Spring time is here in New Mexico, and I know if it is not yet spring where you live, it will be soon. From my time in the military I know that spring is a time when people hurt themselves. We go out and start doing things we have not done since last fall, or maybe even before that. We remember we used to run, jump, skip, hop, lift weights once upon a time and we are suddenly in a hurry to get right back into it.

There is a small issue though. Our bodies are a number of months older, and we have not done a lot other than hang out on the couch and snack over the winter. If the young men and women in their late teens and early twenties were hurting themselves when I was in the military, and they are in better condition than most of us, what do you really think your chances of surviving your spring weather exercise plan is?

Surviving a hastily put together exercise plan is not as good as the chance of hurting yourself. I joined a gym for a year some time ago, and I had the good fortune of spending an hour with a trainer who really cared about proper training. After listening to me and what I thought I could do, he instructed me on what I should do.

I should start out slow. After all it took me many years to arrive at whatever physical state I was in, and there was no rush to get into top physical condition in the next few weeks. What surprised me the most was the amount of weight he had me start out with for my ten or so weight machine exercises. I was to start using ten pounds

I thought that was silly, after all I was used to lifting much more than ten pounds going to the pet store for cat litter and cat food. I humbled myself though, and told myself he was the expert, not me, even if I did not believe what he was telling me. Then he said, “No pain, no gain was a lie.” What!? No pain no gain is a lie? I could not believe that one, but he promised me it was true. A few months later, I had passed the average person on the weight machines, and never had as much as a sore muscle.

It was well worth it to listen to an expert and heed their advice. Unfortunately I am not that expert. But I do know from the experience of watching others hobble around with a bad leg, or sporting a half cast that starting slow and doing less than you think you can is the best method.

When spring fever hits you, and you get the urge to get out there and get back into shape, whether pounding the pavement, or swimming across the ocean, take it slow. The race goes to the surest. The fastest usually end up on the side lines, hurt. Take your time and be around to enjoy the summer rather than watching it pass you by from the porch.