Daily affirmations of a word mercenary
The most dangerous aspect of my lifestyle isn’t my driving (although I should probably slow down), and it isn’t my diet (although I should eat way less of all that healthy food), and it isn’t any sort of intoxication (I rarely drink and my party days are mostly behind me). It’s my sedentary lifestyle. I am an object at rest most of the time. It’s not healthy.
I’ve been trying to find ways to integrate more activity into my lifestyle. Not as in joining a gym — I’ve done that and it’s just not fun. It’s something I have to make time for, and when I get busy it’s the first thing to be sacrificed.
As mentioned before, I’ve been waking up and doing some yoga five days a week. Usually I get in 10 minutes or so of Ashtanga-like practice, but sometimes it’s 20 minutes and sometimes it’s only 5. But I do it every workday morning and that’s a good practice.
I’ve also been taking the stairs at work every day for the last couple months. I work on the 21st floor, so it’s definitely a haul and a half although when I timed my ascent it was actually only about six minutes of climbing. Still, every day for six minutes my heart pumps hard and I think to myself, “Ah, yes: I’m still alive. Everything still works.”
The added side bonus of taking the stairs is that when Dre and I went hiking this weekend (climbing about 2000 feet over the course of 3 miles), I was totally fine. It’s almost like I’d been, well, training. How remarkable!
Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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ROB
August 31st, 2005 at 8:23 pm
hello?!
What about HOOPING? It’s great exercise and you can’t do it sitting down. Don’t underestimate the hoop!
Ariel
August 31st, 2005 at 10:39 pm
Law of diminishing returns, I’m afraid. Gotta diversify!