I used to wonder why those devices that clamp on a car’s wheel so the driver can’t move it are called boots. I know now, because like those hapless vehicles, I recently spent time in a boot — an orthopedic one — which made it hard for me to move. And that made me feel like that sad car — immobile, useless and goofy-looking.

That clunky boot temporarily thwarted my ability to walk my kid to school or work out, which stunted my momentum and also made me feel sorry for myself. This made me more vulnerable to the comforting whispers of that piece of cake, which loves me even when running doesn’t.

By the time the boot came off and I could walk again, I had gained back the eight pounds I’d fought so hard to lose last fall. I’m no longer in my 20s and 30s, where I could drop five pounds in a week by skipping happy hour or running an extra mile a day if I wanted to look cute for a weekend in South Beach. I’m in my early 50s, in menopause, and every pound is a struggle. At this age I’m more concerned about Type 1 diabetes and blood pressure than bikinis. It’s rough. But I have to do it anyway.

“There are things happening to your body,” said Mary Lewis, a certified personal trainer and senior conditioning specialist. ”Your estrogen level has plummeted, and you’re not getting any more testosterone. Suddenly you have hair where you don’t want to have it. And your hourglass figure is turning into a shot glass. It feels a little disrespectful.”

It really does. But with all that stacked against me, it means I gotta get back up and do something. Not long ago, I interviewed local physical therapist Dr. Dan Chapman, who disputed the common misconception that the aches and hurts that happen with age are inevitable. He suggested that people start building their muscle strength as early in life as possible so when the physical decline does happen, there’s more already built-up to lose.

Lewis, who has a background in public health and nutrition, agreed, and cautioned that women “in our younger lives don’t think too much about weight-bearing exercises, but we should. And if you were not eating a pretty healthy diet in your younger years, by time you reach perimenopause or menopause, it can come back to bite you in the butt.”

The lack of activity, combined “with the decline in female hormones and a lack of muscle tone, can make it very easy for our bodies to want to hold onto fat,” Lewis added, which explains my quick weight gain. The cookies didn’t help, or course. But neither does beating yourself up, she said.

Sometimes, whether you work out as you age isn’t just about your physical ability. “The responsibilities associated with getting older take you away from where you were when you had a lot more free time,” said Patrick Furlow of Fells Point gym XPF (Extreme Personal Fitness), who I used to work out with. “When you’re younger, you have dispensable time, energy and money.”

The lack of energy certainly thwarted me during my boot period, but also on days when I’ve worked all day, or had too many obligations running around with my child and family. Sometimes you just don’t want to do it. “You’re going to sometimes lose that level of enthusiasm,” Furlow said. “It’s going to have to take a higher level or mental fortitude.”

Word. Every time I’ve had a disruption in my working out, my body seems super mad at me when I start back up, like, “I thought we weren’t doing that anymore.” Still, Furlow said, you gotta force yourself to do it. Remember all those diabetes and blood pressure concerns? “If you’re off and on,” he said, “it’s harder to get into a rhythm.”

So the key is to start moving, and keep moving, no matter what that movement is. Lewis, who has a large clientele of people over the age of 80, stands by yoga chair exercises. I tried those during my boot stage, but quickly got bored. “We’re not here for excuses,” Lewis said. “Your body is meant to move. I have worked out clients who are bed-bound.”

Lewis also suggests “getting in your workouts where they fit in. The supermarket is a great way to get in a mile. You can zig-zag your way around the outer area of the market, where the healthiest food is, and when you’re constantly moving you can be done in about 20 minutes. People might look at you like, ‘What the hell?’ But at the end, you’ve done a mile.”

The food in that market is the other part of it. “You can’t outrun a bad diet,” said Lewis, who recommends “more fresh fruits and veggies in your life,” and paying attention to your calcium and fiber needs. Which doesn’t mean that you don’t sometimes indulge.

“Every once in a while, eat that piece of cake,” Lewis said.

Oh, I will. But I’m going to walk around the block first in my brand-new running shoes. It’s nice to wear real shoes that my toes aren’t hanging out of, and I’m not going to take that for granted.

leslie.streeter@thebaltimorebanner.com