Exercise

Every once in a while I make a good faith effort to try and get an exercise routine going. 30 minutes on the treadmill and about 20 mins with weights and stretching.

I got up at 6:00 and plodded my way down into the basement to get started on this routine.

Now, I don't know about you, but I have good exercise days and bad exercise days.

Today, was a bad exercise day.

As soon as I started walking on that damn thing, my calves knotted up. So...I slowed down my pace and tried to warm up a bit and get them to loosen up. They did and so I increased the speed again.

KNOTS! KNOTS! ugh...ack...ugh.

I slow down again. They relax.

I'm going pretty good for a bit...I notch up the speed a bit...ok...this is working...notch it up a little more...all is well....then...BAM - KNOTS....ohhhhhhhhh..the freakin' knots. I somehow managed to get my 30 minutes in and then spent the next 20 trying to stretch these puppies out. They are still spazzing as I type.

This is not an unusual thing for me. I found out that my sister suffers from the same problem as well. I think it has something to do with our body type. We're both short, stocky, overweight and if you think Irish Potato pickers...that is what we look like and that is what our bodies were meant to do. Our legs are short and we have these calves that would make a linebacker proud.

They are thick and rock hard.

The rock hard is the problem.

We aren't flexible -at all. Even when I was in high school and played sports I couldn't touch my toes...it just doesn't happen. That stretch up along the back of the calve is extremely painful. I get a little concerned about these legs as I get older. I can feel how they stiffen up after long periods of sitting down. It takes longer to get them to cooperate with me now.

I know the exercise will help. I'm sure after a few more days of knots, these ol' calves will loosen up and I'll be fine. It's the getting started part that hurts.

No pain, no gain right?

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