I feel the breath of 70 on my neck, which makes maintaining muscle tone more crucial than ever. To reach that goal, I walk, swim and have a consistent water aerobics routine.
One day, as I thought about my upcoming evening at our community pool, I realized that the joy of being in the water was gone. I worried about losing levels of fitness if I didn’t maintain and attempt to increase both my laps and my water aerobics’ repetitions. I kept mental track of every exercise—until that night.
When I stepped into the pool that night, I knew that lowering my standard to simply showing up would prevent me from dropping out.
I didn’t count repetitions. I skipped routines, knowing I could incorporate them another pool day. I realized that—if I was to continue—I needed the relaxation of being in the pool as much or more than the physical exercise.

Has lowering standards kept you from giving up?