Feels So Good- Five a.m.

Feels So Good

Five a.m.

By Constance Blaize-Shorter

The alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m., and my body feels like I've been in the worst accident ever! My knees and back are aching as they begin their morning ritual by strapping me to the bed. Before I leave the bed, I kiss my husband's lower back and slide from under the covers ever so quietly. The temperature in the house is crisp, and the sun has not come up yet. I want to lay back down under the covers, but I must keep this fitness train moving. My feet hit the ground; I raise my arms over my head and begin my shoulder rolls to open my chest. As I spread my toes against the wooden floor -I say, "Thank you, God, for life, health, and strength." Then I look for my workout clothes. 

Before putting on my stretch pants, I remembered I needed to find my knee brace. I walk towards the bathroom to see if I left it by the shower. Nope. "Where is that brace?" I say out loud. "Why is this always an issue in the morning?" "Girl, you need to prepare at night." I find the knee brace under the towel in the laundry basket. I put it on my sore knee, pull up my pants, and exit my bedroom door. I cringe as the dogs start barking when they see me approaching the corner. "SHHHHH!" I emote. "Please don't wake up the rest of the house!" I have one hour to get my exercise in. Both dogs begin to track me with their heads. I pass right by their crates as if I were a Ninja. They see me, and I see them with those sad eyes and tongues wagging. I walk to the gym room without feeling guilty as I look back at them, wave, and then smile.

I start my warm-up by standing beside the spin bike, bringing my right leg up until it touches my buttocks to achieve a good hamstring stretch. I repeat on the other side. Then, a flat back extension, shoulder rolls, head and neck rotations, and left to right side bends to warm my obliques. It's now 5:07 a.m. With the remote in my hand, I turn on the TV while standing on the treadmill. I press the start button and jerk forward. My journey on the belt is now in motion. I flip through the channels to find a show that will occupy me. I select a Soap Opera from my Favorites on Hulu. I look down at the treadmill speed and increase it. Oh, oh, my Dad is opening his bedroom door. I love him, but I cannot entertain any conversation. I want to get into this soap opera while I sweat. He closes his door. I turn up the speed to 2.7 on the treadmill. Whew! These hot flashes make me feel as If I've been on this machine for 30 minutes, but clearly, it says four minutes. Ha! Goodness, this perimenopause is no joke! Whoever said that Fifty is the new 20 is probably in the post-menopause stage. 

Okay, I am 25 minutes in. Kids have not come downstairs, No Dad, No Hubby. And the dogs are still doing good. They are not barking or trying to push open the gate, looking for food.  

All right, 30 minutes in. My heart rate has increased, and I feel the sweat down my back, my face, and my upper lip is beginning to taste like salt. At this point, I want to quit because my knee is trying to give out. "Should I stop?" I asked audibly. I need to give my knee a rest before I irritate it more. I better warm them up with some leg extensions. I glance at the clock on the screen and see that I have walked for 35 minutes. So, I tapped the pause button, stepped off, and began stretching my knees. I looked at my watch because I needed to set it for two minutes while I stretched. "Oh crap!" I yell while shrinking my upper body as if that move silenced the previous noise. I did not put my Apple watch into Fitness mode! I stop my stretch mid-way, set my watch to the treadmill prompt, step on the belt, and Whoa!!! The treadmill was still moving! Did I miss the pause button? "Are you trying to kill yourself?" I said softly. 

I'm moving quickly, and I have 20 more minutes to go. I added time to my workout since my watch was not set initially. As I watch my Soap, I say in amazement, "Wow, is that Samantha? She looks older. I love the nightgown in this scene, though." 

The dogs begin to bark. I say, "Hush, Lionel Richey, and Mariah Carey (the names given to our Chiweenie and Maltipoo) - Mom is almost done." Lionel and Mariah sit down and patiently wait for me to wrap it up. 

It is now 5:50 a.m. It's time to finish my cardio and start my cool down. I feel fantastic! The soft breeze of the ceiling and floor fan is cooling me down. I reduce my speed and begin my slow walk. It is now 6:01 a.m. The kids will be up soon; I have about 15 minutes left.  My cell phone alarm goes off; I stop the treadmill this time. Giggling, I say, "Yup, make sure you are off this time. Don't want to bust my behind." I walk to the other station and roll out my yoga mat. I look in the mirror on the wall, take a deep breath, and close my eyes before I begin. Breathing out, I open my eyes to catch the sun coming up over the wooden fence in my backyard. The rays are beginning to shine bright through the window. I hear movement in the house; it's 6:05 a.m. My daughter has jumped out of bed, my son is running his bath water, and my husband's alarm is ringing. My Father's TV is now turned up, blasting his favorite Caribbean news station. 

I turn to the smooth jazz station on the TV and select my favorite cool-down tune, Feels So Good, by Chuck Mangione. I love this song anytime, anywhere. Like choreography, I begin to move when the trumpet chimes in. First is a straddle stretch on the ground, into a side stretch, then a cat stretch, and now to downward dog, roll up, and reach the heavens with my fingertips. I repeat this motion, adding subtle movements until I hear the song coming to an end. I stand up straight as if I were teaching my ballet students, placing my right hand on my abdomen and my left on my chest. I breathe in and out on three counts. I glanced at the time and took my watch off the stretch mode. It's now 6:15 a.m. 

I saw my husband standing in the doorway with a sweet smile as I turned around. "Good Morning, Baby," he says sweetly. I skip to him and hug him with some distance between us- because I'm stinky- as I enjoy the feel of his strong hands on my waist. He walks to his office down the hall, and I walk to the fridge to get a cold water bottle. I am parched! I should have been drinking this water during my workout. After about ten gulps, I return to the fitness room, spraying the machines, the yoga mat, and the room with Lysol.  

From the corner of my eye, I see my daughter dancing back and forth in the kitchen, her school clothes on and her head set firmly atop her black smiley face knit cap. Dancing is her morning ritual. As I pass by her, we wave at each other. I hear my son coming down the stairs. He approaches me with his backpack, his iPad in hand, and says, "Good morning, Mom." He puts his arms around my shoulders and hugs me. Before entering my bedroom, I see my Dad strolling towards me, towel and Ensure in hand. "Good morning, girlfriend.", he says in his cheerful voice. I say good morning back and immediately thank God, internally, for allowing him to see 79 years on this Earth. 

I close the door behind me and enter my spacious primary bathroom, purposely decorated and arranged like a spa. I am in my happy place here. I strip down, turn on both showers, and prepare for five minutes of luxury before I enter my morning grind. 

While brushing my teeth, the vanity mirror began to fog. I jumped in the shower, sat on the seat, and let the water run over my body. Although it was at a muffle, I listened to my husband talking on the phone in his office, my kids opening and closing the fridge and pantry door, and the volume increase in the fitness room as my Dad exercised. I heard the screen door open to let the dogs out. 

I could not help but smile. "I did it", I thought to myself. I got up before sunrise and accomplished self-care before tending to the rest of my family. I am proud of my commitment and content in this moment. It all felt just like my favorite tune: Feels so Good.