I Hate To Exercise So I’m Trying THIS Trick!

I HATE to exercise. I haven’t always felt this way, but the older I get the more my arthritic old knees complain when I try to do anything more physical than walking to my kitchen! And because I’m not getting enough exercise my weight continues to creep up. (Is that happening to anybody besides me?)

Heck, back in my old high school days I was even a cheerleader…and here is proof!

That’s me, on the far right. (I still love those girls, and most of us are still in touch…fifty years later!!)

The funny thing is, even way back then I thought I was “fat”. Yup. One of my favorite sayings is “I wish I was a fat today as when I first thought I was fat!” (I almost hate to write those words since I am a firm believer that body shaming is incredibly toxic, and I never want our grandkids to be sucked into that awful web!)

I know I should lose weight, not to be skinny, but to improve my health and longevity. THAT is the important reason to get back into physical activity…even if my knees hurt while doing it.

We’ve all been told that walking is great exercise, but when every step is painful it’s not FUN. So I searched for something that would allow me to think about something other than every painful step I take. That’s when I discovered podcasts!

Now what do you suppose would keep my interest level high enough to keep me walking for 30-60 minutes? You guessed it. FOOD!  I found an awesome podcast series at a website called The Splendid Table.

The podcast covers topics I’ve never even heard of…and they all relate in some way to food. I love listening to so many different people. (The podcast is an amazing way to “broaden my horizons’ while I try to un-broaden my backside!)

Our snowbird condo is located on a wide canal in a wonderful Fort Lauderdale neighborhood that is perfect for walking adventures.

If I cross the drawbridge outside out back door I can be at the beach in about eight minutes.

And if I head the opposite direction I find myself in a secluded neighborhood filled with multi-million dollar houses only a block away from our little 1960’s Art Deco condo! Yup…our little condo building is closer to the beach than those incredibly expensive houses!

Here’s an aerial view of our building.

So…THIS is how I dressed this morning for my walk. (Notice my little purse, a perfect size to hold my smartphone to keep my hands free.)

I headed inland today to those shady, palm tree lined streets with manicured lawns and gorgeous flowers.

And I listened to an awesome podcast about…CHEESE! Yup. Everything you could want to know about cheese. And I loved it! And I ALMOST forgot how much my old knees creaked and groaned with each step.

So, My Friends, maybe this is the way for me to shed some pounds and even increase my cooking skills. And if YOU love food as much as I do, check out that website and the podcast.

It was a wonderful walk this morning…and it’s been a LONG time since I’ve said THOSE words!