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Lessons From an Addict

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Once upon a time, I was an exercise addict. Under the guise of being a triathlete (not Ironmans! sheesh. just some local sprints: 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run), I worked out like a fiend. If I had a 7:00 meeting, I biked at 4am. If there was a freak New England blizzard in April, I ran anyway. If the pool was closed, I found a pond or an ocean. Welcome to one of the delights of being me…

And then one day, during a 10 mile road race, I injured myself beyond repair – or at least beyond repair back to where I had been that morning. So I started walking and doing yoga. Religiously and without fail, I practiced yoga every morning. At first I thought I’d been transformed. But really I’d just transferred my addiction.

I’ve continued to do so. I still do yoga and walk most every morning (my children, upon being born, released me from the severity of my routine), but over the last few years, my commitment to writing has grown to effectively hold a prominent place beside my sneakers and my yoga mat.

You know, there really is something positive to be found in my manicopia of exercise. Sure I liked the endorphin high, the fitness, my yoga butt, the health of it all – but what I am really enamored by (and the writing practice has made this abundantly clear) is the knowledge that within minutes of opening my eyes, I have already accomplished something.

No matter what happens the rest of the day, I’m buoyed up by the knowledge of my morning success. I love that it’s totally up to me…and my tools – body, mind and laptop.

Image courtesy of wiccked

Join the discussion 3 Comments

  • So right! It is a such fab feeling, having exercise as the first stop every day. Out of bed, make smoothie to return to, running shoes on, round up dogs, away…

    I share your borderline obsession here, I think – I get very twitchy indeed if deprived of my morning fix, and when I also couldn’t run for the best part of a year through injury, I just transferred it all to a bike!

    Does it ever worry me that I seem to need to run/cycle/swim/walk just to be who I am? Not one bit!

  • Andi says:

    Personally I am allergic to exercise, it is a strange genetic defect, so sad. Just kidding! I hate to exercise and will only do so when forced to by my husband which he usually accomiplishes once a week. But I LOVE the exercise of writing something for my blog, that discovery in the past year has brough such joy to my life, I can’t describe. I can totally relate to what you said, for me it has become an addiction and I love the sense of accomplishment that comes from it!

  • JR Moreau says:

    I think it’s great you transitioned from high intensity workout routines to regular, lower, yet just as effective routines. I injured myself training for a kickboxing match a while back and it literally threw me out of the loop for a long, long time. I’m working on getting back at it, but for the longest time, I had insanely intense workouts. I walk a bit now and do my push-ups and whatnot, but what I really want is to cut back on work hours a little and get an hour or two back every day to exercise purposefully.

    Plus, I too, want yoga butt ;-)

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