You can tell you're out of shape if ...

Man, do I need to get off my duff and start exercising again?!

Drag out the old Jane Fonda tapes, or Tai Bo workouts, or maybe borrow someone's P90X dvds or whatever they're called. It's getting bad and I'm quite unpleased with my lazy self. I had big plans a few months ago, to really kick it into gear. I was just waiting for school to start back up and the 100-degree temps to skadoodle on outta here, and then I was gonna hit the ground running ... literally. Even considered buying some new comfy running shoes.

Then I went and injured myself so that put an unexpected delay in my grand exercise plans and pretty sure added another few pounds to my waistline. I've been waiting patiently to heal so I can follow through with my plans, but it's taking forever. Or at least it seems like forever.

I didn't realize I was that out of shape until I did a few things. For instance, a few weeks ago, I played some video games with my kids, the kind where you have to get up and move, not sit on your rump pushing buttons on a little controller. I stood in our living room and swung the Wii remote as hard as I could to hit a home run and had the best Wii remote backhand a fake tennis player could have to win the match. By the time I played nine holes of Wii golf and crushed the bowling alley with nonstop strikes, I was actually breathing hard and needed a bottle of water.

The next day, however, when my shoulder hurt and my muscles ached from my torso down, I couldn't believe it!

How could I be sore from playing video games?

Wow! I was so embarrassed and played it off, not telling a soul of my aches and pains, but telling myself that possibly a stationary bike would be a good thing to add to my daily to-do list, for crying out loud.

I was reminded again last weekend of my long overdue need of exercise, when I helped organize a parade entry for work. As with any event, there's almost always a hitch, and usually at the last second.

That being said, a few hiccups had me jogging three blocks back-n-forth to solve the problem. Then, following my unscheduled morning jog, I walked several blocks in the parade and several blocks back home.

That same evening I spent a few hours climbing bleacher steps and several laps around my building at work.

Whew! That was more exercise in one day than I'd done in months, and my body was quick to remind me the next morning.

As I attempted to get out of bed on Sunday, my shins screamed at me in pain, my head throbbed and my back and neck were yelling, "Dude, are you crazy?! Lay back down! We are NOT in the mood to move right now!"

My muscles had been sitting in "la la" land for so long that when I abruptly decided to use them again the day before; they didn't hesitate to let me know that they were unhappy with my decisions. I apologized but tried to explain to my less than energetic self to get over it and get used to it, cause the injury was almost back to normal and things were about to change up in here!

No busy mom my age, who can carry 70 pound laundry baskets up two flights of stairs and flip a queen mattress with ease, should get sore from playing Wii golf or get shin splints so bad they look like a camel when they walk from lightly jogging three blocks.

I'm putting the hammer down, the gear shift back in drive and giving exercise the green light! Time to go pick out some new running shoes!