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By James Gardner

Clark County Public Library

Time to see if I can touch my toes. That’s usually how it begins. It’s how I set the bar when deciding to get more exercise. It starts with testing whether or not I can touch my toes—in other words, exactly how out of shape am I? This usually starts from a standing position, and I bend down. I make mental notes on anything unusual during my rather large head’s descent from the top of my body to somewhere near my knees. Can the muscles still pull taut without pulling out my back? Doomed to be a sitcom cliche of dear old dad thinking he’s still in good shape? Will whatever has settled in my sinuses finally give me a bit of relief? One sniff. Two. So far, I’m still breathing reasonably well. Once I’ve cleared these physical and mental hurdles, I can start thinking about actual exercise.

The air is getting warmer, and National Exercise Day is on April 18. What better time is there to finally throw off the weight of self-doubt and get back into a regular exercise routine? I say this even as my mind dredges up excuses. You could walk outside, but have you completely overcome the sinus thing? In Kentucky, pollen sometimes feels like a predatory species. But I can also take something. I could also spend more energy making excuses than exercising if I’m not careful. It’s a back-and-forth debate that wastes the time I could exercise.

And there are options! There’s walking, which I could do anytime. There are plenty of places here in Winchester to explore and with books like “Slow Jogging: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy and Have Fun with Science-Based, Natural Running” (613.7172 Tana). I don’t have to be the marathon-running hare; I can, for now, be the steadily walking tortoise.

And if the weather’s terrible, there are still options. Youtube is full of workout videos, and so is the library, everything from “Billy Bank’s Tae Bo Believers’ Workout” (DVD Fitness 613.7) to “Tai Chi for Beginners” (DVD Fitness 613.7). Even if I wanted to join a gym, there are books at the library that can help me get the most out of my workouts. I got this.

I just have to remember that any fitness journey I undertake begins not with a single step, necessarily, but with an attempt to touch my toes.

Wish me luck!