She Used to Hate Exercise

NOTE from Jonathan:  "One of the first things Eileen told me when we spoke on the phone was that she was 'exercise averse.'  I appreciated her candor and courage as most people would probably be a bit intimidated to be so tenacious when speaking to a trainer.  I also knew that the same courage would benefit her terrifically.  Read on..."

To say I'm exercise averse is truly an understatement in my case. I've been that way all my life, so much so, that when the thought of exercise comes to mind, I lie down and wait for the feeling to pass! Well, that last may be an overstatement but I don't like exercise -never have, never will. There are many reasons for this but this little story is not about the reasons that I am exercise averse but how I changed into a person who exercises, at least six days a week. I still don't really like exercise; what I do like is what it does for me. But, before I tell you what it has done for me, let me give you a little background.

I'm 61 and had both my knees replaced in May and October 2004. Before the knee replacements, I was in pretty much constant pain and movement I had always taken for granted became a very painful chore. I even had sciatica in my back because of the way I walked and a cane was my constant companion. Always a large woman, I became larger as inactivity became the norm of my existence. Osteoarthritis started in my 40s and, by the time I had knee surgery, I had no cartilage left in either knee.  Surgery was so successful the first time and I started feeling so good that I decided to get in better shape for the second knee replacement.  I decided to work with a personal trainer but had no idea how to find one or to tell how good they were. Then I read an article in the Washingtonian on working with a personal trainer and found one of the best in the country, Jonathan Ross, was literally right around the corner from me. Surely this was a sign, I said to myself, so, I called, made an appointment and waited in dread.  I expected our first meeting to be a pain filled, sweat soaked, boring agony. Imagine my surprise when none of that happened!

Jonathan spent that entire first hour going over my physical and exercise (HA HA) history, my likes and dislikes, what I could or could not tolerate; in other words, he took the time to get to know me without any preconceived notions. Right then he made me start believing in my own capability to live my life using exercise to give me that capability. We started out slowly and easily and after 2 weeks I began to notice subtle changes - being able to stand longer and walk better which made cooking and my volunteer work easier. We progressed so much that, after the second knee replacement,  my stay in a rehab facility was shortened by two days. Even my physical therapists remarked how strong I was and how that contributed to my recovery.

I have to be honest and say that for about six weeks after surgery the only exercise I did was my very easy physical therapy routine. But, when I felt ready, I called Jonathan to get started again because I knew I never again wanted to be in a position where I had to plan out every move of my daily life. Again, there were no judgments on Jonathan's part just patience and a willingness to work with me so I could live and move normally. Much to my surprise, starting in again wasn't hard at all, something Jonathan attributed to muscle memory. Imagine that, my muscles, which had never before been exposed to a resistance ball or tubes, had memory!!

And, so here I am writing this on a snowy day in February thinking about the way my life has changed because of exercise. It may not seem like a lot to those who read this but remember, I was virtually incapacitated and know I could become that way again even with two new knees. With my exercises, I can walk without a cane and without a limp, I don't have that horrible sciatic back and leg pain anymore, I can stand for long periods of time, I can go anywhere without worrying about how much walking I'll have to do. I even jaywalked across Wisconsin Ave, in Bethesda recently something you really don't want to do unless you can speed walk. My friends now ask me why I walk so quickly and I say because I can. My posture has improved, friends tell me I look better, brighter, I can keep up with my husband's long-legged steps, I don't get an afternoon fatigue slump anymore and sleep better at night. I can even maneuver better around my pets - a very large dog and three large cats who are always underfoot. So what's not to love? I still don't like exercise but because of it I can do so much more and that will keep me exercising. I also know that exercising goes a long way to avoiding a broken hip.

You know, I really dislike the statement that if I can do it anyone can. What I have found is that I had to find my own level of motivation and for me that motivation is exercise is something I do for me so that I can enjoy my retirement, so that I can keep moving. Jonathan not only gave me the tools and the correct technique to do that but also  helped me to find my own motivation; through him I found exercise does not have to be this painful, onerous, sweaty, time consuming chore. 

My husband and I can now plan that one trip we've both talked about but never thought possible, a transatlantic trip to England on the Queen Mary ll. Before I used to joke that I couldn't sail on the QM ll because it would be too easy for him to push me overboard; now that he knows how strong I've become he's the one worried about me throwing him overboard.

Well, enough for now, I have my exercise routine to do.

 - Eileen Cassidy