I went to the pool this morning. I got in the water at 7:06, and out at 8:06. And in that hour I was invigorated.
Yes, exercise is life-giving. It seems strange in a way, if you’re tired before exercising, and then moving your body and exerting energy actually wakes you up and gives you more energy instead of leaving you feeling more tired than when you began.
Though it’s important to note that overdoing it will make you tired. And probably will make you not want to return to the exercise that you did to get tired in the first place. Which has definitely been the story of my life since high school.
Overdo
Underdo
Overdo
Underdo
Overdo
Underdo
Yo
Yo
Yo
Yo
But thankfully, I’m becoming more consistent. Praise God. Though I admit, recently I believed that the Lord didn’t want me to exercise at all. So I stopped. But then I kept getting depressed and antsy so I would exercise. But it’s as if when I finally did exercise, I couldn’t get enough endorphins fast enough so I would go hard and then hurt myself. So uhhhm yeah there’s that all-or-nothing mindset again. It definitely keeps things fun and exciting at times, but it hinders my reliability and dependability in terms of serving others.
Why? You might ask. How? I humbly answer with: if my brain relies on endorphins from exercising to keep my joyfulness at a constant, when I don’t exercise I’ll naturally feel depressed. Therefore, I must maintain a certain level of activity in order to stay on my A-game.
Another factor is, when I don’t feel my best or my most confident, I won’t be as fun, energetic, willing to serve, willing to listen, hopeful, optimistic or fun to be around. Therefore, I must maintain a certain level of activity in order to stay on my A-game.
Which leads to….
*drum roll plz*
My swim this morning. It was wonderful. Better than yesterday. Yesterday I was exhausted. Couldn’t swim very hard or very long. But today I was fellin‘ it. That’s right. Not feeling. Not feelin’. Fellin’ it.
Pull
Kick
Pull
Kick
Pull
Long
Length
Pull
Breathe
Jesus
Jesus
Jesus
Each word popped into my head as I danced through the water, barely under the surface, and made small waves from one end of the pool to the other. Each word focused me on the task at hand and connected me to my body. Connected me to my purpose. Words connect us to our purpose. Words communicate purpose.
*******
I don’t like to take a gaping breath when I pass by the lifeguard’s chair. It’s so shallow, no pun intended, but I care about looking like a fool. I think the guard had a crush on me. I know it’s his job to watch me, but I don’t think he was watching anyone else. Then, when I went to leave the pool after my swim he said “have a good evening”. And I said “don’t you mean morning?” with a confused look on my face. And then he shrugged, smiled, and walked away.
It was 8 am but he almost convinced me it was 8pm. (I had not had coffee yet btw)
I think he was only about 18. Haha.
Ahh yes. Swimming. Wonderful, marvelous swimming. <3 🙂
xxx
V