Whimsical Wednesday

When was the last time you take a long distance to jog or run? When was the last time you exerted effort and disciplined yourself to attain the figure that you always imagine? 

Me? I had that activity when I was a fourth year high school (now Grade 10) student. Every Intramural of our school, we need to join the fun run activity. The race starts at the rice mill in Imbo, a barangay in our municipality, near the Iglesia Filipina Independiente Cemetery located in the said barangay. For a fun run enthusiast, he can finish the race for ten to fifteen minutes. But for me, it takes me thirty minutes to reach the school where the race ends. This implies that I am not proactive in sports and fitness. This behavior continued to my college days. I am just spectator of those people who reign well in the game fields, with my pen and paper. I was just a campus journalist delivering the news about the players of my school. 

I was not very concerned on my physique during my teenage days because I was not fat. I downgraded the benefits of exercises. Until one day, I observed that I have added number on my waist. As I look on the mirror, it reflects a guy who is now stout, struggling to make his belly not to be noticeable.  

Last Tuesday, I said to my younger brother that I will join him in his jogging in the next morning. He found it ridiculous and feigned.

“I think you’re joking. You like to eat food than to jog,” he replied with a little grin on his face.

“I’m serious. I am going to jog tomorrow,” I answered with confidence.

“Five o’clock in the morning. You need to wake up early,” he emphasized.

When I am challenged by someone, I often try my best to respond and not to back off to prove him/ her wrong. So, I slept early and prepared for the fitness activity. In the next day, I woke up 4: 30 in the morning (It’s not obvious that I am excited). While waiting for my jogging buddy to wake up, I do some warm- up exercises. I also tried to make fifty curl- ups and fifty push- ups. But, I only attained fifty percent of my goal. I perspired a little but it was not enough to burn fats. 

When I could wait for him, I went to his room to wake him up. We tried to move fast and left our house 5: 10 in the morning. We walked fast going toward the salt making area of our barangay called “panayunan.” The place is now suitable to jog. The concrete road there makes the joggers comfortable.

When we reached the place, I and my brother started to race. Finally, I had the time to exercise my legs and feet in a long distance. The cool breeze there helped me to feel energize. The panoramic fields in the area are nice to see while moving. It seems that the environment and I communed making my activity less burden.

There was still the feeling of timidity while staying there every time we meet fellow joggers. Even that I am a teacher, who is expected to be always socially connected, I still feel shy every time I meet new people and even people that I have known before. My shyness level was added as I saw them wearing proper and complete apparel. I and my brother’s attire was like we are tasked by mother to buy vinegar in the store. It was a moment of chagrin for both of us. I hope that they did not have the time to look and poke fun at us. 

I did not take any selfie instead I took pictures of my brother how he jogged and ran. I was cheery while he ran like he really struggled to win for an Olympic gold medal in marathon.

We did not stay there for long time because my brother needed to prepare himself because he is an assistant teacher in Vacation Church School of our church. We reached our home at 6: 30 in the morning. I enjoyed doing it and I will try my best to do it frequently. I am hoping that that whimsical Wednesday will be maintained in longer time. 

My Realization

Exercise is very important in having a healthy lifestyle. We should take care of ourselves and have time for our betterment. If we have a lot of time in our work, we should also allot time to work out our muscles. Our fitness activities should be incessantly and tenaciously done. So, when we grow old, we can be proud to tell to everybody and reminisce the times that once in a lifetime, we have healthy youthful days.

Also, if there is a whim running in your head, try to do it so that there will be no regret in a lifetime. We don’t know that that whim is a decision that can help you to be a better person.