Why Are My Abs So Sore?

My abs are killing me!

 I rolled out of bed this morning and noticed how much they hurt.  They hurt yesterday, too, but today it's even worse. They are sore, aching-- but a good kind of ache.  A healthy kind of pain.  You know what I mean.  Not an "OMG, I think I just pulled something!" kind of pain. It's more like I have discovered some layer of muscle I didn't know I had and if I keep on doing what I am doing, it will bring me one step closer to looking great in a bikini when and if summer ever arrives.

And, no.....this is NOT me in the photo, but a girl can dream, can't she?






This morning, over coffee, I tried to think about what I've been doing that's so different.

Why am I so sore?

I hate to exercise.  I force myself to do it.  I do pilates, yoga,  lift weights, walk on my lunch break, take the stairs instead of the elevator at work.   I do fifty sit-ups every morning, cursing as I count.  Thankfully, no one but my cat P'aqu is here to observe my amusing routine.  He jumps right into the warm spot I leave behind in the bed and watches me as I flop around on the floor like a fish out of water . Sometimes I cheat and don't do all fifty. Then I remember the cat is watching. I get back on the floor and finish....out of guilt.

"Forty-eight @#*!, Forty-nine @#*!, Fifty @#*! @#*! "

I wish I loved to exercise.  I would love to be a work-out junkie.  I would be tight and taught and not have to spend time browsing through catalogs for those MuMu-style beach cover-ups.

Sadly,  I haven't added anything to my normal, dreadful routine, so why are my abs so sore?

I remembered feeling the same pain last week, too. Then it dawned on me. The baby! My little two year old niece Gabriella was over this past Monday and she was here the same time last week, as well.  And the Monday before that.

Gabriella is a bundle of energy.   If I could bottle some of that energy and sell it, I would be a multi-millionaire. She tears our house apart, touching everything, dragging pots, pans, bottles and boxes from cabinets and closets. She chases the cat and dog until they collapse in corner, completely exhausted.  It take an hour to clean up the mess she leaves behind each time she comes to visit. But she loves her Auntie Cyndi (that's me).  She calls me " Ti-Ti."  I run with her through the house like a lunatic. She screams and squeals with delight.  I drag out my yoga mat, lay on my back, hold her up over my head, and she pretends to fly.  I extend my legs upward, balance her on my feet, and drop and catch her over and over.  I hold her upside down and carry her through the house. This goes on for hours. She loves it. She can't get enough. No one else in the family has the stamina to play with her this way.  I am forty-nine years old and by some miracle, I do have the strength and energy.  I must admit, I am worn-out when she leaves.  My sister called me this Tuesday morning and said, " What did you do to my granddaughter? It's 9am and she's still sleeping!"  Evidently, little Gabriella was worn-out, too.

Ahhh.....this is why my abs hurt!

I am lifting a forty pound child over my head and tossing her around like a rag-doll.  Which got me thinking......if I did that every single day, I would be so fit with very little effort.  I laugh so hard when I play with my niece and enjoy each precious moment.  What can be better than that? And I am getting quite a work-out.  I have the sore abs to prove it. 

 You know you have to exercise.  It's the only way to stay fit and maintain muscle.  But perhaps you can mix it up a little.  Lifting weights? YUCK.  Fifty sit-ups every morning? BORING!  Maybe it doesn't always have to be such torture.  Perhaps adding some fun activities to your normal routine would make it more exciting? Chasing the kids around the house, playing basketball, bike riding, roller skating, hiking, dancing, a night of great sex? Hmmmmm.....all exercise, but FUN exercise.

Don't forget to play, people! Enjoy your life. Get out there and move. Have fun.  Forget about yourself and just be crazy. Your body will reap the benefits and your heart and soul will, too.

And this is my Daily Cyn.........