Olympic-inspired Confession

Like many of you and with our friends around the world, I have been glued to the television set every evening watching the 25^th winter Olympic games, nation against nation, human force against human force;  and I am in awe of the strong, talented, dedicated athletes who defy gravity, challenge physics, and inspire us with every race, performance, and game. I admire the camaraderie of teammates and seeing sportsmanship at its finest. And as I comfortably sit on the couch, Jefferson’s Reserve bourbon in my glass, wrapped up in a faux fur blanket, I can’t help but compare myself to these physically perfect humans and think about how our relationship with sport and exercise is so diametrically dissimilar.

I simply detest exercise- the effort, the sore muscles, and the sweat. But exercise is critically important and necessary for good health and positive wellbeing, so I continue to make the effort and move my body as much as I can. Over multiple decades, I have experimented with many different forms of sport and exercise and have failed to find one brand I want to continue. Unlike the Olympians, I have always been drawn to the softer sports: arts and crafts, singing, reading, and writing. So, it is not inconsequential that at age 55, I have finally found a form of exercise that I not only tolerate but enjoy immensely! My friends and family can’t stop laughing at me and honestly, I am laughing at myself as well. At mid-life, I have discovered water aerobics of the senior variety. I accompanied my father’s girlfriend to the water aerobics class at their senior living community and now, I am minutes away from purchasing a flower-smocked shower cap to protect my professional highlights and a non-sunbathing suit that will keep “the girls” in place while I jump in the water.

Our Olympians have been training since they were toddlers, and they have programmed their bodies for a long successful lifetime of physical fitness. In contrast, given my exercise-adverse disposition, over the past ten years exercise has been even harder than ever for me.  But water aerobics is helping this mature body in all its glory, with its menopause-induced weight gain, wrinkles, and joint pain. I have discovered that doing calisthenics in warm water is not only comfortable, but also fun! I am lunging, kicking, and twisting— dynamic stretching movements, most of which I cannot do easily on land. My favorite moment of the class is when we run against the current, and I don’t run, ever. My slightly-ADHD brain focuses on the abstract ripples the water makes, and my senses relax. I leave the class feeling energized, never injured, and I am feeling my abdominal muscles at work for the first time since birthing my three children. I love most that I don’t leave the class feeling defeated. I often encourage my two daughters with the quote “Beautiful girl, you can do hard things”. But you know what isn’t hard? Senior water aerobics while listening to Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” and other upbeat 1980’s radio hits!

And the Olympic team culture is not lost on me. “A retired lawyer, brain surgeon, school principal, and social worker hop in a pool” is not the start to a joke, but the amazing reality of senior water aerobics class! I now look forward to socializing with my elder friends in 87-degree water, catching up on the latest community gossip, learning from their lifetimes of experience, and enjoying some old-fashioned flirting. One of my new gentleman friends even called me “sexy”, a compliment I have not heard since my thirties. I have found my people and I have a team! The men splash each other as if they were boys, and the women blow kisses to one another from across the pool. Clearly, water aerobics not only encourages juvenile behavior, but also contributes to longevity, as the average age of my classmates is eighty-five!

So, in addition to continuing to root for Team USA in this last week of competition, with every tip of my glass, I will also offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for the athletes who continue to inspire us and honestly, remind us that we can push our bodies to limits we don’t fully understand. And I will continue, twice a week, to joyfully and gently move my body for forty minutes in a warm pool and then relax in the hot tub. Mad goals friends, and where I will be spending my mid-life, because we are never too old to find our next best thing. Go Team USA!