Ever since my late teens I have done some form of exercise every day.  Usually an hour’s worth come hail, rain or shine; the only exception would by New Years Day when my head hurts too much!  Although I am one of these people that need to sit around and sip coffee, have a piece of toast and just veg out first thing in the morning with the Good Morning Television shows, before I get cracking as the artwork below shows.

Always admire the people like my husband who can get straight up and get stuck into chores whilst I sit zombie like for at least an hour.  I think if I didn’t have the exercise routine going I would still be sitting on the couch still at 3 o’clock in the afternoon!

THE ART OF AEROBICS

Anyway for most of my life it’s been aerobics that’s been my thing, in front of the telly, hopping skipping, side stepping and the like, clunking on the floorboards and driving everyone crazy as I won’t stop whilst anyone talks to me or when one of the kids shoes goes missing and we have to search or if the school excursion paper needs signing etc.

Goes without saying then that I have painted a lot of aerobic and sport paintings over the years and here is a acrylic on board one called “I must, I must improve my bust”.

These days of course the kids sort themselves out but now the 2 dogs want all the attention instead.  The minute I go down on the floor for a spot of stomach crunches they are right there ready for a cuddle and pat, climbing all over me, just like the kids did when they were little.

THE ART OF MIXING IT UP

I used to also attend aerobic lessons as well as kickboxing for a while, water aerobic, step classes, yoga and go to the gym but always seem to find it easier to just do it myself first thing in the morning and then have the rest of the day in the studio.

At the farm I would also try to do some running, although I could never get to the runners euphoric state they all talk about – getting past the pain barrier and just going for it.  It just always seemed boring and a hard slog to me, it was better to get on my treadmill and run in front of the TV without having to fight the elements which included hundreds of flies on the farm, lol.  Not a good look when they hang on for dear life and try to climb into your nose, ears and eyes at the same time.  Probably less of a good look if you actually spotted me with an old onion bag on my head!!  A real model look that one!  Here we buy onions in bulk; in a big red bag made of netting and ingenious moi, decided that was just the trick to keep the flies off.  Hubby thought it also worked very well also as a “passion killer”, lol!

THE ART OF WALKING

These days I walk everyday and my husband has joined in this endeavor (if injury allows) as we live in a very hilly area it is actually much harder than it sounds.  We have about 5 different routes that we alternate depending on weather and how we feel.  Very lucky to live by the sea so the choices are a plenty – beach walks, cliff walks, boardwalks, local parks some complete with dams and bird life and also along the streets looking at gardens and houses.

So you get the drift – I am quite fit, apart from a sore arm and neck.    The local Doctor thought I should go and see the physio, well I have been complaining about my neck and right arm for years, my painting arm!

Anyway trotted off to see the physio and was totally gobsmacked in the end – as she said I had absolutely no muscles whatsoever in my back, really my whole upper body strength was really weak!

How can someone exercise all their life, every day and be a total weakling at the end of it!

I may as well have been sitting on the couch eating chips for the last decade.

Here is a quote I think fits well here by Marsha Doble,

“I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I’m doing”.

Till next time happy painting and sculpting and exercising  to you all,

Love Marie xxx

If you enjoyed this health and art blog you may also be amused at my attempts at meditation; 97 Meditation are you serious & Art

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.

So I thought I was doing so well, feeling fit and healthy, giving the credit to my great fitness regime of daily exercise, lots of fresh vegetables, fruit and nuts and plenty of water (Got to keep the exercise up if you are an artist and sit at an easel painting all day).

I was watching all the others drop like flies giving in to the colds, flus and viruses and thinking that my immune system was second to none.  Feeling rather smug really and no doubt that’s what did me in – smugness is not a great quality and what happened was just Karma.

NOT SO PICTURE PERFECT

So here I sit in the bedroom feeling rather worse for wear, lol no not that kind of worse for wear- the sniffling spluttering kind, with a runny nose and a racking cough.  When I look in the mirror someone by the name of Rudolph springs to mind, and it’s not even Christmas.   With a husband, daughter and son who enquire by the door if I want anything before the scuttle off to the opposite part of the house just so they don’t, heaven forbid, should get whatever it is that has descended upon me.

I know it’s not the flu as every year for the last 10 years we have had our flu injections and if it was the flu (proper) I would not even be able to lift my head of the pillow.  However as this started it came with the aches and pains in the arms and legs and a general feeling of malaise.  It is enough to give you the pips really, I haven’t got time to be sick, so little time and so many things to do.

Now whatever you do if you feel a little ill do not follow in my footsteps and Google the ailment as that is guaranteed to make you feel ten times sicker than you already do.  These people on my ceramic and mosaic sculpture called Drunk as the Lord at the Oxford, will no doubt be feeling ill tomorrow although that will be self inflicted!

THE ART OF THE VIRUS

This is just a taste of what Wikipedia says about viruses; A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms.  Most viruses are too small to be seen directly with a light microscope and they can infect all types of organisms such as animals plants and even bacteria.  Viruses are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth and there are millions of different types.

Viruses are spread in many ways, by insects or coughing and sneezing or like the gastroenteritis virus which goes the faecal-oral route (Yucky!) and then there is the HIV which is spread by sexual contact.

As antibiotics have no effect on viruses it is enough to make you ponder whether Howard Hughes and Michael Jackson were on to something with the gloves!

Don’t forget to bring a miners lamp, magnifying glass and tweezers if you are contemplating some sexual contact, oh better bring the book “WHAT ANIMAL IS THAT?” too just in case you cannot identify what crawls down below, LOL.

Well it is quite obvious to me that I will have to stop this goggling of diseases as that would have to be a short cut to the Hypochondriacs Club, for sure.

As a matter of fact I think I am actually feeling a little bit better now that I have seen what a lot of terrible ailments I don’t have!

So here is a quote I like from Lisa Marie Presley;

“I’m a hypochondriac. Yesterday it was brain damage from the vodka the night before. Today, heart attack – my arm and chest started hurting at the same time.”

So until you come and visit me again, I hope you are all happy and very very well.

Happy painting and sculpting to you all.

Much Love

Marie xxx        (C)

If you enjoyed this health & art blog you may also like this one; 97 Meditation are you serious

Why not come and have a look at Marie Jonsson-Harrison’s PAINTINGS FOR SALE, GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE and SCULPTURES for sale or WALLBASED SCULPTURES.  Enjoy an original artwork on your walls or perhaps one on your bed ARTnBED.