Exercise...

This is our friend, Shirley who comes and works out twice a week!

For years I have dealt with back aches and a lack of strength in my arms and pretty much most of my body.  In the beginning of the year of 2011, I had the opportunity to join The Biggest Loser contest at our local gym.  It wasn't an amazing experience as seen on t.v., but because my trainer was a bodybuilder, I learned a lot about exercising my muscles.  Consequently, I was lucky enough to meet some amazing ladies, about my age, who lifted weights regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  They were advanced lifters and ran miles and miles on the other days, but they were open to letting me join their amazing group.

It's been about 2 years now, and I can definitely feel the difference.  I used to have trouble planking for 30 seconds,  but now I have no problem for going a minute..and then another...and then another!  As I use those muscles for different activities during the rest of my day or on the activities they get me to go on, I feel the strength I have gained through those persevering work outs.  I am grateful for the encouraging words and pushing me to work a little harder...always challenging myself and not taking the easy way out. (As Cheryl would say, "Don't cheat yourself!)

I think the same can be said for exercise of the spiritual and mental type... and also relationships.  If you stay engaged in a relationship, it will be stronger and stay strong with continued exercise.  Engaged...meaning partly these two meanings:  5. Being in gear; meshed.  6. Partly embedded in, built into, or attached to another part, as columns on a wall. (Online dictionary)

I like the words meshed and partly embedded in, built into or attached to another part.

It's a well known fact that my husband snores.  I can't sleep when he's snoring in my ear and so I have often left and gone to a spare room we have, to sleep.  It's impossible for this poor man to not snore during allergy season, so sometimes I spend more than a few nights in the other room.    However, if I end up doing this too often, I begin to feel detached from him.  It's a palpable feeling of lost connection.  The act of sleeping next to each other as the effect of meshing and partly embedding into each other.  

It is easy to see that those couples, for whatever reason, sleep in separate rooms, tend to "loose that loving feeling".  The way I've overcome this "separation anxiety", is to get up before he does and snuggle in with him.  It's the touching that connects us.  I can't really sleep in a snuggle, but I love waking up to one.

My husband mentioned that he enjoys the subtle, short touching during the day, hand holding, shoulder rubs, leaning on one another, sweet caresses.  Not hanging on one another, but keeping in touch, sorta speak.

So, if you are in a relationship that you want to keep, exercise good, healthy habits and keep in touch!