My Aging

BEEPBEEPBEEP! That's usually how many beeps before I shoot out of bed and turn off my alarm clock like a cobra -if only cobras had hands...or alarm clocks ...or a reason to get up at 7 freaking AM (my reason was gross anatomy lab). However, today as I was springing out of bed, I fell right back down clutching my thigh and gluteus maximus in pain. Last night I decided to run a little extra on the treadmill, and I think I was paying the price. It's been a while since I've ran on the treadmill and I was feeling particularly energized yesterday, so I 1.5 speeded my normal pace, which is also the speed I watch my online lectures at. But now it seems that my heart is pumping lactic acid instead of blood to my lower body. Out of all the times i've exercised in my life, this could possibly the sorests I've ever been. As I lied in bed with my life flashing before my eyes and the stupid alarm clock still beeping, I thought to myself: man I'm getting old.

Sooner of later you'll realize it; you can't run as fast as you used to, you can't remember someone's name, or you don't laugh at things like homo erectus anymore. Those are telltale signs of aging. Lately, I've been feeling older and perhaps wiser (yeah wiser). It's very interesting to observe how your body changes. One way I gauge how old I'm getting is by the amount of noise I make while doing stuff. For instance, I've noticed that I grunt a little everytime I bend down to tie my shoes. I "yeerrr" when i get out of a crouched position. And for especially tough occasions like touching my toes or opening a jar of pickles, I let out a "rawr."

Aging is not just a physical thing, there's a mental aspect as well. I try to lead a healtheir lifestyle even if it means passing up on some big macs. Just last year, I got hooked on ensure. My roommates laughed at first, but they quickly caught on too. Pretty soon we became the old geezers on campus gulping down bottles of ensure and telling kids to pull their pants up. I've also been buying more celery and carrots, not because they taste good, but for the fiber. You laugh now, but we'll see who's laughing when you haven't gone in a week. Healthy eating is only half the story. I put my fear of treadmills (they should be called dreadmills) aside to get more cardio in. Also if the weather's nice, I go for a walk after dinner -I feel like my parents. I'm pretty much one step away from doing tai chi with my grandparents.

Growing older is a part of life, and it's our job to adapt to it. As for me, I smacked the snooze button and let my old body rest a few more minutes.