Just A Reminder

This last month or so has defined the new word "meh" in just about every way. Other than a really fun trip to the Borrego Desert there was a lot of time spent at home doing nothing. All this doing nothing motivated me to...do more nothing. Just about every aspect of my life suffered from neglect. It hasn't been a beautiful time.
Today classes resumed for LAUSD. I got up, showered, got ready, and didn't get a call. I decided to go back to bed. I also decided though that I would make it to the gym today. I haven't been to the gym in about a month. Sure, I walked the dog a few times, but I have been eating a lot of junk without exercising and I can tell. My belt can tell too.
Before going to the gym I put together some rye bread dough and set it out to rise. Then it was off to the gym. I stepped onto the scale with fear and trepidation only to discover that my weight really hasn't changed. So basically my tummy got a little bigger and my legs got a little smaller. At least I hadn't gained a whole lot of weight like I was afraid I had.
So now we get to the little reminder part. When you haven't been exercising in a month or so it is important to start out a little slow for a few days and then work your way back into the exercise regimen that you had before. The consequences of not doing this may include a really high heart rate, light headedness, aching lungs, and a sudden urge to empty the contents of the stomach onto the gym floor. Starting out slow was the plan. I had every intention of doing this. I got on the elliptical machine and started going and suddenly I was really going. It felt so good to be going. I did notice though that the initial burst of energy didn't stick around that long. Soon I was sweating like a pig and really laboring to keep going. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl. All I wanted to do was to get off the machine and go home. Over and over I had to tell myself to keep going, don't give up. I knew that I was pushing myself harder than I should but at the same time I didn't want to give up on my first day back. Giving up today would just make it easier to give up tomorrow. Finally I reached half an hour. I pushed on. About two minutes later I suddenly noticed that I was light headed and my stomach was feeling a little queasy. Immediately I slowed down to a crawl. For a while there I was really fighting to keep from throwing up right there on the floor. My forehead broke out in a cold sweat.
After a few minutes of going slow the world righted itself and I was actually able to pick up the pace to a more moderate level and finish out the hour. I actually felt really good after the hour was up too.
Lesson learned. When I go for a while without exercise take it slow. Perhaps the better lesson is not to go so long without exercise.