Life was about doing what was expected of me as a child. However, in the area of “Phys Ed” – athletics – I was never able to perform. My gym teacher notably rolled her eyes at my inept efforts to learn backward rolls and other contortions in class. I passed mainly because I was able to ace the written tests.
No one pushed for me to become physically active, but my family applauded my academic prowess. So, I concentrated on succeeding academically and I did well. But, physically, I was out of shape.
When I started college, gym class was required. I dreaded it, but found activities that I could tolerate to meet the requirements. Tennis, fencing, and gymnastics were my choices. I was mediocre at all, but found an encouraging gymnastics teacher who said, “I don’t care what you do during class as long as you keep active the whole time.”
I took her at her word as I remember spending an entire gym class jumping rope. Extremely exhausted, but determined, I spent every minute of the class jumping and felt some satisfaction. The empowering gym teacher also managed to teach me how to do a cartwheel. Wow – meexecuting a cartwheel, something I never thought of myself as accomplishing!
Walking, a precious gift…
Years later when I finally had a son, I did not realize how important that cartwheel and the activity I could do would be. My son was born with mild cerebral palsy. The implications of his cerebral palsy were that he would not walk unassisted until he was four years old.
As he grew, I found myself encouraging him to do the simple things – turn over, crawl, and walk – that other parents take for granted. Every accomplishment was something to cheer. He worked so hard to make his uncooperative body respond. I was so proud of him. When he finally could walk with no canes, or walkers, I was so happy for him, since that meant he could live a more fulfilled life.
But, what about me? I was joyful with my son as he was a happy child who learned well and spoke early. He was funny, bright, and rewarding to parent. However, I was not getting a lot of exercise – other than carrying him around when he was little. Working took up my other time and just getting the food on the table and the ordinary tasks done consumed our days. (My husband and I had divorced, so I was a single parent.)
My son and I did take vacations, exploring the world within a one-day drive of our home. And, on one of those trips, I found myself doing a cartwheel on the grassy lawns surrounding the Concord, Massachusetts’s historical sites where which heralded the beginning of the Revolutionary War. My son was gleeful and delighted at my antics, which had been intended to cheer him up and make him think of something other than his walking.
Life comes into focus
Years later, I met my future husband. One of the first things he suggested after we married was that we go hiking. My reaction was akin to those who are warding off evil spirits who put their fingers up as a protective measure. “Hiking? You’re kidding!”
No, he was not kidding, but he was very wise. He took me shopping for hiking boots and other accoutrements. Then, I just had to use the equipment we bought. I can’t say that I initially loved hiking. It grew on me gradually. Eventually, I found myself looking forward to our hiking excursions. Flat trails were becoming boring and I started thinking about places to go hiking. I was hooked!
Helping others
Eventually, I found myself writing a book to help others become more active using my experience to motivate them. With a touch of humor and practical tips, I have consistently found that people laugh when I tell them the book title – Hiking for the Couch Potato: A Guide for the Exercise-Challenged. Since laughter is a good way to start a new project, I’m glad that people can laugh and enjoy my story to empower themselves to become more active.
Late last year, I met a nutritionist who asked me to write a children’s version of Hiking for the Couch Potato. She implored me to write the book since children are getting so much less exercise and obesity is rampant. Schools have cut back on physical education to meet budgets; kids are being ferried around to school, lessons, and other activities. They also spend hours that kids used to be outdoors actively playing, now stuck in front of computers and TVs playing video games.
As a result, Hiking for the Couch Potato Kid: Birds, Bugs, Butterflies and Other Beasties was born. My idea was that if kids got excited about the creatures outside, they would get outdoors and become active. I love working with kids, so I started doing workshops to introduce children to the outdoors in a fun, new way. They get very excited!
My path is still evolving, but I’m on a mission that is totally counterintuitive to my early upbringing. I am active in some way almost every day – hiking, walking, working out at the gym, yoga, pilates, etc. My body misses it when I am not active and I am motivated on even the dreariest and busiest days to exercise, even if it is going up flights of stairs instead of the elevator. The results have been unexpected – and terrific. I’ve increased my bone density, something that makes me so glad with a family history of osteoporosis. I feel better and I’m fitting into size 10s, probably for the first time since I was ten.
So I keep spreading the word because I want this sense of elation and achievement for everyone. This all seems so unlikely, given my childhood and early adult years. That’s what makes it especially fulfilling!
originally posted 9/2012
“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” Mahatma Gandhi
Shelley Gillespie – Bio
Shelley Gillespie overcame a sedentary lifestyle by becoming an avid hiker and outdoor explorer. Her career has included marketing for non-profits and corporations, training for adults, as well as an unexpected migration to journalism in Arizona that has netted her an Arizona Newspapers Association award. She currently writes for two Arizona newspapers, the Arizona Republic and The Communicator.
Shelley holds an MS in Educational Administration, a BA in English and has taught people of all ages, from small children up to adults. Her book, Hiking for the Couch Potato: A Guide for the Exercise-Challenged, is a humorous resource for adults who would like to become more active. She is also the author of Hiking for the Couch Potato Kid: Birds, Bugs, Butterflies and Other Beasties, a children’s book she was encouraged (begged really) by a nutritionist to write.
Since writing the books, Shelley and her Couch Potato alter ego have partnered with schools, who have faced such deep cuts in their budgets that physical education classes have been severely restricted, and other organizations to provide interactive workshops to encourage more physical activity for children.
Whether it’s hiking, exploring new places, cooking, networking, photography, or just enjoying scenery, Shelley keeps active. She especially finds ways to help others, via her journalism and her Couch Potato books and programs.
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