I used to hate exercise… hated running… when I was in middle school and had to run the “600” for the Presidential Physical Fitness Award I always felt like I was going to die afterward… and forget the “arm hang” - I mean really who came up with that as a true test of fitness?  I am biased because I couldn’t ever do it of course… when I got to high school I ran track because everyone ran track.. but again I didn’t do a lot of running… I did the long jump and some of the short sprints… I never was a good athlete… a good friend of mine at the time talked me into trying out for basketball because the coach probably wasn’t going to have to cut anyone… I tried out… he cut two people… I was one of them!

When I was a student at Virginia Tech I started to get interested in running but had no concept of healthy eating… I would sit down and eat a whole take out container of pasta alfredo thinking it was good for me because it had pasta…  then I worked in Bluefield and regularly went to the local fitness center but again I didn’t have a great concept of calories taken in versus calories burned…

Then, about five or more years ago I actually started to “get it” I bought my first pair of “real running shoes” went over to the Cave Spring High School track and ran 3 miles for the first time in my life… it started raining and I kept going because I felt like it was something I had to do to prove to myself that I could do… that is pretty much where my real quest for fitness began - and it wasn’t a second too soon because I wasn’t and still am not getting any younger…

So today I was talking to a friend about working out… and we were talking about how it can be a bit habit forming like an addiction… I said… it’s the endorphins… “it is the only free drug that is good for you…”

If you are just beginning a fitness regimen… give it some time to “stick”... at first it hurts a little bit… but eventually you will find what works best for you and boosts your mood and self esteem at the same time.