I can't tell you how many times I'm sure I begged my parents to cross the Indiana border. P.E was my least favorite class, and I was never into sports. Unfortunately, my tiny school didn't have a bowling league - though I did have a friend in the next town who bowled on her school team specifically to dodge P.E.
As I mentioned, I attended a very small school. There couldn't have been more than fourty students in the entire high school during any of my four years there.
My Freshman year of high school, I ended up in a P.E class that consisted of mostly Seniors. There were a few Sophomores and a handful of Juniors, but I was the only Freshman in the class. Unfortunately for me, our teacher liked to have his students do their warm-ups by grade.
So my entire Freshman year of high school, I was running (ok, jogging..ish) the length of the gym, doing push ups, sit ups and jumping jacks alone.
I wasn't just doing warm-ups alone. When we played dodgeball, close to the end of classtime we would play teams by class. Freshman VS. everyone until it was over, then Sophomores VS. everyone, etc. etc.
Yes. It was me, the lone Freshman on one side of the gym... and 15 or so other students on the other side. Throw in 5 or 6 dodgeballs, it made for some fun times, I tell ya.
The next two years of High School still sucked, but it wasn't nearly as bad. I got used to the teacher, and by my Senior year, he was actually one of my favorites. That was a good thing, because I was the only Senior in my P.E class my last year of high school. It was the same thing all over again.
I got singled out and made fun of often.
In fact, he even told me once that I looked like a camel in heat while I was doing push ups. (I'm not really sure what a camel in heat looks like - but I'll warn you... If you google it, don't click on anything that says "camel toe." )
Up until last night, I think the only pushing up I've done since high school has been with a D cup. I have avoided exercise like the plague, despite the fact that I've been encouraged to do just that for most of this year.
Last night I gave up. Fine. I'll do it. Not because I'm being told to, but because I know I should do it... Because I can tell just how out of shape I am when I'm chasing a two year old around the house.
I was told to start easy, ten push ups and ten crunches for starters. Then work up to more. "Ten?" I thought. That doesn't seem like very many.
As I got down on the floor I could really tell how out of shape I was. As i started to lower my chest towards the ground, I instantly felt a burning sensation in my arms. I didn't lower myself very far for fear I wouldn't be able to get back up! After just three push ups I was ready to quit. I lay on the floor ready to accept my defeat when I heard that voice in my head telling me to get back up... At least no one was watching this time. How in the hell did I do this every day in high school? Oh yeah... I think I remember pushing my feet against the back wall of the gym....
I did three more and took another brief break. I couldn't believe how bad my arms hurt after just 6 (pathetic) push ups. Four more and we'll do the crunches.
I flipped over onto my back and took a deep breath. This won't be so bad, I thought. Oh, guess again. After just one crunch I swear I felt a rib break. Bodies weren't supposed to bend like this. My back hurt, my abs hurt, and I was trying to remember how to breathe. I read once in an exercise book that you are supposed to breathe out as you sit up. It's really hard to remember that when all you can think is "God this hurts, ouch, oh, God I'm going to be feeling this in the morning. Dammit I should have started out doing only five!"
But I DID IT.
And I have to do it again today.
And tomorrow. And all of the days that come after that.Somebody hold me accountable...
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