If you haven’t heard, a cool sixty bucks will get you sixty days worth of access to the Richmond Oval.

Richmond Olympic Oval – courtesy of andy liang

Having a distinct need to become less sedentary, I recently purchased a pass thinking that it would be both nice to use this first-class facility but also gain the benefit of 2 months of exercise. From what I have been told the rate is decent (although what it will be after is not too clear), but apparently my health and well-being shouldn’t be attached to the amount of money in my bank account.

This me brings to the point of my post.

When I was young, I never really paid much attention to my parents claims that it would be harder to stay active when I got older. I took so many things for granted and assumed that my quick recovery from injury and ability to take a few months off and then get back into the swing of things without any conditioning would never disappear. Heck, there were times I thought I was invincible. The problem is, I got older. I stopped playing soccer actively when I was still in high school as I now longer enjoyed the team I was on and did not feel I had another option available. I stopped playing street hockey when it seemed that doing so was out of style. I chose to drop PE class from my Grade 11 and 12 years thinking that academics was the way to go. I stopped going swimming, hiking, walking and pretty much everything else as I grew older and found time at a premium.

I now find myself nearly broken and battered. I’ve broken my left ankle, ruptured the ACL in my left knee, and then probably tore the graft that was used to replace my ACL this past December. I’m no longer able to go out for a brisk walk without the cracks and creeks of my joints and get winded trying to go up a few flights of stairs. It’s downright scary. In fact, I wish I had access to a DeLorean that could hit 88 MPH to allow me to knock myself straight those few years ago, but not having that option leaves me only a few options.

So I’ve chosen to slowly get back into shape.

Bikes, Bikes, and Bikes – courtesy of cblee

I don’t know if I’ll do more than ride the bike, use the treadmill, or the elliptical trainer, but it’s better than sitting at home watching TV. I wish I had paid attention in weight training classes back in high school so I could do more than that, but considering how my body is falling apart at the seams, I’m worried that I could mess myself up more if I were to hit free weights and other machinery. However, doing something as I mentioned is better than nothing and therefore I’m going to get my ass in gear.

I’ve started to watch what I’m eating and ensuring that I pay attention to portions. Water is my new friend… well… at least Crystal Light is (I find water not too palatable unless I’m fricking thirsty) and since I’ve been drinking throughout the day, I’ve been eating less. I’ve also made sure that I am getting more fruits and vegetables as I seriously was missing out when I began to pay attention.

I’m just hoping it’s not too late to turn things around.