After going to the gym 6 to 10 times a month for 2 ½ years, I just turned in my key…”temporarily,” of course. Although I have gone only five or six times in the last 4 ½ months due to an arm and wrist injury, I have become a passionate tennis player: 32 hours in 9 days out of 11 and then 13 more hours in 5 consecutive days out of the next 8. That’s 45 hours in the last 19 days. The wrist hurts in the morning, before I start playing and for a few hours after. But I love the sport too much to stop. Hopefully there will be no permanent damage.
A friend who wrestled in college said that he just tuned out the aches, bruises and injuries. He felt no pain. Similarly, when I am playing, I usually don’t feel anything, except when I hit a ball in certain positions. Then the “ouch” is pretty major. Traumatic. I also have difficulty serving forcefully, which requires a lot of wrist motion, as well as certain high and net volley shots.
I thought this week I would take it a little easier, but then three different much stronger players called for partners (in addition to my regularly scheduled doubles games), and I was seduced easily into two different singles sessions and a super powerful doubles game yesterday morning. By the end of 4 1/2 hours of doubles yesterday, I was punchy. Seriously tired. It was close and tense. I saved five set points during one game I served. And my team lost by just 7-6 and 7-5. Most importantly, I am improving, even with the pained wrist.
One of the singles contests was with a man I’ve played occasionally for two years, but never won a set. I beat him 6-0 for the first time last week, and this week I won 6-4, lost 3-6 and then 5-7. Getting better. Can’t win more than two games a set from the other singles player, who serves the ball around 110 mph, according to a friend who has coached tennis more than 50 years.
But all that tennis and my hesitation to really strain my wrist have kept me away from the gym. I have some weights, core roller, exercise ball and other tools for muscles at home. Still find it hard to make myself use them. But maybe now that I am going to take a little break from such strenuous tennis playing, I will discover the will-power that has been missing. The tennis sure is fun, though. I love it. And I can also report that I just finished another set—not for tennis—of abs crunches. This is the fifth time this month. I am back up to 750 (250 each time with two one-minute breaks) with legs on the ball and 550 when I do 300 bicycles plus 250 on the exercise ball.
It’s all part of my evolution to build a six-pack and a flexible, fit and healthy body. What an adventure. I am really hooked on this journey and very relaxed about the detours and route changes on this path that is taking me as much as I am directing it.