Category: exercise

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I have been lifting light weights and strength exercises on and off for the past 50 years. I say light because whenever I really made a go for it and started lifting heavier weight or doing significantly more sit ups, I always seemed to injure myself and then have to stop for months at a time before returning.

When I was young and lost track of the number of reps I had taken, I would go back to the last number I remember saying — just to keep myself honest. I wanted to make sure I got in all of my reps even if I went over the actual number I needed.

Now that I have gotten older I have discovered a better way to handle the lost count problem. I think surely I am ahead of the last number I remembered, so I take a wild stab at where I left off and continue from there. I don’t want to do more reps than I should. This wisdom of age strikes again.

Keep this strategy in mind next time you lose count.

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One of the vows I made when I started exercising many years ago was that I would never exercise when injured or if I felt sick. If I screwed up a knee or had a cold, I waited a couple of days and then start with a less vigorous routine until I returned to normal. Once I was back to good health, I returned to my routine. This has served me well.

Until now, at 68, it is impossible not to exercise without being sick or injured or both because I am always one or the other. If I stopped exercising every time I was sick or injured, I am afraid I will never return to exercise at all. It is that difficult for me to find a block of healthy days for me to keep this youthful promise to myself.

So another broken promise to myself in a string of broken promises to myself.