The Art & Poetry of Mary Coleman

The only way I enjoy exercise is running and that is if I have been doing it for a while. If I get out of the habit, picking it back up is hard, but if I keep at it, I start enjoying it again. In particular I only enjoy running outside in the neighborhood or on a trail. Treadmills bore me to death. I need changing scenery and fresh air.

I do strength training in our home gym downstairs, but I hate doing it. Absolutely hate it. The only reason I force myself to do it is for bone and muscle health because it’s supposed to be good for women going through perimenopause and menopause. Bone density and muscle mass go down as you age, and strength training can help combat that. So I do it twice a week for 30 minutes. Begrudgingly. I also try to get a lot of fiber, calcium, and protein in my diet in addition to the strength training.

So yes, running outside is my answer to this question. Once I’m in a routine of doing it, I feel great during and afterwards. And now that spring is here, it’s lovely running with all the trees and flowers in bloom and a cool breeze to keep you from getting hot. Even the rain is okay during spring time, because it’s not bitterly cold and it can feel refreshing. I managed to run all winter, but sometimes it was miserable in sub zero temperatures where my lungs hurt and my muscles ached from the cold. And rain on a really cold day is just misery upon misery. So winter is my least favorite time to exercise outside, but I won’t do it indoors, so I have to cope with the outdoor weather as best I can.