The calendar still says February but the warm temperatures this weekend offered me hope that Spring is close to arriving in my area of the world.
I think my neighbors felt the same way because all weekend I saw them emerging from their homes of hibernation, waving hellos and walking around their yards picking up recently fallen branches and small sticks and checking out winter's damages. It was also nice to see the baby brigade out and about with strollers and young toddlers in tow. While doing my errands, everyone seemed to be energized by the warm and shining sun. Coats disappeared and even some shorts and flip flops appeared on a few righteous teenagers.
Stretching and breathing in fresh air was the order of the day and it just felt great all around. Even though I felt the tug of the next episode of "House of Cards" mentally calling me to the computer, I ignored it's mesmerizing pull and instead went for a long walk for at least a mile or two. It's definitely a good walk when I lose track of time and distance and it's also definitely amazing how a walk can reset your outlook and change your mood.
We've gotten a lot of snow this season so it's been harder to go outside and exercise but I try to remind myself that I always feel better when I get myself in gear and do some sort of exercise whether it's walking, bicycling, dancing or running. I tell myself myself that exercising offsets the bad effects of sitting in front of the computer for hours a time but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be true according to some recent news stories.
It's a fact of life that I spend a lot of time in front of the computer. Hours and hours. When I am at my full-time job five days a week, I try to periodically get up and walk around the office to squeeze in some exercise time and then I try to do the same when I am at home writing Cry Laugh Heal which is not work at all but truly a passion for me.
It's a constant battle and as I get older I can see that activity truly is the key to having and maintaining good health. I like to sometimes follow these three simple suggestions from The American Diabetes Association on how to increase physical activity in your daily routine:
--Park further away from your destination, so you have to walk more.
--At home, make several trips upstairs to building extra cardio into such things as putting away laundry or other household chores.
Good luck with your personal fitness and here is the link to the National Public Radio story that made me think differently about sitting around and vegging out:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/02/19/279460759/sit-more-and-youre-more-likely-to-be-disabled-after-age-60?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20140223&utm_source=mostemailed
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