Though The Weather Outside is Frightful…..

Another New England winter is upon
us. The days are getting ‘shorter’ and the snow, ice and slush have
taken over the landscape. Last year I was ‘forced’ to brave the
elements to train for the 2009 Boston Marathon. What keeps me motivated this year to maintain my health and
fitness regimen? There is no marathon on the immediate horizon. I no
longer work with my personal trainer because I have a program
established by my physical therapist for strength training and cardio
workouts so the dreaded quarterly assessments no longer loom in the
distance. What keeps me from just curling up and hibernating until
Spring? Jillian Michaels — yup that’s right — Jillian of the
Biggest Loser show.

I am not overweight by any standards; the
show is not just about losing weight. It is about one’s relationship
with their body; for me it is about being the best I can within the
framework of post polio syndrome. When I do not feel like working
out, I hear Jillian’s voice inside my head coaxing me along . I can
be both tough and gentle with myself. I honor the cervical spine
disease. I am not going to be hitting the floor and doing 20 push
ups; I know that I have to go very slowly with strength training for
my upper back and neck but I also know that I cannot wimp out and not
progress and challenge myself in incremental steps.

Monday
with snow on the ground, I hopped on my recumbent bike to see how
fast I could do 8 miles – could I break my previous record? Yes – I
did it with Jillian’s voice ringing in my ears — keep going, don’t
quit, Yesterday with strength training I pushed myself just a teeny
bit farther than the day before knowing that slow and steady is the
way to strengthen muscles that had been weakened from deconditioning.
And today, it was raining,slushy, grey and cold and I no more felt
like hopping on my bike than I did taking a trip to the moon. But
last night was the finale from The Biggest Loser — and I saw the
amazing inward and outward transformations of the contestants. I
decided that I would try a new interval training on the bike. As I
pedaled I visualized my quads getting stronger. I set my goal at 30
minutes as this was a new challenge for me. I was soaked by the end
of the workout and congratulated myself for doing something I had not
done before.

Even though there is no marathon to train for,
there is the marathon of life. So even though the weather is
frightful, and my inclination is to just curl up until Spring — no
excuses to keep this body as healthy and fit as I possibly can.

Mary McManus, 2009 Boston Marathon
finisher, polio and post polio survivor is the author of