Physical Exercise aka P.E (Photo credit: Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums)
Today marks the third morning in a row that I’ve gotten up at 5:30 am to do the dreaded rite of ‘exercise.’ I was pushed to this decision when I noticed my blood sugar was over 200 on Tuesday night before dinner. Of course, I gave it a leg up by scarfing down two delicious oatmeal raising cookies mid-afternoon, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. But the fact that my number was back up where it was when I was first diagnosed gave me pause, and I decided to treat my body to some form of working out.
Wednesday and Thursday I took exercise walks. It was surprising how balmy the air felt as the sun was rising over Black Mountain, and how quiet it was. I was using a new app, GPS+ Pedometer, and it allowed me to listen to music as it tracked my travels, so besides the comfortable environmental conditions I was able to hear some soothing ‘walking’ music, too. There were others out doing their walks, which made me feel part of a much bigger movement. I knew just where to turn around so that I’d have a 30-minute experience, and I felt great at the end.
Today I determined to try bicycling. I pumped up the pressure in my tires to 60 psi, plopped on my helmet, and out I went. This day I was able to do a Great Circle route, covering 2.89 miles as I meandered down Dean Martin, over on Starr Avenue, and flew down Valley View (which is downhill anyway), making my way through smaller back roads to home. While I went almost a mile further riding than I have walking, my average speed was only 8.73 mph, so I didn’t burn as many calories as I did on the walk. But once again it was a beautiful day, the breeze was warm and comforting, and this time my fellow exercisers generally acknowledged my presence in their group with a wave or some other secret movement. I wasn’t out to break a record, just to ride, and I really liked it.
My plan now includes the regular exercise followed by an hour writing. So far that writing has been this blog, and I think that’s a good thing. When I’m actually composing the work doesn’t look like much, but when it gets pictures, links, and article, not to mention categories and tags, it actually starts to look spiffy. My goal is to do this enough times that it becomes second nature. Wish me luck!
Related articles
- Using a Pedometer (goldenrule.com)
- Exercise: Not all it’s Worked Out to Be (theacupunc.com)
- Stop Just Sitting At Your Computer (allyouneedisagoodidea.typepad.com)
