A Playful List

    I have never cared much for movement.  Thinking back, I can recall a time when thinking about movement, or watching other people move left me a bit queasy. At the time, I thought it may be due to Jane Fonda/Richard Simmons overload. Now I know it was fear.  I was afraid I might drop dead if I exercised. I was a heavy smoker. I was a nurse and knew that smokers get heart disease. In my twenties I had a lot of anxiety about being a smoker. I developed an irregular heartbeat which I now know was probably due to anxiety over the possibility of developing an irregular heartbeat. I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse in my 20s and was convinced the end was near. I felt it important not to move. I was literally paralyzed for at least two decades by this irrational fear. Later I realized the cardiologist had not lied when he said "it's not going to kill you". Now that I'm in my fifties, it's pretty evident that premature death due to MVP is not my fate. In fact, had my anxiety been under control, I might never have been diagnosed with MVP because I would have been asymptomatic which is  frequently the case with MVP. It was a poor excuse then and it's a non-excuse now.
    I have toyed with exercise over the years.  I have gone through periods of exercising; walking on the treadmill,exercise videos, going to a gym. I have lost a lot of weight and re-gained it when I got bored. I have purchased a lot of exercise equipment not realizing I already owned the most useful equipment-my body! I have found that dancing, alone in my bedroom with my Ipod cranked up high (I know, I know) burns a tremendous amount of calories. Mixing in a few light weights while I dance burns even  more.
   Most people call their exercise music lists "Playlists". I like to call mine a "Playful List". I call it that because "Playlist" sounds very rigid to me. I am moving away from rigid; away from paralysis. I chose the songs on my Playful List for a variety of reasons. Some remind me of a time in my life of which I have fond memories. Others have a good beat. A few  are just fun. And I like Johnny Cougar. I don't play them in any particular order; shuffle is my exercise buddy.They have a variety of rhythms but I somehow manage to keep my heart rate up (Yikes!) throughout by adding in some weights and using my arms. Someone asked if I am doing "Zumba". I'm not. I'm doing "Ellen" with a little Napoleon Dynamite mixed in.  So here it is, my Playful List:
 Katy Perry  "Firework"         
John Mellencamp  "Cherry Bomb" "Small Town" "R.O.C.K. in the USA" "Key West Intermezzo" "Authority Song"  "I Need a Lover"
The Knack  "My Sharona"
Rolling Stones  "Jumpin Jack Flash"  "Honky Tonk Women"
Bruce Springsteen  "Glory Days"  "Dancing in the Dark"
Nelly  "Hot in Here"
Elton John  "Crocodile Rock"
Michael Jackson  "Beat It"
Jimmy Buffet "Brown Eyed Girl" "Margaritaville"
Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling"
 Janet Jackson "What Have You Done for Me Lately?"

Obviously my Playful List is not for everyone. I'm sure it will change over time. This is what  I need to help me like moving right now. And I am liking it, to the tune of 19 pounds down. Soon to be at my goal of 20 pounds!