I think I'm going to write about fitness and my evolution regarding fitness here on Wednesdays.
I used to know a PE teacher. She was a cheerleader for a major, Pac-10 University, and made many appearances on ESPN making the #1 sign for the cameras.
She was also an athlete, with the abs and sculpted arms to prove it.
Lazy English majors like myself rarely encountered such folk, being too busy devouring plates of cheese fries and discussing the merits of The Naturalists. So, she was a delightful little foreign creature, like spending time with a Hobbit.
One day, over smoothies (of course!) she said, "Nancy. Don't freak out." Her eyes widened. "But I'm afraid I'm becoming Exercise Dependent."
I snorted. "What? Like, that's a disorder or something?"
She nodded her head, "Yes! Like my friend, Becki. She worked out three hours a day, and if she didn't, she started crying. She walked around the Gamma house, up and down the stairs, for hours."
I frowned. "That sounds like she was anorexic. Or depressed?"
"She wasn't anorexic. She ate like you do."
I took another sip of my Jamba Juice, shifted my legs. "But depressed for sure."
"Yes," she said, "She's dependent on exercise. Get it?"
"Yes," I said. Not even a bit, I thought. "So, are you depressed?"
"No," she said, "I just decided to do Pilates yesterday! And I loved it! So, now, I'm totally exercise dependent."
I bit my tongue, and thought about buying a cookie.
She watched me, a grown woman wearing overalls, and said, "So, what do you think?"
I walked back to the table, steaming cookie in hand. I broke off a piece. "Marcy? I think we'll get through this."
(This does not negate the reality of exercise dependence, which I've learned, is a real thing.)
9 comments:
I wish I was exercise dependent! I really hope overalls never come back in style...though I did love them back in the day!! Happy New Year Nancy!
Oh, adults in overalls!
And I am sadly far more cookie-dependent than exercise dependent, but I strive to be better.
I excercise very little. And only a few minutes of yoga in the morning to get my back ready for the day....
Would you believe I just found two pairs of my old overalls in the back of my son's closet when I was gathering donations for Goodwill?
I actually tried them on. And they (ummm) fit. Do overalls fit? Or is their lack of fit kind of the point?
Anyway, I gave them away even though I loved them. A lot. I'd worn them continuously throughout my pregnancies in 1997 and 1999. It was a great time to be knocked-up.
And now, to go eat some cookies. Or at least pieces of one. Or a box.
Whatever.
Man. I wish I could cultivate this personal addiction.
Happy New year!
Loved this! Thanks for the chuckle!
Barbara
This reminds me of a commercial for something - where an obese man gets set up, steps on a scale, and then runs around a gym.
And then he steps on the scale again.
I'll admit that, whenever I get into a lull and stop working out for a little bit - "the burn" when you get back in is addicting. For, at least, two days. And I worry about being obsessed about exercise. And then it fades . . . especially if I don't actually work out, at all, during those two days...
I've missed you! I am glad to see you're not ED (whoops, that sounds funny, no?) ;) but I can get it, completely. I agree, I'm more cookie dependent, too.
And the overalls! Can you believe I wore them to WORK! WORK! I mean, I was just out of college, but OMG! Work! And a friend of mine? She wore them, too. We almost always ended up crashing into each other on the same day as twins. Overall twins. Sorry - I got distracted there. Overalls were great for hiding the impact of cookies, though. ;)
This is hilarious. Being from The South and all, I actually owned a pair of camouflaged overalls. My SIL used to embellish her own - with things like ducks holding sunflowers. It was a weird time, wasn't it?
Oh, and my mama was excercise dependant. We were never so different as during that phase. It was a really, really weird time for all of us.
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