Back in the Habit

No, this blog is not about Maria returning from the Von Trapp family mansion to the convent for a short time in the Sound of Music. It is about escape. Maria was running from love. I drove to Planet Fitness yesterday after six weeks away to escape the quarantine and its routines.

Instead of the 30-minute workout I'd been repeating for a month in my house with walking and light weights, I returned to the gym with its many workout machines and a one hour thirty minute regimen. I sweated, I became tired, I reveled in the variety. I plan to return today. Kind of makes me think of the song by Chicago: Saturday in the Park. The lyrics of that popular ballad were written by Robert Lamm in 1971 (the year I was married) for the Chicago V album published the next year. The opening stanza lyrics are:

Saturday in the park I think it was the Fourth of July

Saturday in the park I think it was the Fourth of July

People dancing, people laughing, a man selling ice cream

Singing Italian songs...Eh cumpari, ci vo sunari [Hey, buddy, what's that sound]

Can you dig it (yes, I can), And I've been waiting such a long time for Saturday.

I could parody those words to become Saturday in the gym...People walking, people lifting, a man sanitizing...and I've been waiting such a long time for reopening. So life is beginning to return to normalcy or the new normal, as some have termed it.

from zerotoalpha.com

I'm ready to start seeing friends and family again...with precautions. I plan to wear the stylish masks my wife made for me, I don't plan physical contacts of welcome, and I'm going to limit distancing and numbers of those with whom I reconnect. With that plan in my mind, I'm ready to practice some Fitness Distancing by getting back in the habit.

Overwhelmed

My impatience is rearing its ugliness this New Year in my renewed efforts at blogging and working out. As James 1:19 states, I try to be "slow to become angry." The entire verse from The Message suggests, "Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and LET YOUR ANGER STRAGGLE ALONG IN THE REAR." I do a reasonably good job of fulfilling that command with others, not so much with myself. I'm like the story of the man praying for patience who adds, "And I want it right now, please!"

Generally I seek knowledge and understanding of new endeavors BEFORE I engage in them. I have mistakenly deviated from that path with my Facebook blog postings and the correct use of the myriad exercise machines at Planet Fitness. This has caused my New Year to become much more overwhelming than anticipated.

In figuring how to post blogs, I inadvertently destroyed the My Story facet on Facebook. When I click it...nothing! I've tried everything I know including reporting the problem to FB and phoning (texting) a friend. As stated above, I'm not a patient man especially when feeling frustrated. At least I have not as yet resorted to throwing, kicking, or yelling at my three sources of Facebook: phone, Kindle, and computer. Praise God for the small favors.

Then there is the issue of my using the exercise machines at Planet Fitness. Meeting with the trainer yesterday was extremely helpful if a little overwhelming at the same time. When she finished she confessed, "I know I've thrown a lot at you." Did I mention feeling OVERWHELMED? As with the gadgets I use to edit and post blogs, I neither kicked nor yelled at any machine or person at my new "gym." They are all way too heavy to throw (small favors again).

Today's plan of attack is two fold. First, wait patiently for solutions from Facebook or my blog mentor. Second, ask for help from the Planet Fitness staff or my wife when the machines don't perform in the way I expect or prefer this afternoon. "Lord, bestow on me patience, and I'll try not to be in too much of a hurry."

Comfort

The title and key verse of my blogging adventure this time from The Message in Luke 11:25 is the phrase "swept and dusted but vacant." Jesus teaches that when conquering any sinful, addictive, or unhealthy behavior, we need to replace it with something or someone productive and beneficial.

There have been times when Delores left for a professional trip or to care for grandkids, and I did not accompany her. On such occasions it was my habit to make a Kroger run to buy comfort foods...ice cream, cookies, pound cake, cashews, etc. I'm hoping to let Jesus put an end to that unhealthy custom.

I remembered Paul's writing about comfort. Amazingly I found that passage without Google or a concordance! In 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NIV) that traveling author uses the word comfort nine times. He begins  with "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort." God is the answer to my emotional eating. He has recently led me to daily meditation, prayer, Bible reading, and back to blogging. I have asked Him to help me use healthier ways instead of comfort food as the answer to stress or loneliness.

He has given me an additional solution for healthy living: Planet Fitness. In the past a three-mile walk in the forested hills of Maury County Park has helped me relieve stress and added a comforting behavior. During wintry months this proves challenging. Working out at my new "gym" would seem to be another God-given response in my journey to a healthier lifestyle. Thank you, Lord, for filling the vacancy!

4 = 2

Mathematics can seem magical. When does four equal two?  So far in the New Year I've fulfilled 100% of my major resolutions. I've worked out all four days. If I get this finished and published before midnight, I will have blogged every day this year. I've also eaten right so far. So how does the number two fit into this riddle? Yesterday my wife and I joined a gym. We have worked out both days so far...all two of them.

Planet Fitness seems to be our new home away from home. Even though we don't follow the same workout routine or use the same machines, we have been there together (sometimes side by side) every minute of the way. It hasn't been that hard, only different. Many choices are available to help us get fit and lose weight.

It reminds me of a conversation between reporter Danny Concannon and White House press secretary C.J. Cregg in the last season of one of my favorite TV series, West Wing. Danny asks, "So if I'm gonna jump off the cliff, and you're gonna get pushed off the cliff, why don't we hold hands on the way down?" We want and need to get healthy for longevity, quality grandkid time, and ease of travel. Regular time in a gym seems like the edge of a cliff we have not heretofore approached. We figured the rewards of holding hands as we jump off will be well worth it. I am hopeful that 5 = 3.