Day One: What the Hell Happened?

6/19/2011

So...that little bit of chest pain and shortness of breath is not such a trivial thing afterall.  Holy crap!  With my family history of heart disease, how did I ever let myself get this out of shape?  When did I get SO OLD?!

I'm an almost-46 year old married mom living a "normal" suburban life.  My husband and I have the usual marital ups and downs -- my kids are active in sports and school activities -- I work part-time at a community college.  Normal.  Unexciting.  I was once a young, fit, vibrant woman who enjoyed playing sports, instead of just watching them, and enjoyed a day on the beach, at the pool or hiking the trails.  Ugh!  Where did she go?

Did you ever remember your past and feel like you were recalling the chapters of a book that you once read, or a movie you saw long ago?  It's really weird, disconcerting and a little bit scary.  I was looking through old photographs -- trying to get organized -- and it hit me.  I must get back in shape.  This is ridiculous! 

I'm not yet old enough to be able to slough off the fact that walking from the parking lot to my office makes me a little out of breath.  So, with Chuck's help (my husband) and my kids' cooperation, I vowed to start immediately.  I signed up for a deep water aerobics class that starts tomorrow at the local YMCA.