Other Stuff
OTHER STUFF

Dad Blog Comments
BLOG COMMENTS

Blog Categories
BLOG CATEGORIES

Dad Blog Archives
BLOG ARCHIVES

Taking the Stairs, Getting Older

Leaving Calfgrit9’s Cub Scout Pack meeting, we had to walk up stairs to reach the ground floor exit. While walking up the stairs, I asked CG9 if he had counted the steps he goes up and down in his school (his classroom is on the second floor). He hadn’t counted them, but he guessed there are probably 20-30 steps.

At my office building, I always take the steps rather than riding the elevator. I said, “You know how many steps I go up in my office building to get to my office?”

“How many?” he asked.

“Ninety-six.”

“Wow,” he said. “That’s almost a hundred.”

“Yep,” I said. “Ninety-six up to go to work, down to go to lunch, up to go back to work, down to come home. That’s almost four hundred steps up and down every day.”

We exited the church school building, and walked through the parking lot to our van.

“That’s a lot,” he said. “That’s more than I walk up and down in a week. Why don’t you just take the elevator?”

“I can use the exercise,” I explained.

We got in the van and went home.

96 steps up, twice a day (plus down twice a day). It sounds like a lot, but it’s just four flights – 1st to 5th floor. Judging by how I feel once I reach my floor, I doubt I could make it up to a 10th floor without having to sit down and rest. I’m not completely winded, and I’m not sweating, but I figure another couple of floors would be difficult.

This is rather pathetic and disappointing to me. I was in excellent physical condition less than 10 years ago –- I earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do just before Calfgrit9 was born. As little as 5 years ago, I would have said I was in decent physical condition. But now walking up four flights of stairs wears on me.

I can run and play and climb with my boys at a park, but I can’t keep it up for as long as I used to could. I have to beg off the play after 15 minutes or so. Watching Calfgrit5 dash at full speed for the full length of our neighborhood street amazes me. His little short legs have to run four strides for every one of my own, but he just goes and goes after I’ve had to stop and slow walk at just halfway.

I haven’t had a really good, extended exercise session for many months. Maybe more than a year. Sometimes I think I can feel my body getting older by the minute. When I get up off the floor from building Legos with my boys, my bones crack, my muscles ache, everything just screams, “You’re closer to senior years than youth.”

Man, if I’m feeling this now, at just 42, what will I feel like at 62? Hell, I couldn’t imagine what 42 physically felt like when I was 22. I’ve got to get my shit together and get back to exercising regularly.

Maybe I can start something this weekend. It’s been unusually cold the past few weeks, but it’s warming up a bit, now. So maybe me and the boys can get to a park and run and jump and climb to get me back on the exercise fun.

Bullgrit

Dad T-Shirts

2 Responses to Taking the Stairs, Getting Older

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *