmeric is very potent. I get diarrhea if I take too much. I take 600 to 1000 mg in two capsules and take one with each meal. It serves as anti inflammatory for me.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

              I will try turmeric again, and hope it works this time…

              Liked by 1 person

              1. Miriam Hurdle Avatar

                I hope so. Start small.

                Liked by 1 person

  4. Miriam Hurdle Avatar

    This is great post, Jaye! Our body and mind need exercise! I’m glad to hear you’re getting stronger by exercing. I’m thankful to go to the gym twice a week. My back was painful for years. The orthopedic doctor gave me two injection treatments for my lower back. It feels better but I need to keep exercing otherwise the pain will come back soon.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      For most of my life, I never realised how important exercise was. I thought I got enough, simply living my life. Fear keeps me moving these days, as I cannot lose all my strength again…

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Author Jan Sikes Avatar

    This is SO true, Jaye. If we don’t exercise our bodies they grow stiff and hurt. But exercising our writing muscle is SO important. Thank you for the inspiration!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      I have learned this lesson the hard way, Jan. But very grateful that I was able to…

      Like

  6. pensitivity101 Avatar

    I hated PE and sports at grammar school, yet enjoyed aerobics classes I attended with a friend the year I got married.
    These days I enjoy walking the dog, and have to push myself sometimes if my back or knees are playing up.
    I go to a keep fit class once a week, where the exercises are done sitting down. I’m sure it is doing me some good, but the excellent company, fun and laughter we share adds to the enjoyment.
    However, exercising the mind and imagination is as important as the physical stuff.
    You’re doing great!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      I feel so much better these days, Di… not quite as strong as I would like, but getting there… I never thought I would be able to say this, but I am proud of how far I have come…

      Like

      1. pensitivity101 Avatar

        And so you should be. Keep it up.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

          Oh, I will, never fear… I never want to be incapable again…

          Liked by 1 person

          1. pensitivity101 Avatar

            Been there myself but for a different reason………… never again.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

              Not if I can anything to stop it happening, Di…

              Liked by 1 person

  7. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

    Most people don’t know (or believe) you CAN NOT exercise your way out of chronic illnesses such as ME/CFS or FM or many others. All you can do is make yourself much worse if your body can’t manufacture energy. Wish we could.

    If I ever get cured, you can bet exercise is very high on the list of things I haven’t been able to do in forever.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      Exercise isn’t the magic ingredient for many illnesses, but I believe it can help, Alicia. They still don’t know why I ended up as bad as I did, but I’m so glad I’m not there anymore…

      Like

      1. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

        Knowing the difference is CRUCIAL – and many doctors haven’t a clue how damaging even gentle exercise can be for ME/CFS – it has been thoroughly discredited as a modality for treatment, and yet doctors continue to make patients worse by recommending ‘Graduated Exercise Therapy’ for people whose bodies don’t make enough energy as it is. For us, it is a disaster.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

          In the beginning of my treatment, such as it is, I thought it was a bit pointless to insist that I exercise, when I was having trouble moving in the first place. I have no proper diagnosis, so I could have MS. but gentle exercise has got me walking again, and I cannot argue with that!

          Like

          1. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

            For MANY conditions exercise is helpful (as long as you take it carefully).

            I’m so glad you have improved with exercise – I really wish I could, too. I never thought I wouldn’t be able to work my way out of this illness, nor that it would make people like me worse.

            Doctors (especially a particular group of psychiatrists in the UK) have done immense damage to some of us, so I like to mention that it is a possibility, and knowing the difference is crucial.

            I’d love to be able to exercise. I really miss just going for a walk or a hike or a bike ride. I’m really glad you can.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

              I’m not entirely sure I should be exercising, Alicia. Sometimes it does aggravate things…

              Like

              1. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

                The touchstone is: does it make you worse in the long term?

                Do you have an invisible illness such as the ones I’ve mentioned, such as long-term Lyme? I don’t know if fibromyalgia is in this group, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find it is (again, ignorant of anything except ME/CFS and LC).

                The symptom is called by the stupid ‘post-exertional malaise’ – which means you don’t recover from exercise normally.

                I’d say ‘ask your doctor,’ but many of them are so ignorant of these diseases they do lasting harm with their ‘treatments’ and recommendations. And there are so few qualified specialists, mostly in research situations, that I have never seen one in 36 years – my medical systems had no one to send me to.

                I’m so sorry if you do. They’re a bear to live with.

                Liked by 1 person

                1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

                  This suddenly occurred to me yesterday, after another painful exercise session. The pain is always worse afterwards, so that cannot be good… I won’t be doing anything today, just careful walking about, so hopefully, the pain will die down a bit…
                  Thanks for listening to me, Alicia… 💕

                  Liked by 1 person

                  1. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

                    I’m abehrhardt at gmail.

                    Please write if you need me – I can point you to places which could help you decide if your painful exercise is part of healing (could be – such as after knee surgery), but the LONG-TERM effect is to make you better.

                    Or if it is making you WORSE long-term because you are pushing a body which can’t heal that way because it isn’t making energy properly.

                    Liked by 1 person

                  2. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

                    I am now convinced that all those exercises were only making everything worse. They still haven’t decided what could be wrong, so maybe they were wrong. I shall monitor the pain every day just to be on the safe side…
                    Thank you again, for the heads up, Alicia… 💕

                    Liked by 1 person

                  3. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

                    Keep asking questions until you are satisfied.

                    Liked by 1 person

                  4. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

                    Don’t worry, I have always been a pest with questions. That’s if I ever get the chance. The waiting lists are never ending…

                    Liked by 1 person

                  5. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

                    Sent a reply – hope it made it through; please feel free to write.

                    Liked by 1 person

                  6. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

                    You gave me so much to think about yesterday, Alicia. The pain was making me so depressed, so I decided to stop, just to see what happened. Last night I realised that I had been moving around better and with less pain. The intensity had eased!
                    I helped to cook dinner and I felt more relaxed, so I will be repeating the experiment today. 💕💕

                    Like

                  7. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

                    I am not a medical doctor (PhD Nuclear Engineering – fusion/plasmas), so I’m just pointing out possibilities from my long experience with ME/CFS. You are right to experiment and question.

                    I really hope you get better. Most of my cohort – including the Long Covid people – are still waiting. But we have learned a few things which DON’T work for us. We’re waiting for the scientists.

                    Those who get better with exercise are the lucky ones – and should still be careful and slow to push.

                    Keep us informed?

                    Liked by 1 person

                  8. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

                    I think this is my trouble, I always have to push harder and further. I am trying to behave like an old lady, but my heart really isn’t in it…

                    Like

                  9. Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Avatar

                    I AM an old lady (according to some). We get SOME privileges. I try to enjoy them – there aren’t many.

                    Liked by 1 person

  8. Chris Hall Avatar

    Yay… keep going!!🥰

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      Don’t worry, I will, Chris… The memory of being totally helpless will stay with me for a long time…

      Liked by 1 person

  9. abbiejohnsontaylor Avatar

    You know, even composing an email or commenting on a blog is a writing exercise. Keep writing and keep exercising.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      I am converted, Abbie. I couldn’t stop exercising now, as it has proved really effective…

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Annette Rochelle Aben Avatar

    Thank you for the inspiration! I will be seated with my elliptical in a bit, the goal? 10,000 steps.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      I am trying to increase my step count indoors. I’m not quite strong enough to go for a walk yet, so I march around the kitchen when I wait for the kettle to boil…
      (can you explain what ‘seated with my elliptical’ means?)

      Like

      1. Annette Rochelle Aben Avatar

        Sure… an elliptical is normally something you stand on and mimics the walking while staying in place. Mine does the same thing, but I sit in a chair and use the pedals, which still mimics walking but without putting the stress in my entire body.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

          That sounds amazing, Annette. Almost like someone else is doing the walking?

          Like

          1. Annette Rochelle Aben Avatar

            It is as though you are pedaling a bike, only not moving forward AND the machine is motorized, with various speeds and all one needs to do is to place their feet on the pedals and the machine lifts each foot one by one!

            Liked by 1 person

            1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

              sounds like fun. Can anyone get one?

              Like

                1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

                  Thanks for the info, Annette, I will be checking this out!

                  Liked by 1 person

  11. Darlene Avatar

    I agree with this. Our minds and our bodies need regular exercise. xo

    Like

  12. OIKOS™- Art, Books & more Avatar

    Thanks for this empowering posting, Jaye! According to the meme at the end let´s say “Every beauty inherits fragility!” See all the flowers or the creations made of glass. Best wishes, Michael

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Jaye Marie & Anita Dawes Avatar

      Thanks for the inspiration, Michael…

      Like

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