Sharing Time: Bought and Abandoned
- Published on Tuesday, 21 February 2012 04:23
- Category: Features
Reva Lachica Moore
A deliveryman knocked at the door to pick up a huge package. A woman opened and said, “Here it is. It does not work for me.”
The deliveryman became irritated and remarked, “I deliver exercise equipments almost everyday and in a matter of days I have to pick them up. I am the one who is getting the exercise here!”
So true! Americans are 'weight conscious' but often, they do not want to put the effort in exercising. I am guilty of this. In the past twenty years I had bought an exercise bicycle, a mini-trampoline, a gazelle and smaller items (jump rope, dumbbells, etc.). I would get very excited when the equipment arrives and could hardly wait to start an exercise regimen. However, my excitement usually lasts only a few days.
It’s harder than I thought! They make it look so easy on television. My legs had started to hurt and I am out of breath! Does this sound familiar?
I had placed the exercise bicycle by the side of my bed so as not to inconvenience anybody. At night it was not easy to pass through my crowded walkway but I had bought it and so I had to live with it. Due to my hectic work schedule, I couldn't find time to use the exercise bike. I knew I had lost all interest in using it when it had become a towel holder at times. So I moved it to the den, which became an even bigger nuisance. Coming home from work one afternoon I saw the bike outside in the patio - in the rain! Someone who couldn't take it no longer had placed it there!
The mini-trampoline was delivered next and I saw my husband shake his head while I opened the box. It replaced the center table in our den for a little while. The idea that I could exercise while watching TV at night was not good after all. The mini-trampoline eventually found its place in the dark corner of the shed.
The gazelle looked like the perfect exercise equipment for me and soon it was delivered. It was used for a few weeks only and also abandoned. It had joined its forsaken counterparts in the shed.
According to a new national survey released from the Calorie Control Council, eight out of ten people consider themselves "weight conscious." Five out of ten said they want to reduce their weight, and noted that exercise, cutting back on sugar, using low-calorie or reduced-sugar products, and restricting the size of meal portions are the most common tactics.
The several obstacles that stand in people’s weight management goals include: not enough exercise (69 percent), metabolism slowing (62 percent) and too much snacking (52 percent).
In the past 7 years, my husband and I walked for exercise. A new subdivision was being built half a mile from our house so for two hours everyday, we would walk during the late afternoon hours. But the humid summers of the south and the cold winter months made our walking time quite limited. My husband ventured on walking inside the mall for exercise but this, too, was short lived.
I didn't like walking inside the mall so I bought an exercise video tape instead. I had to really put a lot of effort in doing the 45-minute exercise three days a week. It's a bore doing this type of exercise so, as expected, the exercise video is hardly played and followed.
A great amount of discipline is needed to follow an exercise regimen. I realize the great need for it for cardiovascular benefits, for bone health and for mental and emotional benefits. And so we thought of getting a treadmill. This time the plan to get one was unanimous. Treadmills provide a versatile, indoor exercise that makes breathing and heart rate increase, and blood flow increases between your lungs and muscles. Running or walking on a treadmill -- can increase the density of your bones. In addition to physical benefits, treadmill exercise prompts the release of endorphins, which provide an overall sense of wellbeing.
The huge box came and it sat on the game room floor for a couple of days. Who will put it together? With concerted effort, it was put together, There should not be any excuse for not using it. No need to be concerned with unfavorable conditions like climate, cars, and the neighbors' dogs. OK, whose turn is it on the treadmill? I don't see anybody lining up! I hope it will not join its counterparts in the shed.
“I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well”3 John 1:2
I praise God for He bought us with a price and did not abandon us.
