Next Up Sit-ups

I have been working on getting back into shape. For me it has been a very slow process.  It goes in a cycle something like this. I get into an exercise routine with walking and deep cleaning the house. Deep cleaning is basically tearing everything down and deciding what to keep and toss. It involves a lot of physically moving things. Usually one armful at a time. Then finding a home for everything. A lot of bending and twisting, which my body does not always love.

The next step in the cycle is Eric getting sick. If we are very lucky it is a very short cold. This still takes a toll on my body because of the long hours and stress. This is followed by a flare up for me. The sicker Eric gets the longer the flare up lasts.

This sometimes leaves me 2 steps backward. Unable to do the 8 to 10 thousands steps a day plus as many stairs as I can find, that I usually strive for. Sometimes it is back to square one struggling to get 3 to 4 thousand steps a day. Followed by the struggle to get back to my previous fitness level.

About 6 months ago I started adding push-ups to my routine. At first I started doing them against the wall. Then I gradually worked up the the high bathroom counter and this week I graduated to the lower bathroom counter, albeit with 2/3 less push-ups because of the lower height. The lower height equals more work.

Tonight I decided to go for broke. I have not done sit-ups at all for years. Tonight I managed to do 30. I don't know how long that I will be able to keep this up, because Eric does have a very bad cold right now. The hours have been long. I am still holding out hope that I can at least do a few sit-ups tomorrow.

For me exercise is not an all or nothing thing. It is to be done in harmony with my body and life at the moment. So some days I do a lot and other days not so much. I am on the very slow road to getting back in shape. Maybe someday I will pose in my skirt that was much too tight then and now will not even come close to fitting now.