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Monday, December 17, 2007

Inertia, Indeed


in·er·tia /ɪnˈɜrʃə, ɪˈnɜr-/ [in-ur-shuh, i-nur-]
–noun
1.inertness, esp. with regard to effort, motion, action, and the like; inactivity; sluggishness.
2.Physics.

a.the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force.
b.an analogous property of a force: electric inertia.

—Related forms
in·er·tial, adjective
—Synonyms 1. torpor, inaction, laziness

I've discovered something about this noun, particularly definition 2.a. The body at rest retains its state of rest so long as it is not acted on by an external force. Sitting for a while, catching up on blogs, and checking on emails resulted in torture as I stood to refill my cup with the makings of a cranberry-pomegranate spritzer. My feet curled, my muscles froze and my back made a crunching noise. I thought that I had overdone it, and my foray into fitness had ended.

Then I took a killer step class at the Y. Step interval, taught by Judi the infamous trainer, involves cardio and strength interval training. Usually this means uptempo choreography segments followed by endless lunges or squats. I never bounced higher or squatted lower. The feet, legs, and back felt great all the way through the class. This reinforces definition 2.a. again. Matter is retaining its state of velocity.

So the trick to feeling good after overdoing it is to do it some more. What a vicious cycle I have begun.

3 comments:

DiaBelo said...

I've always liked the lesser known definition of inertia - the tendency of a body to maintain whatever state it's in, even velocity. On a side note, whatever drug you're taking - can I have some?

MJ said...

She's like this all the time but she has been known to drink a quad espresso.

JSG, I agree that more of what caused you to ache cures what's achin' you. I think alcoholics operate under the same premise but exercise is healthier.

LJ said...

Hair of the dog that bit you