The bulk of my days are spent in front of the computer — in front of my computer while at my desk, or on the floor in front of the woodstove, or on the couch. I pop up to cook, start a load of laundry, fix a snack, and check my to-do list, but in a quiet house with no little kids to chase, there’s often no reason to even stand up. So I am diligent about getting regular exercise.
Here’s how I move.
Running
A couple times a week, I run 3+ miles. It’s not a fast run, but I’m not training for a marathon or trying to best myself. My goal is to get fresh air, feel pain, and breathe hard. If I need to slow to a walk for a minute, that’s okay. I’m still moving.
Kickboxing
Twice a week, I drive to the studio at the edge of town for a 45-minute class. I’ve been doing this for nearly two years, and it’s been the activity that’s changed my body the most. (And by “change,” I mean built noticeable muscle.) Everyone says it’s important for women to commit to regular resistance training as they age, and this is how I’m tackling it. I don’t know how long I’ll do it — it’s definitely my priciest activity — but it’s a huge part of my mental and physical health, so I definitely don’t want to be without it for now.
(Wouldn’t it be awesome if insurance companies rewarded us for being proactive about our physical health by contributing to exercise costs? I know other countries do this, and it makes so much sense.)
Playing Ultimate
Every Sunday afternoon, I play pick-up Ultimate in town. Sometimes I have tons of energy and run myself ragged, and other times my heart’s not really in it. Either way, I usually get in a couple good hours of sprinting, jumping, throwing, flailing, and yelling (friendly) insults. Afterward, my feet hurt.
Walking
During Covid I started using walks as a time to hang out with friends, and ever since, Chatty Walks have been a 2-for-1 staple of my weekly exercise routine. At least once a week, I meet up with a girlfriend and we knock out 4 miles, talking a mile a minute all the while, and some weeks I with as many as three friends. Exercise and socialization all packed into a single hour? It’s the best.
Bonus: Backward Walking
Recently, I’ve started walking backwards up the long hill across from our house after I get back from my runs. I got the idea because 1) my dad does it because it uses different muscles and may aid in maintaining balance (it was a fad in Japan), and 2) my older daughter’s physical therapist told her to walk backwards to strengthen the muscles around her knee. I don’t have chronic knee problems, but stronger leg muscles aren’t a bad thing, right? Plus, walking backwards is free, it hurts in a satisfying, productive way (after two up-hill reps, my legs and thighs are jelly), and the view is nice.
***
While I pummel a bag, or skirt potholes on the dirt road or slowly plod backwards up the hill, I often find myself wondering how other people move. So tell me: do you move? What’s your motivation? What are your chosen activities? What schedules do you keep? Do you enjoy it? Fill me in!
It’ll give me something to think about next time I’m out moving.
This same time, years previous: evening will come, chicken birthday cake, red velvet cake, five fun things, how we homeschool: Sarah, berry crostata, the quotidian (3.4.19), we nailed it, classic German gingerbread.
