This is another one of those “personal posts” so if you were hoping for weird bleeps and bloops or some electronic madness, this isn’t it.
The pandemic was rough on us in many ways. Things got rough for me back in 2019 with an unexpected career change which led to a new position that didn’t fit and then leaving that and finding new things. Back in 2019 Dana and I were going to the gym when we could (she’d go once or twice a week, I’d go… maybe once a week at most.) I was trying to at least walk a bit more each day, and for Christmas in 2019 Dana got me a Fitbit. Oh, back in fall of 2019 I had an injury, nothing major, just an arm thing, and back in the spring of 2019 I did some physical therapy for foot pain I was experiencing. So basically in 2019 I sort of felt like I was falling apart. Age does that to you. I decided near the end of 2019 that I would spend less time at work (I routinely put in 45 to 50 hours) and try to get fit in 2020. The pandemic blew that shit right out of the water.
2020 was a lot of working from home, and working three jobs just to get by. Besides being taxed mentally, I ended up gaining a bunch of weight since I didn’t have a job that was physically active anymore, and I didn’t go places or do things. I just sort of accepted it for most of 2020 and 2021. I didn’t really go out in public or produce events, and then when I finally did an event in 2021 I had a blast. It was great seeing old friends (outdoors) and a friend of mine said he was spending tons of time out in nature, hiking, biking, etc. since it was better than hanging out with people indoors. Somehow that stuck in my mind..
Oh, at the event a friend took a photo of me, and I ended up seeing it online a few days later because they tagged me. I looked at it and said “That’s not me, that’s someone else.” Then I looked… and it was me. Shit, I really had gained a lot more weight that I realized. I also thought back to another friend I saw in July. He mentioned how he had a scare with diabetes and had to change his diet to start eating healthier, and he was doing much better. At the time I said “Well, I’ve been pretty lucky as far as good health is concerned.” And, I had been, but luck can run out, and I finally decided I had to do something.
Now, I really do not like exercise classes, and I don’t really like going to the gym that much. Since I had a Fitbit Dana and I often compared our steps each day, and she almost always got way more than me. I decided I could probably walk more. So I did. Usually I’d be up at 7am, feed the cats, have breakfast, then get ready for my work and maybe even go in a bit early. I started by just doing that, but altering my routine to walk around the block a few times before I headed in to work. I didn’t really feel like “exercise” just doing some walking. After a week of that I started just getting up, having breakfast and then getting right outside to start walking. Then I come home with enough time to get ready for work and still get there by 9am. Holy shit, I exercise in the morning before work. I’ve heard of people doing it, but I never imagined I would. Now, I still have zero interest in getting up early, driving to the gym, working out, showering, then going right to work. That is not for me. I like this walking though.
I started at the tail end of September, and it was still a little warm outside. Even mid-October is a bit warm some days. I hate the heat. Hate it! I don’t mind the cold. We’ll see how this walking stuff goes once the weather gets too warm next year, but for now… This weather is perfect. (And I love winter, so I see no issue there, and I was occasionally doing morning winter walks after snowblowing back in January.)
So now I am walking man. I’m the Milverine of Enderis Park. I’m the Aaron Cometbus of Lenox Heights. All kidding aside, I do remember when we were young (well, me and Aaron and my friends, not me and Milverine) and we would just walk everywhere all the time. Walking is pretty damn easy, and a great place to start. Right now I walk about 5 or 6 miles per day, which is about 12,000 steps. Some days it’s more, and some it’s less. This is the thing I do now, so… cool.
