I’m a little bit of an unusual beast for a nerd writing science fiction and fantasy; I ran track and cross country in high school. I wasn’t on the football team or the basketball team, though. No one came to watch us run, so I was only peripherally a jock way back then. But for those years, I ran, lifted weights, and competed, even if I was only a mediocre high school distance runner.
Why is that important? Because I gained some knowledge that I didn’t really understand back then. I know what it feels like and what it takes to get into fighting shape. And what it feels like being in that good of shape.
As an example, before my senior year in high school, I went to a Jim Ryan Running Camp. It was around twenty distance runners and Jim Ryan, who was a two-time Olympian and a two-time world record holder in the mile. Five years past his competitive running days, he could still outrun all of us. But a camp full of distance runners was a little insane. They had us play a game they called Russian baseball. No foul lines, so you could hit the ball any direction. The only force out is at first base. Second base is in the middle of center field. If the pitcher has the ball, the baserunner has to stop wherever he is and can only move if they try to tag him. In this weird game, the fielder would try to tag the runner and chase him for a half mile or more around this giant field, both of them just running and running. Like I said, insane.
And I could do that. I could run to get someplace. I didn’t get tired. I could run 800 meters (I hated the 800. It was run a 400 as fast as I could, then run it again.) Rest for ten minutes, maybe less, and do it again.
Why does this matter? Well, I graduated from college and eventually became a computer system administrator with writing as a sideline. In other words, I sat all day at work then came home and sat all evening writing. I became a couch potato, overweight and out of shape.
Then one day, my knee, which has osteoarthritis, swelled up and I could barely walk. I did the ice thing. I did anti-inflammatory medicines. Nothing helped. Eventually, my doctor sent me to physical therapy. You know what helped? Leg lifts and calf raises–exercises that worked my knee (without pain). That might sound like the opposite of what I needed, but my knee got better, less swollen and less painful.
That taught me the lesson I needed; it was time to stop being a couch potato. So I’ve started on a slow, strange journey with the ultimate goal of getting back in fighting shape.
Trauma in Gym Class
I think a lot of us nerds, geeks, writers, and science fiction fans, have something in common: we were traumatized in gym classes. We hated gym with a passion because we couldn’t do what they wanted and often got ridiculed by classmates and yelled by teachers for our failures. All we got from gym was bad grades and humiliation. Trauma.
Thus, when someone like me comes along, we shy away from doing anything remotely like that awful gym class.
I’m old now, so when I was a kid, we had junior high school rather than middle school. My brother, who is farther onto the autism spectrum than I am (something no one understood back then) had awful experiences in gym class our teacher was a strict, demanding, even mean former military guy. One of the things about autism is there’s a lack of cross-body coordination. You know, the clumsy nerd. Our gym teacher had one way to do things, and yelling if couldn’t do the exercises. My brother could not perform that way or learn that way. He needed something different. Gym class was a dreaded torture for him.
Thus, when I came along three years later, I started out dreading gym class. I mean, I’d heard my brother complain how horrible it was. Then, for me, something even worse happened: second semester in eighth grade I ended up in gym class with two of my friends. I was going to be embarrassed, clumsy, and yelled at in front of them. Yikes.
Instead, something else happened. I was astounded when I found out these two guys liked gym class. They enjoyed it. It had never occurred to me that such a thing was possible. So I decided to give it a try. I decided to give gym class a try and see if I could enjoy it too.
The surprising thing was that I actually did enjoy it.
Recently, however, my brother went to one of Steven Barnes’ tai chi classes at a convention. He couldn’t do some of the moves, too much coordination and asking his body to do things he’d never tried. What did Steven do? He said, okay, don’t do the arm movements, just do the legs. And that my brother could do, so he’s started a journey to do more than he’s ever done. He’s starting a journey to overcome the trauma of gym class.
You can overcome it too. The first task is to recognize that you were traumatized by people who did understand and could not teach you. After that, the next step is to revisit moving your body.
Your Body Matters
Why is it so important to overcome that trauma? I go to conventions, and I see friends walking with canes, or using scooters or wheelchairs to get around. It’s a use it or lose it situation. If you want to be mobile into your old age, if you want to live longer, healthier, and happier, movement is the key. It really is a use it or lose it proposition.
That leads us to a question: what are you willing to do to keep or regain your mobility? What are you willing to do just feel better?
Remember, my knees stopped hurting so much when I started moving my legs. Are you willing to overcome the trauma of gym class for a longer, less painful life?
There are many excuses: my knees hurt too much. I’m not strong enough. I’m too sick. It goes on and on. Instead of looking at why you can’t, ask the question: what are you willing to do to keep or regain your mobility?
For me, I need to be able to take care of my wife who has multiple sclerosis. And I have so many novels and novellas I want to write. And I would truly like to keep my ability to walk. There are now even studies showing that one of the keys to avoiding various kinds of dementia is to work on your muscles.
What are you willing to do?
More Weighty Matters
There is one thing I have not said nor will I. I will not tell you to lose weight.
We are bombarded daily, hourly, with the message that we should be thinner. And there may be good health reasons to do that. However, I’m guessing, if you’re a nerd like me, you’ve tried and failed to lose weight. For one thing, eating is often self-soothing for us. That’s nearly impossible to give up. So I won’t ask you to do it.
There’s an even bigger reason why weight doesn’t enter this equation: movement, especially with proper form, will help you much more than losing weight. Plus, just starting to move may lead to losing weight anyway, but that’s a possible side effect, not the purpose. In other words, concentrate on movement and exercise. Let your weight be what it is.
This is not to say that food isn’t important. It is. But diets tend to be things that are difficult and temporary. You see, most people diet and exercise. Athletes eat and train. My best advice is: increase protein (like meat or certain veggies but not cereal that says it has protein. Second, decrease sugar (and other complex carbohydrates). Don’t worry about fat: the sugar industry paid to make it the villain. But notice I said decrease sugar, not eliminate sugar. Start a slow journey and see where you get.
Besides, who am I to talk about weight? I was at 155 all through high school. Now I’m at 240, no longer skinny. I am, however, beginning to move.
Starting the Journey
Beginning to use your body if you’ve been a couch potato for decades like I have is not easy. Nor is it fast. On the other hand, after only a few weeks, I’m already seeing improvements.
For me, one of the big problems is doing the work at home. When I stop PT, I stop doing the exercises. That’s why I spent the money on a personal trainer. If you’re just starting, especially if you have never done this sort of thing, find a teacher. I found a really good one.
How do I know? Well, I follow Steven Barnes on Facebook so I see him talking about moving the body and what it means. One of the first things is breathing. My trainer started out with breathing–and getting the body in the proper position to breathe well. A lot of it is contrary to what we’ve been taught all our lives. And tilting your pelvis is one of the parts of that–get the hips, spine, and ribcage in alignment which helps you breathe. Well, another friend is a Pilates instructor. Guess she talks about? Tilting your pelvis, getting things in alignment.
In other words, other people are saying essentially the same things my trainer is saying.
Remember, if you use a trainer, find one who says proper form is the most important thing.
It’s slow work. Learn to breathe. Learn to get up out of a chair. (Most likely, you’re doing it wrong.) Learn how to walk. Learn how to use your body as a complete system rather than individual parts. Recognize which muscles are and aren’t activated. Teach your brain where your body is and how to use it.
There are other ways to get there besides going to a gym. Martial arts is one. Dancing can be one. Even getting some of your friends together, researching how to do things the right way, and do it. Tai Chi and Yoga are not bad places to start. Find the things that work for you, but don’t give up.
I’ve started that journey and intend to stay on that path. We’ll see where I get.
Beyond a Little Exercise
I told my trainer I have short-term goals and long-term goals. Short term is to lose some weight and get fit enough that doing yard work or painting the bedroom aren’t major chores. The next goal is to be able to take care of my wife, which may well include lifting her. And last, the long-term goal is to get into fighting shape.
What do I mean by fighting shape? I don’t mean I want to actually get into a fight. In some ways it means if I have to fight it’s at least not over before it begins. It’s getting back to what I had in high school; being able to run a mile at a fast pace. My best time was a little over five minutes. It’s nowhere near fast enough to do something like the Olympics, but when I called on my body to do something, it could do it.
It’s a bit hard to describe if you’ve never been there. It takes consistent effort at an increasing level of difficulty, but those increases can be very slow to start. If you’re doing martial arts, it means getting to that black belt. If it’s dancing, your goal is to be as good as your teacher. At my age, and having been a couch potato so long, it will take years to get there. Have patience but never give up. Even nerds like us can do this. Those are the goals. If you don’t quite reach those stretch goals, that’s okay. Trying to get there is the thing. The journey is the thing.
Being able to walk and move into our old age will make life so much easier and more enjoyable. Keeping my mind into my old age is paramount. It’s worth the effort.
Even if you have fibromyalgia, bad knees, and trouble breathing, you can do this. It may take you longer. It may even be more painful, but it’s still worth it. Starting out with PT might be best. Just make sure you find a therapist that doesn’t believe in painful exercises. Muscle burn is one thing. Actual pain is another altogether. We need to feel the burn and recognize it as a good thing. We do not need to have actual pain.
The tricky part may be finding a trainer or teacher who is right for you. Find someone who has worked with people like you, whether that’s just an old couch potato like me or you have arthritis, or fibromyalgia, are on the autism spectrum, or have ADHD. Whatever martial arts instructor you find needs to be able to deal with those things and the trauma you experienced in gym class. The mental things matter, and your teacher needs to know what they’re dealing with. And find someone who does not shame you. Most of all, don’t give up until you do find the right teacher or trainer.
I’m a couch potato with bad knees, peripheral neuropathy in my feet, a neck that causes nerve pain, and I’m working on this journey. Who knows how far I’ll get, but I’ll be better than I am today.
You can do it too.