No exercise

I forgot I had a blog! And then I forgot how to drive blogger! 

I can't convince blogger to let me use one of the photos of the beach that I uploaded intending to use for this blog. But it will let me upload photos from a blog I started when I first moved to Abu Dhabi. Or the photos I uploaded to google photos or somewhere ... honestly, I have no idea where the photos are kept. But I know where they're from. The years 2009-2010. There's a photo there of the time I did a vertical marathon, running up the staircase of the Burj Jumeirah. I don't like to brag, but holy shit I look freaking amazing. So fit! So unlike the person I thought I was. That was a time when I relied very heavily on my morning trip to the gym and a class or two to keep me going. The structure and the endorphins, and then without even knowing that's what I was doing I got more fit than anyone who had ever known me, or has known me since, could believe. 

It's strange because then being a gym person became part of my internal identity and I still kind of see myself that way even though I'm doing almost no activity beyond an almost-regular stretch session of around 15 minutes. I've only done the steps-counting thing for a very short time in the past, but based on what I learnt then I would say that I can easily go days at the moment without doing more than a few hundred steps. I've got everything I need to be active--enough equipment and enough knowledge--but somehow I'm just letting day after day go without even a walk on the beach. 

It's kind or tricky finding a place to do a workout of any kind. The builders arrive at 7am so the yard is out (yes, they're back, it seemed safe enough and it was going to start costing us a lot of money to delay it further and like everyone our financial situation is somewhat changed since we first made the decision to start the renovation); there's no space in the living room on account of the fridge and the microwave and the kettle); and there's kind of space near the bedrooms but the mister is working there and I don't really feel like being one of those accidental background shots. I could do it at the end of the day but I'm enjoying The Bold and the Beautiful repeats at 4.30pm and then it's time to start getting the dinner ready and, and, and ... 

But I feel like if I don't get back in the rhythm I'll never be an exercise person again. In the past when I've lost my focus I always knew it was for a reason and I could always tell I'd get back into it. I don't have that sense of it at the moment. I don't have a natural exercise home even at the gym, caught between the bright young things with strength I no longer have and the semi-retirement set who are doing much gentler exercises than I'm quite ready for. 

I'll try to put it onto this week's list of things to do. I'll let you know how I go. For now though, I have to go. We are going to see some friends for a socially-distanced lunch in their backyard. A social occasion! Excitement!

PS I remember taking this photo. It was on the trip to Spain I took with the boys in our first summer break in Abu Dhabi. Boys were hungry, I'd just been driving the Spanish roads finding the way to the town we were aiming for, found our hotel ... but not a skerrick of food to be found, and I'd let our supplies run low planning a small supermarket shop that afternoon. It was a long couple of hours.