Sedentary

I hate being lazy.

No, let me re-phrase that.  I hate being sedentary. Lazy implies a lack of productivity. I hate that, too, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.

So to fight a sedentary lifestyle – and the body shape that, for me, inevitably accompanies it - almost every day when I’m at work, without fail, I’m out at lunchtime doing the 25-minute walk around the block.

Yes, it’s a big block. 

I’ve even done it in the rain.  And in cold weather, though I have been known to shorten my walk on extremely cold days.

And the reason for this is simple: I need to move. I need to clear my head.  Desk jobs aren’t easy for me.  I’m just waiting for the day when someone asks me why I’m up and down from my desk so much. It’s not that I’m not getting work done; I just need to wiggle. 

I also make a point of exercising 3 or 4 times a week.  I do this for several reasons:

To stay sane. Yeah, I know; some may question whether I’m sane in the first place. But honestly, it’s a stress coping mechanism for me.  To quote Elle Woods from Legally Blonde, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.  Happy people don’t kill their husbands.”  I don’t have a husband, so I’ll change that last statement to “Happy people don’t kill whoever happens to be annoying them at any given time.” You have some bad news to give me? Wait until I’m a glorious, sweaty mess after a workout.  Then break it to me. Otherwise, it’s at your own peril. You have been warned.

So I can eat what I want when I want.  One of the glorious side effects of exercise is weight loss.  Or, in my case at the moment, breaking even.  I still feel guilty and overly stuffed when I’ve indulged a little too much, but it doesn’t seem to affect the bottom line overly much.  My heart, however, may say something different in a few years …

To push my limits and challenge myself.  Since I've started exercising regularly, I have tons more energy, I’m stronger and I overall just feel good.

So this past week has been quite interesting.  And rather frustrating.  If you’ve been following my blog at all this past week, you know that I’ve been somewhat under the weather.  I’ve now missed about 2 days of work and I’ve slept more than I have in quite some time.

And, of course, my exercise regimen has gone out the window.  Case in point: I went for a walk at lunch today and came home quite tired. And this after a two-hour, mid-day nap.  I’m used to running 5 km at a time, and I had a bit of a hard time walking less than that.

And that just isn’t me.  At all. 

And yet there’s a restless part of me that wants to DO.  But there’s a smarter part of me calling me to rest. 

It is encouraging to think that my body is wanting me to do something that is good for me (exercise).  But right now I need to do something else that would be even better for me (rest).