Day Thirty Three: Athletic

I am active.

Today was the first day I got my shots for my Crohn’s disease. While this means nothing to most people, this means something very significant to me. Assuming that I don’t react badly to the medication, I have the go ahead from my doctor to be active again.

This means I can go back into the gym and start training for parkour again with my friends. This means I can weight lift and get back the muscles I’ve lost over the last six months. This means I can go back to dancing, walking, hiking, and all the other activities I couldn’t do while my body was out of my control.

In high school I played softball and fenced as well as danced. When I was in middle school I played soccer and fenced. As a child it was pee wee football, soccer, dance and horseback riding. I’ve always been an active person, but never really an athlete. The closest I came to being really good at a sport was fencing. But after I destroyed my knee, I had to quit.

In college my friend Charles and his incredible, gravity defying hair introduced me to parkour. If you don’t know what it is, move out from under your rock. No, I can’t do a back flip. I can’t even do that much, especially since I had to stop practicing because of Crohn’s. But it is so much more fun than any other sport I’ve ever done. Sports for me aren’t about the competition; they’re about keeping yourself in shape. I’m probably never going to go to a parkour competition, but I will do my best and have a blast while I do it.

So yes, I’m athletic. At least I will be now that I can actually gain weight and muscle again, not to mention eat and keep down food.

Challenge to my Readers:

Assuming the world doesn’t end tonight, take a chance this coming week and go to the gym and try something new. A lot of gyms have rock walls or ball courts. Skip running by yourself and consider working out with a group of friends. Encourage your family and friends, even your pet, to be more active and healthier.

And no, running around the mall doing last minute Christmas shopping does not count as cardio.