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Daily Discussion: Let's Get Physical!
May. 12th, 2020 11:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tjs_whatnotI struggled for a long time about what to come here and discuss with you all today. All I’ve been feeling is a bit of regret, that as this isolation begins to wind down *fingers crossed* there are so many things I didn’t do, so many zoos and museums I didn’t virtually tour, so many Zoom Happy Hours I didn’t indulge in, so many face masks I didn’t make (I mean, I made some, but not enough, not nearly enough).
But, who wants to talk about regret?
Instead, I thought I’d start a convo about the one thing I have been doing pretty consistently: exercising--or more precisely--walking.
I grew up liking the idea of walking, of hiking, but as an asthmatic kid living in the Pacific Northwest where all hikes seemed to require a lot of mountain climbing, I wasn’t as active as I desperately wanted to be.
Then life happened. About 50 years of it, and even the idea of walking, of hiking had lost its appeal. Until about 8 months ago. It started with a tightness in my chest and a fear of cardiac arrest and a realization that I needed to change my life if I still wanted to have one. I started slow. Walking the three blocks to work (yes my commute is that short and yes, I did find excuses to drive there almost everyday), parking farther away from the door when shopping, volunteering to take my housemates’ dog on walks.
It was around Christmas, about the time I got a Fitbit as a gift, something just clicked and the love came back, this time without the asthma (and high altitude--I live on the East Coast now) stopping me.
Turns out, being quarantined can’t stop me either. Yes, I have to be creative in how I walk--I do laps around my kitchen/living room A LOT. I walk in place a lot too. I get outside as much as I can, and thankfully I live in a place that has a lot of walking trails.
So, how are you staying active? Do you feel it’s helping? Are you doing less or more? Any tips to make it fun? When we’re allowed to travel again, is there a place you’re itching to go for physical activity? Joining a gym isn’t top on my list of things I NEED to do the minute we’re allowed, but IDK, the Appalachian Trail is calling to me. And the present I was planning on giving myself to walk The El Camino Santiago de Compostela on my 50th birthday next year is still in the works. *fingers crossed*
But, who wants to talk about regret?
Instead, I thought I’d start a convo about the one thing I have been doing pretty consistently: exercising--or more precisely--walking.
I grew up liking the idea of walking, of hiking, but as an asthmatic kid living in the Pacific Northwest where all hikes seemed to require a lot of mountain climbing, I wasn’t as active as I desperately wanted to be.
Then life happened. About 50 years of it, and even the idea of walking, of hiking had lost its appeal. Until about 8 months ago. It started with a tightness in my chest and a fear of cardiac arrest and a realization that I needed to change my life if I still wanted to have one. I started slow. Walking the three blocks to work (yes my commute is that short and yes, I did find excuses to drive there almost everyday), parking farther away from the door when shopping, volunteering to take my housemates’ dog on walks.
It was around Christmas, about the time I got a Fitbit as a gift, something just clicked and the love came back, this time without the asthma (and high altitude--I live on the East Coast now) stopping me.
Turns out, being quarantined can’t stop me either. Yes, I have to be creative in how I walk--I do laps around my kitchen/living room A LOT. I walk in place a lot too. I get outside as much as I can, and thankfully I live in a place that has a lot of walking trails.
So, how are you staying active? Do you feel it’s helping? Are you doing less or more? Any tips to make it fun? When we’re allowed to travel again, is there a place you’re itching to go for physical activity? Joining a gym isn’t top on my list of things I NEED to do the minute we’re allowed, but IDK, the Appalachian Trail is calling to me. And the present I was planning on giving myself to walk The El Camino Santiago de Compostela on my 50th birthday next year is still in the works. *fingers crossed*