No one looked good in this thing.
Sports has never been my thing. I am not an athlete of any kind. I tried out for baseball once and when the ball came towards me I closed my eyes and ducked. In school we were forced to participate while wearing baggy, navy blue, one piece pantaloons.
I don’t skate or ski (please don’t tell my fellow Canadians). My television is allergic to broadcasting football, basketball or hockey (again, let’s just keep that between you and me). The only time I have been a spectator in a sport is if a relative was playing.
My Grand Nephew – My Favourite Jock
I didn’t own a bicycle but I borrowed them frequently. I loved to feel the wind on my face. I walked. A lot. In those days it was the only way to get to get from point A to point B.
In the 80’s “fitness” became very popular. Everyone was exercising with their favourite celebrities. Jane Fonda, Jamie Lee Curtis & Olivia Newton John made jumping around and sweating quite fashionable. 
Seriously… spandex, tights and leg warmers became top fashion items. Gyms were being called studios and off the shoulder baggy sweatshirts were a staple in your wardrobe, although, I suspect the movie “Flashdance” had a lot to do with that.
My friend Sandy and I were right into all of it. Her family owned a health food store and we kept on top of all the nutrition trends. A new gym was opening in Niagara Falls offering aerobics classes to women and body building to men. This new venture was owned and operated by John Cardillo – Champion Body Builder. It was his first but it wouldn’t be his last. He was kind of a local hero having conquered many of the greats in California and he had the belts to prove it.
John Cardillo – Champion Body Builder
Sandy and I thought it would be cool to join the men’s side. John wouldn’t allow it. I don’t believe women’s body building was a thing yet anywhere. He protested and flatly refused. He explained that it wasn’t a pretty thing and that the men would be swearing and grunting and generally be disgusting as they went about their workouts. We explained to him that neither of us was a delicate little flower and that we could handle it. Every day we would show up in the morning and every day we would end up working out with the women. Eventually we wore him down. The truth is he thought if he gave us a shot we would quit. We didn’t. So body building became a part of my life. One day would be spent working out with the ladies and the next with the men. I loved it. In fact the morning of my first wedding that’s were I was. At the gym. Someone said, “Aren’t you getting married soon?” I responded with, “yeah, in a couple of hours”. There was an audible gasp followed by, “what the hell are you doing here?” It just seemed that I had to be there if I was to get through the rest of the day. It had never occurred to me that I should be anywhere else. My family wasn’t impressed when I finally showed up. They thought I had run away. The chaos that ensued is another story.
One of my brothers, Ed, was retired military and lived in a high rise apartment. He did not use the elevator and “strongly” encouraged me (he made me) to do the same. I must really love my brother because I climbed those 20+ flights of stairs like Rocky Balboa every day to see him.
In 1992 I “battled” breast cancer. I lived alone at the beach. Surgery, chemo, radiation became my new routine. I had to stop driving as some of my meds made it illegal. I rode my bike everywhere and walked 5 miles a day on the track at the Y and walked the beach whenever I could. A lot of things changed in my body including muscle mass. It doesn’t take long for it to become flabby.
I never really had a chance to get that flab under control as my cancer was followed by a car accident that left me with a back that would require three surgeries over the next few years. After each one I would start out walking the neighborhood with my walker. One of my sisters would stand at the end of the street and holler, “Run Forest, run!” at me. I would have to get as far as her to shut her up.
When I lived in Oshawa I found a beautiful system of paths which I have shared here in previous posts and continued to walk 5 miles a day. In Pickering I was able to get my 5 miles in by walking to the waterfront every morning. During the winter months walking at the local malls filled the gap. Then came the fall. Literally, I fell and did quite a bit of damage including a pretty scary head injury. Things would never quite be the same.
Our next move was to the 30th floor of a high rise in Etobicoke. Although it was beautiful apartment in a lovely building, the neighborhood was not the kind you went for walks in. It was scary. Cue the pandemic. (I feel there should be some dun, dun, dun, dunnn dramatic music when I say that). We were trapped on that 30th floor. The only time I left the building was for cancer treatment until that was put on hold as well. We had an approximately 3′ X 4′ balcony which was our source of fresh air and sunshine. Needless to say, like many experienced, there was again physical deterioration. As soon as it was possible we moved back to our home area where we had family and friends and didn’t even consider anything that wasn’t ground level.
All of this, so you know I am not lazy, or don’t care and that I have always tried to keep fit. Every time I hit a barrier I would find away around, through or over. It would take time, patience and will power but eventually muscle memory would kick in and that would help.
So, I’m back to “walking” the neighbourhood. It’s a lovely neighborhood and very friendly. I started out with a walker and have graduated to a cane. My distance and speed are…I am being kind to myself here…slow and steady. But I have to tell you, I don’t see me getting to my 5 miles a day. It appears my muscle memory is gone. There is no temporary amnesia going on here it is a full blown case of Alzheimer!
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