Getting Old, Physically. Impetus for getting off my ass.

I hit 45 years old earlier this month. Mentally, am I 45? No. Probably closer to 9 or 10. Tops. 

The realization that I am not what I once was has left me a little perplexed and motivated.  I used to surf and swim a lot. Then I moved to Iowa. I mountain bike or ride when time with my family allows. I am working to get them more interested in biking on trails and eventually singletrack. Over the last year, I probably put on 750 miles on my surly krampus. 

My 5 year old boy, Leo, is into it. Still working on Charlie (10 years old) and Emma (13 years old). My wife likes the exercise aspect of biking but I am not sure I am comfortable getting her on singletrack due to her bike handling skills. I am probably the worse instructor she could have and teaching a spouse something like that, can really be stressful for both parties.  Anyways, I digress. Back to the topic

I have not been diligent on the exercise front, since Leo was born. When asked to play indoor soccer, I was a little lot leary. 

2 reasons really: I suck at soccer. No footwork at ALL among many other issues. 2ndly, no conditioning. It is a bunch of awesome people between early 20s and late 50s, and they are patient with me, give me "pro-tips". I play hard and at one time I was kind of athletic. 

So I played yesterday. 1st time in 3 weeks. Things started off okay. We played 5 on 5, with one sub to share. I got a goal and felt pretty mobile. Then I felt a minor cramp-like pain in my lower left calf area. I got some snow/ice and tried to massage it out. No dice. Not a cramp. I got back into the game and had a very similar pain in my upper  right calf. I got another break and iced them down. They never really subsided. Nope. I went back in and tried to stay central up top and not be a defensive liability. I could hardly move. Every now and then I would have a burst and get after it. I really enjoyed playing semi competitive, even if the others were just messing around.  

I have played a handful of times and really enjoyed every time, despite physical setbacks. It has made me want to get in some sort of shape, and I think I can do it just cutting back on snacky crap, portion control, getting forms of exercise I enjoy, and finding that elusive internal motivation. I polish this off as a I have a New Glarus Scream IPA. HMM.