Depression, Exercising, and Kayaks

For some reason I seem to be rising up out of the depression just a little bit. This morning my partner asked me if I would like to go out with him to a place about 25 miles away to get his yearly car inspection. He used to live near this place a long time ago and got to know and trust these guys and so now, even though it is a long way away, he goes out there every time he needs something done to his car.

It was a lovely ride and the sun was shining, the wind was blowing and there weren’t very many people on the road. On the way back, we stopped at two places that would be easy to put the kayak in if we had had the kayak with us. Actually, it isnt really a good day for kayaking…too windy…gusting up to 25 mph. I love to kayak.

Now, before you get visions of this 67 year old woman shooting the rapids, that is NOT the kind of kayaking I do. I do recreational kayaking which means I putter around a calm area. I learned to kayak two years ago at a YMCA “Mind, Body, Spirit” weekend for women and I have been hooked ever since. Originally, I was going to get a kayak of my own but I got endometrial cancer instead and had to put my plans on hold. Then my partner broke his ankle so he said there was no necessity to get a kayak of my own because I could use his since he wasn’t going to be able to use it himself. And it is easier to share his because there is only room for one {his} in the storage area at the bottom of the stairs.

I seem to be wondering off from my original subject which is the fact that I think I am coming out of the depression. In a few minutes we are going to the grocery store and after that, I am almost looking forward to the bicycle ride I want to do. Actually, I am thinking I might let my partner go to the grocery store himself {he does this as a hobby!} and go out on my bike before the urge wears off. When I am in my normal undepressed state, I try to ride 8 to 10 miles three times a week and swim for 45 minutes a day on three days a week.

I stopped doing this about two months ago when I had a Urinary Tract Infection {UTI} for a week. The week after that, I was lazy, and the two weeks after that I had company from England. And, slowly as I stopped exercising, my depression crept back to the extent that I didnt even want to exercise. And this is the person who used to wake up on a Monday saying to herslf, “Goody! Monday…swimming at the Y!”

So, enough of this idle chat…get out there and see if you can do 5 miles …