Friday 5 July 2013

when time stands still

over the years i've tried all sorts of structured exercise type things but it's just not my thing..ok..i'll be really honest..i can't stand it..

once upon a time i lugged my children on the train to the ywca in melbourne where i could attend an affordable aerobics class (when it was all the rage) while my children were being cared for..and since then i've attended many different aerobics classes in different venues..i found with most classes a) i didn't have the right gear b) the music was too fast (i couldn't keep up!) and b) i was uncoordinated

then i swam..i even built up to 50 laps of a 25 metre pool..not great by some people's standards but that was epic for me..but it was a mission showering before going in the pool and then showering after swimming and then there was the travel bag of ablution accoutrements i had to take with me that girls need like soap, facial cleanser, shampoo, conditioner and a hairdryer..and of course there's all the other clobber you need like a bathing cap, goggles and ear plugs..these are not essential like bathers are but they a) made me look the part and b) they prevented hair, eye and ear damage..the bit where i had to shower in front of everyone was challenging enough but the thing that really put me off swimming were all the bits of human debris in the pool..ok..i know i've said too much already so i won't elaborate and offend your sensibilities any more..

i've done yoga too and meditation..that's not bad because you don't need stuff and it's ok if you wear your old stretch pants and look like a dork..i know the whole idea is about relaxing but i get bored, really bored, and when i'm supposed to be meditating i open one eye and look around the room and at the clock when i'm supposed to be thinking quiet thoughts and focusing on my naval..basically i just want it all to be over..oh..and i did pilates once too..

i love walking so quite a while ago now i went on a walk with a group..there was carpooling and a long drive and then a lot of walking in nice places with a lot of people..and when i say a lot i mean about 60 people who talked a lot and seemed like nice enough people but a) there were about 58 too many of us for me b) we made so much noise that any wildlife in the area would have headed for other hills and c) there were so many human distractions that it was hard to really enjoy the bush setting..i only went once..

yep..i've been to the gym..i've worked out to the noise of a big plasma screen television on the rower, the bike, the bench, the ball, the walking thing and all the other gizmos ..in desperation i even had a personal trainer for a while..my bank account got the best workout ever..

this week i've exercised a lot though..in total i probably did about 20-25 hours..but it's the sort of exercise where for me time stands still and where i don't have to force myself to move my body..in fact i have to discipline myself with a time limit so that, i can get other things done, and i don't push myself too hard physically..what i'm talking about here is gardening..i've hand mown the lawn and raked up the clippings, weeded, prepared a garden bed for vegetable planting, pruned a dozen roses and my crabapple, elderberry, pomegranate and lemon verbena, removed two roses, one of which was so big i needed to get the axe to it, that i haven't like for ages, picked up several bags of rust infected rose leaves and i've bundled and tied all of the prunings and then piled them in two wheelbarrows..i'll stack the bundles in my shed in the next day or so to dry so they're ready to be used next winter as kindling..and i didn't have to a) spend anything b) drive anywhere c) wear a special outfit d) pack a travel bag e) risk water borne infection f) talk to anyone i don't want to know or g) undress in public..




what's your favourite exercise? i promise i won't judge you if it involves wearing lycra..

8 comments:

  1. I love swimming but can't stand the palaver of getting myself to the pool, for similar reasons to you. I swam for a few years in a cold water lake, but that is too cold most of the time. I walk (amble) with the dogs, but our walks are slow and leisurely and hardly very aerobic unless I make an effort. I am in an exercise fail zone these days. I do a bit of gardening but it tends to make me ache like anything, moan moan. I would love a private pool, but I doubt somehow that will happen in the near future. So I guess the best thing for me is to walk more briskly with the dogs. Definitely doesn't involve lycra though xx Joanna

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    1. i'd love to go with you jo on a slow and leisurely amble with the dogs and we could talk about sour dough starters and flour and bread and i could thank you again for being my mentor in the early days of my bread making..x

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  2. Just scrolled back up and admired the teapot cosy in your header! That is just gorgeous!

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    1. thanks jo..the trouble with being on the wrong side of 60 is that i fall into the granny rather than the retro cool camp with my liking for cosies and vintage stuff..x

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  3. I wonder if you might like to come and do a bit of "exercise" on Serendipity Farm... Steve and I are procrastinating at the moment and are staying firmly indoors. The minus C temps are part of the equation and walking the dogs 5km a day means I don't have to worry about exercise so if you could see your way clear to heading down and doing a few hours in the garden I would be eternally grateful ;)

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  4. only if you promise to make me a stromboli and some of your damn fine looking melting moments! x

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  5. "human debris" is what stalls me at pool door too. It can be rotten down there!
    I'm loving my bike at the moment. I don't have to talk to anyone, I can go fast, I can go slow, and I don't have to wear lycra. Love it.
    (Although I would happily do some gardening exercise too. Tinkering over my pots isn't particularly strenuous.

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  6. oh..the joy of getting on a bike and racing along and feeling the breeze rush past your skin and blowing in your hair..and there's a wonderful feeling a freedom in it too..x

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