It’s no secret I’ve disliked exercising. Sneakers are ugly and I don’t like to sweat, especially on purpose. But don’t get me wrong, there once was a time when I really enjoyed it. I grew up in the 80s when aerobicizing was, like, totally awesome. Feel the burn! Yep, that was me, complete with sweatbands and leg warmers. But once I hit my 30s, exercising quickly petered out as my home responsibilities grew with being married and having kids. By 40, forget it. I celebrated my 40^th birthday by getting a divorce and a tattoo. Gravity took hold of my bod, early menopause settled in, and I developed an allergy to anything exercise-related.

Now, as I’m approaching my 50^th birthday, I’ve decided to get back to following more healthier habits, including some sort of exercise. I figured walking was the easiest so we bought a treadmill and the ugly sneakers to go with it. That was Step 1. Step 2 included me looking at the machine with the intent to get on it. That lasted a while. Step 3, I actually stood on the treadmill to survey how it would feel to be on it. That’s when I discovered there was a place to hold my wine glass (see A Happy Moment). Bonus! Endless possibilities! Then Step 4, finally, I actually started walking.

The whole point of exercising is to move, right? I’m not looking to lose weight or even tone the bod. I just need to move. So I do. I figured, if I’m just sitting on the couch watching TV, I could be walking and watching TV. So I’ll turn on a TV series or a movie, set the pace at 1.5 mph, and just stroll until I make it through a couple of episodes or finish a movie. No sweating involved, just moving for an hour or so, sometimes two. And it’s great! Depending on the time of day, strolling may include some iced coffee or a snack, or if later in the afternoon, cocktails! All is good. I don’t mind exercising now. Who knew?