Run Ning! Run!

I'm doing something dumb, which is hardly unusual. At least this time it doesn't involve power tools or the local electric-grid.

I'm making Ning run. Not through chasing her or anything, but that's not off the table. I've gotten a little concerned about her bones lately. See, she eats well, better than I do really, but her calcium +D intake might be a little low. Combine that with the fact that she's been cooped up at home with the kids for a while now, and you get a lack of stress on those bones. Bones are like muscles, they get stronger when you use them. Interesting little fact, "The dominant arm of a tennis player has 35 percent more bone than the non-dominant arm" (MSNBC). That and all the general benefits of a healthy level of activity pushed me into starting her on running.

So why is this dumb? Well, making someone exercise is something that's almost always doomed to failure. Most people who start exercising do it because they want to look better in a bikini, god knows that's why I did it. That's kind of a tricky thing though. It's like wanting a sports car. Most people are going to go buy one, but some guys with the right background are going to build one from scratch. Building a car is a long process that some people will enjoy and most people will dislike and see only as a chore. Here's the rub, you can't buy fitness. The only way to get it is to put in hours of hard and mostly painful effort.

Unless you actually enjoy exercising, then you need an extraordinary level of discipline to slog through it.

What I'm gambling on is that I can tap into something that will hook her and keep her going on her own. Competition, achievement, hell even habit can work.