The New Year Resolution

As the New Year settled in, it was time to take stock of my new year resolution. Sure, I had wished everyone a Happy New Year, but now, four weeks in, the moment of truth had arrived.

At the top of my resolution list was the ambitious promise: “I will exercise daily.” To my credit, I started strong. I jumped out of bed at an ungodly hour, squeezed into track pants and sports shoes, and hit the pavement. The early morning chill and gentle breeze felt exhilarating as I jogged around the track on that first day.

Day two, however, told a different story. Getting up was easy enough, but the moment my feet hit the floor, I was greeted by a wave of aches and pains from the previous day’s exertions. It wasn’t just my legsmuscles I didn’t even know existed were making themselves known. I decided to take it easy, convincing myself that my muscles were simply “growing.” On day one, I had managed ten rounds on the track. “Managed” might be an overstatementI alternated between jogging, running, and walking. By day two, it was more of a walk, stop, rest, and drag routine. But hey, I didn’t give up. That counts for something, right?

By day three, I had hoped the pain would subside. I clearly overestimated my body’s powers of recovery. The discomfort seemed to intensify. My son, observing my awkward gait, remarked that I reminded him of Charlie Chaplin. So much for family support.

On day four, as I silenced the alarm, I performed a mental self-diagnostic without even leaving my bed. The aches and pains were still very much present. My brain’s self-preservation mode kicked in. I reasoned that I needed rest and could restart my exercise routine once I’d fully recovered. The rest of my body wholeheartedly agreed with this assessment. My brain, satisfied with the unanimous vote, saw no need for a second opinion. I rolled over and went back to sleep.

In light of this, I’ve re prioritized my resolution list. The “I will exercise daily” goal has been demoted to the last position. Instead, I’ve decided to focus on something more realistic, like line item number eight: Climb Mt. Everest. That seems far more achievable for this calendar year. I’ll tackle that next.