Gasp, gasp, puff puff
Oh man am I out of shape! Just walking up a few flights of stairs has me breathing hard. And I just walked, I didn't run!When did we, as a nation, get so out of shape? My guess is that it started about the same time companies started extending the hours employees were required to work, and shortened the lunch break at the same time. The era of 9-5 with an hour for lunch is laughable today. We are lucky to get 9-5:30 with a half-hour, and that is when you are lucky. All those countless hours sitting still in front of a computer with no reason or even means to move can have a tremendous negative impact on the body.
And it hasn't been all that long a time period in which it happened. I remember my first editor telling me about when he got his start in newspapers, how people would show up around 10 or 11, usually hung over, go for several-hour-long lunches, then head home or out to the bars around 5 or 6. How they managed to get anything done, I'll never know. But while that was the people who were drinking, think about those who took that time to get out and take a walk, or go to the gym? No wonder we, as a nation in general, were in better shape 20 years ago.
Sure, there are some people today who get up at ungodly hours to go work out, or who somehow find the time after work to set aside an hour or more for exercise. More power to them, and I wish I knew how they did it.
So, despite my belief that the only reason we have mornings at all is to prevent the night and afternoon from bumping into each other, I have started sacrificing a few minutes of precious sleep every morning to get in a little exercise. Right now I only do about 10 minutes worth, maybe a little less. But I am hoping that doing it 5 times a week will help, at least in part, to counteract the sitting-at-desk syndrome. Over time my goal is to add more time and more intensive exercises to the mix, but I am going to do it in baby steps. And try to take the stairs more often....
I hate that out-of-breath feeling, especially when you know you really shouldn't be. I don't know how long I will keep this up, but hopefully actually posting it here will shame me into continuing. Feel free to heckle me about it should you discover I have slacked off.
posted by Toni @ 4:41 PM
Comments: 2
