A Body Neglected

Overweight Vitruvian ManI feel that still strange feeling of oxygen flowing through my body.
My muscles ache in protest and my stomach growls in anger.
For far too long, I have kept my body neglected.
Atrophy and decay set in when life should rule.

I keep moving despite the pain.
Running like the Devil is on my heels.
Because anything but life is death.
And I must escape this hell of my own creation.

The morning air burns into my lungs.
It tingles through my veins.
It hurts to take each breath.
And yet, I feel like I need to breathe even more.

Soon I feel the blood flowing.
Flowing to parts of my body hitherto unknown.
Minor aches and pains nagging my mind.
Reminding me of the body I’ve long neglected.

After a while my mind starts to wander.
The pain in my legs feels so much less urgent.
I start to think about the end of the run,
And the beautiful autumn day that awaits me after.

A minute later, I start to feel good.
As soon as I think of it, the pain returns.
But now the end is in sight.
I have finished my goal.

The body relents, and soon does the mind.
Health equals life. And life is the only way.

Discussion

Have you ever started exercising after a long period of being out of shape? How hard was it for you? Let me know in the comment section.

Steve Lovelace

Steve Lovelace is a writer and graphic artist. After graduating Michigan State University in 2004, he taught Spanish in Samoa before moving to Dallas, Texas. He blogs regularly at http://steve-lovelace.com.

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7 Responses

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