This morning I went for my annual physical.  Still waiting for the blood work to come back but all else looked good. One of the first questions my doctor asked me was how much I exercised.  I was pleased to be able to say that I am regular about doing pilates and yoga every week in addition to walking  4 days a week.

For years I was not consistent with exercise. I would start enthusiastically and then things would come up and I would lose the momentum.  It wasn’t until I got serious about strengthening my personal foundation over  ten years ago that exercise has become a must do part of my life.  The impetus for me was that I had turned sixty and wanted to be healthy because there were so many things that I still wanted to do.  Initially I had to force myself to be consistent.  The only way that worked for me was to not give myself a choice based on  if I felt like exercising or not.  Instead I just had to do it.  Of course there are times when I have to adjust my schedule but I manage to be pretty consistent in sticking to my schedule.

My doctor went on to say that he sees more physical problems  and lethargy and depression in people who do not take care of their bodies by exercising.  He has also noted that people who have been exercisers and then stop may have  either a medical problem or are dealing with life issues that are weighing them down.  People who want to strengthen their personal foundation recognize that exercise is an important aspect of self care.