#exercise poems on Hello Poetry

Lydia Oct 2017

Autumn hit us like a truck
Our 90 degree race was promptly followed by days of 40 degree practice
Our elbows chaffing against our shirts, nevertheless grateful for the rest,
The shelter from the humidity
I don't think I was actually breathing as I crossed the threshold of the second lap of our three mile loop
In some odd twist of fate, I'll be running in the varsity semifinals next week
As my lungs tried to tear themselves from my chest, I tried to remind myself that this wasn't my first run
I've had six months of slamming my heels into the ground, just like every other ******* this trail
I heave every time someone passes me
I think, "Just one more deep breath and I will cross that line,"
I think that my height is betraying me and my joints are grinding to a painful halt
I think that I am still moving.

The first and probably only time I will write about cross country.

I am looking to publish and/or perform. I don't know how or where or what that would look like so if you have any ideas, connections, or would like to collaborate, please contact me.

Please comment :)

#run #running #sport #exercise #encouragement

Belle Aug 2017

An Anorexic's Perfect Day

Ideally,
9am
I would wake up and weigh myself.
Hopefully have gone down a pound.
I would have a 16oz cup of mint tea, maybe green to boost my metabolic rate.
No sugar, of course.
Maybe a handful of grapes, 60.
10a
Breathe in the morning air and stretch, feel my ribs, my hip bones, my chest and collar bones.
10:30a
Put on my workout clothes and go for a morning run.
1,
2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7 miles.
11:15a
Drink a big cup of water.
Take a cold shower, it burns calories quicker.
11:45a
Have lunch.
Lettuce, 5
Tomatoes, 22
Cucumber, 8
Dressing, 120
Cut that in half. 60.
95 calories.
12:30p
Go out with my friends.
They tell me I have a perfect figure and should try on clothes with them.
"No, I don't really want to buy anything. I will just watch you guys try things on."
I start to become anxious because it's almost time for my afternoon workout.
3:15p
I throw my items onto my floor and jump into my workout clothes.
I run in the scorching heat, feeling like my lungs are going to collapse, panting and wheezing.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 miles.
5p
Dinner.
Minestrone soup, 90
5:30p
Do some yoga stretching while watching some TV.
Drink diet coke and munch on sugar cubes.
8p
Final run of the day.
I must put on reflective gear because this is my longest run of the day and I will be out running late.
Okay. I got this. My legs feel weak and I am exhausted but I can do this. Slow pace. You got this.
1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6
7, 8 miles
I collapse on my front lawn.
Panting, nearly feeling dead. But I did it.
Can't wait to do it all again tomorrow.

#eatingdisorder #perfectday #anorexia #exerciseaddiction #running #exercise #starving

Naomi Hurley Jul 2017

Parched Skin

Parched skin becomes moist
With dew drops dripping down the back of my neck
And beneath my *******

My face deepens like a ripe peach
As flesh disappears
Skin dissolves into

Nothing.

A cool exterior warms
And my body is tingling, trembling,
Buzzing like a thousand fire ants
Swarming around my thighs
My arms
My core

Encapsulated in sweat,
This shell is a temple
One that thrives on progress

I am *****

I am filthy

I am strong.

Workin' on my fitness.

#workout #sweat #fitness #exercise #body #progress #weightloss #strong #skin #run

Lainey May 2017

Dashed

I was moving at a cracking pace
I was wearing lycra too
I had monitors on arm and wrist
( telling me what to do)
You lurked around the corner
With your tantalising smell
Oh Waffle House, why did you send my health kick straight to hell?

#silly #willpowerzero #exercise

Scott F Hemingway Apr 2017

A Yellow Parallel

An Armada to hasty waters in Korea
now exactly a parallel in fact
and his force there scurry remnant
upon a Vinson cry in Japanese
when stalemate solution unheeded
and his excellency in vapor again
only plea such his correction
when Xi in China lifts hIs new beginning.

#military #exercise #frost #far #east

Lydia Apr 2017

"It's all in your head..."

But it's not.
Most of it is in my muscles that refuse to move anymore
Deadweight, simple pain pulling like gravity is its mother
Some of it is in my burning lungs that don't understand how much I want to keep going
I don't want to die here
I don't want them to find my collapsed body with a stopwatch marking a nine minute mile
Some of it is in my broken sneakers and ripped clothes because this isn't my first show
I've been here before
I fully understand the heavyheartedness of sweat stains that scream longevity and socks that I might as well throw away
But I will see that gym tomorrow
My body will burn and burn and I will burn with it
But there's a fireproof lining around my head
Of course it's not all in my head
My head is the one thing keeping my feet hitting the ground every beat of the music
Or picking up the weights at 6 am

Just a little exercise motivation. Please comment :)

#motivation #exercise #fitness

Samantha Rose Schaefer Mar 2017

Demons

The thing I've learned about demons inside
that you can't seem to ward off,

is that you shouldn't waste any more time
trying to fight them
or banish them.

They are quite stubborn and ruthless.
Instead, you should be aware that they exist,
and learn to accept them as a part of you.

Give them a small corner in your mind to live in,
know where they sit, but ignore them.
Let them sit alone in their dark room.

Eventually, they go pretty silent out of bordem.
Other times, they break through...
& when they start to come out, just yell:

"Go back to your room!"

This usually works for me. :)
Other times, I just exercise or write.

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DISCLAIMER: this does not mean ignore all your negative thoughts and bottle them up. Self-growth is one of the most powerful and enjoyable things in life; it's also very stressful. But sometimes there are things about ourselves we just have to accept. I have to accept that I have an addictive personality and that I sometimes make too many assumptions with my wild imagination. Whenever I get the urge to overuse, I say no, or I go hoop. Whenever I create scenarios in my head, I say nope, it's not true until I see it.

#self #depression #anxiety #thoughts #demons #change #growth #exercise