Forgot How Much I Enjoy Feeling Physically Exhausted
I got in the pool for the first time in about five months on Thursday, burned about 300 calories and felt great. I forgot how much I enjoy feeling physically exhausted.
I used to be a gym rat in college. Not only did I workout everyday, but I worked at the gym everyday. I spent almost as much time at the gym as I did sleeping, and I went home feeling physically exhausted almost everyday. I gained 30 pounds of muscle my freshman year of college.
That was the same year I noticed my right foot hurting a lot on days I was on my feet a lot, which was most days. When I had it checked out, the doctor told me it was a bunion and that it could be repaired with surgery, but not to do it too soon, or it could come back. So I put it off for almost 20 years and let my sister have her’s corrected first.
We got our bunions from our grandma on my dad’s side. My sister’s were worse because she used to work in the woods clearing trails and cutting down trees for Montana Conservation Corps. When she had successful surgeries, I decided to get mine done so I could participate in tennis tournaments that required playing multiple matches per day on consecutive days. The Instagram post below is from one such tournament in Miami I hope to win this year. I’ve never been more physically exhausted than I have after playing tennis all day in Miami…in December.
After about 25 minutes of swimming, the only thing sore on my body is my surgically repaired foot, so that’s good. I’m getting a massage on Friday, so Thursday was the perfect day to test my body. I did fall into one of my common thirst traps after swimming, though.
Upon leaving the YMCA in New Hope (a wonderful facility with a friendly staff), I searched the area for happy hours. Pub 42 has a great one on Thursdays, with half-off flatbreads and discounted rail drinks. Brittany the bartender was nice enough to make me a Bloody Mary with well vodka even though it’s not technically included in happy hour.
While my Thursdays will now include a new happy hour, it’ll motivate me to go to the pool on those days. The plan is to get in the pool three times a week going forward, with increased intensity each day.
Now that I remember how much I enjoy feeling physically exhausted, it’s time to get back on the tennis court, too. Sure, we’ve still got a foot or so of snow left to melt, but indoor court reservations are only $28 per hour. I have two other tennis friends who’d chip in $10 to play in winter. I’m so ready to play tennis that I bought a new Apple Watch band that matches my orange string and grip setup on all my rackets. I even got them out to restring and re-grip them, and with the Australian Open now over, it’s officially tennis season.
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