So Out of Shape

I had no idea how out of shape I was in until last Wednesday. With my new schedule I do a lot of walking.

I signed up for campus parking late so I didn't get space in a lot on campus. My lot is about four blocks from my classrooms, which also makes it about three blocks from my apartment. So I end up practically walking all the way to class everyday.

So why did I pay over $100 for a spot in a lot? My apartment is in a commercial district so I am only allowed to park in the same spot for two hours at a time. So buying a spot that my car can stay in all day without bother was worth it.

On last Tuesday, the first day of classes, I drove to the lot and walked to my first class. My second class is just an hour after that class so I just stayed and ate lunch on campus. But after that class I walked home and got to be there for about three hours, ate my dinner, and then started out for my night class. Well even though I also have to walk to a class on Wednesday afternoon, the muscles didn't start screaming until Thursday when I started the walk back to campus for my last class of the week. WOW. Not only were my legs getting a workout but my heart and lungs were too, especially with the cold weather. The heart was pumping and the lungs were working harder just to get me through the cold. Believe me, I was not that happy when the temperature dropped far enough for it to snow. My next step should be to get a large and reliable travel thermos for hot tea or cider.

I also noticed that even though it is winter time, I'm now getting more sun exposure than ever. Because of my walking I am getting at least a half hour of exposure on Tues, Weds, & Thurs. (Yeah, it doesn't sound like much, but figure out how much true exposure you get to the sun during the weekday, not counting the time driving in your car. Sad, right?) Well, this is definitely helping my S.A.D. quotient and I am finally getting some of that Vitamin D that is produced through sunlight. Add these two things (sun, aerobic activity) to less stress from the job, and perhaps I can also start putting back some of the weight I lost (from the above work stress) and stop my hair from falling out. The hair and weight things are my most consistent signs of when I need to move away from something that is causing me more harm than good. In the past, my body has alerted me to toxic friendships, sucky job situations, and unsuccessful relationships. I trust it.