As I write this post on Sunday May 24, it’s 53F/11.5 C and raining in New England. This is not the May weather I grew up with, having been born and raised in South Carolina. However, after several decades of calling the Boston area home, I know that late spring doesn’t let go of its fickle grip on northern regions without some pushback. However, it does eventually become summer, and with summer comes… yes, sweating.
We at Fit is a Feminist Issue have written about sweating. Here are a few posts to check out:
Basically, Samantha is accepting of sweating, Mia is a sort of a sweat advocate, and I sweat a lot and complain about it. Until now.
A local mental health clinic in my area put up this public service list of things that are good about sweaing. I took this in, and am working on being more sweat-positive this summer.
Sweat positivity list– memorize this before the weather really turns hot and humid.
Okay, I can see that sweat is another occasion for appreciating my body. And it signals that I’ve done something (mostly; although I can sweat copiously while not moving an inch). Yes, sweat is a sensational experience (in one sense of the word). And it keeps me cool without having to start panting all the time.
Fine, sweating is good for us. Happy now?
I will be once I find myself in proper sweating weather. Which I hope will be this week. Will post a perspiration update (or not) later…
I love the term “exercise snacks.” It sounds fun, it’s easy to remember, and it reframes movement in a way that feels less intimidating than “you need to work out more.”
I mean on the one hand, there are gruelling ultramarathons of longer and longer distances, and on the other, there are snack-sized bites of exercise.
What’s not to love? Who doesn’t love a good snack?
Two new meta-analyses just came out with some solid findings on exercise snacks, and I followed up after they floated by repeatedly on my social media newsfeed, which is heavily fitness-oriented.
Here’s what I found, including what the research actually supports and what it doesn’t.
First, what counts as an exercise snack?
We’re talking genuinely short — 2–5 minutes of movement, repeated throughout the day
Activities using large muscle groups work best: stair climbing, brisk walking, bodyweight moves such as squats
The sweet spot in the research: moving for 2–5 minutes every 30–60 minutes of sitting
So basically: get up, move, sit back down, repeat
What the research supports
Exercise snacks improved cardiorespiratory fitness in physically inactive adults — and this finding had moderate-certainty evidence behind it, which in research terms is genuinely meaningful, not a hedge
Breaking up sitting improved blood flow and caused a small but real drop in systolic blood pressure — and these effects showed up acutely, meaning during a sitting session, not just over months of training
I find this part kind of amazing: your blood vessels respond to movement pretty quickly. You’re not just banking future health credits. Something is actually happening right now, while you climb those stairs.
What the research doesn’t support (yet)
There isn’t strong evidence yet that exercise snacks improve other cardiometabolic markers like blood sugar or cholesterol. The hype sometimes gets ahead of the data on this one
Muscular endurance benefits in older adults were limited in the evidence
These studies focused on physically inactive people — if you’re already active, the cardiorespiratory gains are less likely to be dramatic for you, though the sitting-break findings apply to pretty much everyone
One nuance I think is really worth flagging
Reducing total sedentary time and avoiding long uninterrupted sitting may matter independently of whether you’re doing structured exercise snacks
In other words: taking three short walks doesn’t entirely cancel out eight hours in a chair
The duration of uninterrupted sitting itself seems to affect vascular function — these are related but genuinely separate things
I know that’s not the most cheerful finding if, like me, you have a desk job, but hey, sometimes the truth hurts
The bottom line
If you’re not currently exercising, exercise snacks are a genuinely evidence-supported place to start — especially for your cardiovascular fitness
If you sit for long stretches (hi, fellow desk workers), building in movement breaks every 30–60 minutes has real short-term benefits for your circulation, even if you’re otherwise active
Use the stairs when you can — it keeps showing up in the research as a particularly good option, and now I feel vindicated every time I take them, now that I can post knee surgeries!
And as always: I trust research that tells me what it doesn’t know, not just what it does
Rodríguez MÁ, Quintana-Cepedal M, Cheval B, et al, Effect of exercise snacks on fitness and cardiometabolic health in physically inactive individuals: systematic review and meta-analysis, British Journal of Sports Medicine 2026;60:133-141.
“Moderate certainty of evidence indicated that exercise snacks improved cardiorespiratory fitness in physically inactive adults. However, evidence for benefits on muscular endurance in older adults was limited, and the current data do not support their effectiveness for improving other cardiometabolic health markers.”
Wang, H., Chang, Y., Wang, H. et al. Acute effects of “exercise snacks” during prolonged sitting on hemodynamics and peripheral vascular function: a three-level meta-analysis. Nutr Metab (Lond) (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-026-01120-5
“Breaking up prolonged sitting with short bouts of physical activity (“exercise snacks”) acutely improves flow-mediated dilation and peripheral blood flow, and is associated with a small but statistically significant reduction in systolic blood pressure. Mean arterial pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and peripheral arterial diameter did not show consistent significant changes. Findings for shear rate and heart rate were sensitive to bias correction and should therefore be interpreted cautiously. Activity breaks involving large muscle groups (e.g., stair climbing), performed for 2–5 min every 30–60 min, may be particularly beneficial for vascular protection. Where feasible, reducing total sedentary time and avoiding prolonged uninterrupted sitting may also be important.”
In the Azores, on the volcanic island of Faial, 5 friends and I rented ebikes for what we thought would be a scenic and leisurely ride through part of the countryside.
But after a few hours, following stops for an ocean swim and a lunch, the wet and foggy weather started closing in. We had few route options and limited ebike battery life. The guy at the rental shop had warned us: use the pedal assist too much and we’d be pedalling our heavy ebikes home entirely on our own steam.
The team posing: we had cycle, rain, and swim gear all ready for this trip that day!
I am, by instinct, a middle-of-the-pack person. I’ve never been confident or experienced enough to lead a physical group adventure, though I’m not usually slow enough to need too much bringing along. Most of my athletic life has involved participating but mostly being accountable just to myself.
But after two years of riding with my local cycling club, I’d learned enough about how group rides work to provide some safety and support strategies. One person sets the direction and pace. They carry the authority and stress of being first. Another person holds the rear and watches for gaps. They make sure no one gets left behind and communicates trouble forward.
I didn’t know those roles had names until I talked to a friend who, as an avid hiker, described similar roles for groups on multi-day hikes: scouts and sweeps.
I had just happened to take a photo of the ride routes map beforehand at the rental store, and I’m glad I did because my RidewithGPS app wasn’t awesome in the Faial backcountry.
I was so eager to ride that day, I ended up at the front. It turned out that my first day as a group cycling scout was somewhat stressful: the weather was not improving and the road on those volcanic hills seemed to head ever-upwards.
A break in the hills and the fog allowed me to snap a picture of the road and town ahead.
By the time we got to the exact opposite part of the island from where we started, we had to make a choice: follow the shorter mid-island route the bike store guy had suggested…or take the longer, traffic-busy road near the water. Given the hills we had already faced, we chose the latter.
There were other experienced riders in my group, so we rotated scouts and sweeps as we made our way towards Horta. By finally hitting some downhill and conserving our energy and our bikes’!), we ended up returning to the rental shop with time and battery to spare. Our apps told us we had made speeds of over 50km and reached an elevation of 330m, a gain of nearly 1000m overall. Not bad for recreational cyclists!
Elevation and weather made this recreational ride a good challenge, even on e-bikes.
Our final ride around the island and back to Horta….the long way.
Thanks to the Scouts and the Sweeps
Since our Faial ride, I’ve been thinking about the contributions that scout and sweep roles play in group activities. Not just the formal leaders who are trained and hired to lead groups on trails and tracks, but the regular folks who volunteer their expertise to help move groups of people along together. Scouts and sweeps aren’t just coaches on the sidelines. They are part of the group too, and their labour can be invisible until you’re the one doing it (or you are the one being helped).
Me (Elan) on a scout break eating a Nutella sandwich.
This holiday group ride, which was longer and more difficult than anticipated, made me grateful to have had so many great scouts and sweeps in my life, taking care of me and the rest of the group when I didn’t even notice it. And this time out, I appreciated being able to serve my friend group in that same way.
Gyms require membership. There are rules. There are private golf clubs and such (not my cup of tea either). In this year 2026, when we are already being inundated with such gremlins as an unwelcome skinnification resurgence which creeps into otherwise healthy fitness spaces, I say no thank you to a new trend that seems to be peeking into my social feeds – boutique gyms that require you to “apply” to be accepted as a member.
Snippet from a swanky new gym’s website that says “Your first step to Membership is submitting an application”
Many years ago, I found out that I prefer smaller gyms that provide group fitness classes where the coaching is more personal, careful, friendly, and very important for me, not snobby. I don’t want to feel like I have to prove myself while I’m doing push presses. I don’t want to wonder if I am “enough” while I stabilize my hips for step ups.
Clearly, I am not the target audience, but it really bothers me that the “wellness” industry is finding more ways to lose the point of fitness. In a world where people often do not feel confident when approaching fitness for the first or tenth time, we don’t need more barriers to inclusiveness. In a time when we all could use as much strength as possible to support us as we age, we do not need to feel like we need to fit a certain profile to be accepted into the weight room. There are so many ways the current “content” culture tries to make fitness into something new that needs special instructions and private doors to walk through – with the right expert influencer to help you through the door – when it is just not necessary. It infuriates me because fitness should be accessible and welcoming to all. I was reminded of (good) information from a coach I read the other day, that actually does make sense – keep to the basics – practice “push”, “pull”, “hinge”, “squat”, “press”, “lunge”. You don’t need to be accepted by application to a secret club to do these things. I can only imagine what other crap lurks behind that secret door.
What about you dear readers? How do you feel about applying to a private gym for membership?
Nicole happy that warm running weather returned in her city.
More specifically, I said I would, “Here are some of the specific things I’d like to add to my 26 in 2026 list: Purchase a conservation area pass and visit all 11 local conservation areas plus the Luther Marsh, one per month, and a provincial park pass with the goal of visiting 6 new ones this year.”
This weekend, most other family members are off outdoor adventuring. Mallory and Gwen are backcountry canoe camping in Algonquin, Sarah is off with family in Prince Edward County, Jeff and Susan are both in Nova Scotia, and Miles, mum, and I are home sick. Blerg.
But even when you’re sick, the dogs still need walking, so we ventured out in the car to check out a new-to-us conservation area, Elora Gorge. (That’s different from the Elora Quarry where Catherine and I went swimming a couple of years ago.)
We had so much fun that on Sunday we did it again. This time we went further afield to Shade’s Mills Conservation area in nearby Cambridge. It’s more of a lakefront beach for families, less hiking. Cheddar went in the water for a bit to beat the heat, It got up to 30 degrees and we got heat alerts on our phones. That felt extra strange after the midweek frost alert.
Both days we logged more than 10k steps and enjoyed our days, talking, and hanging with the dogs.
Goal: 11 conservation areas + Luther Marsh
So far we’ve visited Rockwood, Shade’s Mills, and the Elora Gorge, and I feel like I’m getting to know the area better.
Elora Gorge Walk with Cheddar, Chase, and Miles
2. Shades’s Mills Conservation Area with Cheddar, Chase and Miles
Retirement: arrived, approaching, or not yet on the radar — wherever you are, how is it shaping your fitness life right now? We talk a lot about fitness at mid-life, but retirement reshapes the whole picture: time, income, identity, care responsibilities, and the body itself. Where are you on that journey, and how is it changing your relationship with movement and health?
Diane
I’m almost two years post-retirement, and it’s a weird fitness time for me right now. I was very active until a year ago, then scaled back on cycling after I was diagnosed with a heart murmur. I kept up my other activities and was proud to redo my lifeguard fitness testing just three weeks before surgery to repair my wonky valve.
Now, three weeks post-surgery, I’m back on my bike for short rides, walking a lot, and eagerly looking forward to getting back into the dance studio and the pool.
The best part about retirement is that I have the freedom to do daytime dance classes, or early morning swims, or go for a bike ride or a walk with friends in the middle of the day.
The worst part is that am increasingly prone to injury. Or maybe I just have the luxury of time to pay more attention to what my body is telling me when I overdo things.
Cate
I am moving to a small community with a lot more inbuilt movement — ie, my house is at the top of a steep hill. The theory was that this would shift gradually into less working but at the moment I seem to be super super busy. I am trying to remain quasi active with a modified couch to 5k (inspired by Tracy) and by making little videos for a friend who is just getting into movement. Check back in in September!
Mina
I wish retirement were on my radar!! Then I’d sleep later and have time to do proper stretching and mindful movement, instead of just early morning workouts with a rushed flavour.
Tracy
As I approach retirement (officially at the end of 2026 but on half time right now with the majority of heavy lifting behind me) I can’t believe how much more I’m “feeling my age” than I was 14 years ago when we started the blog. My fitness goals are more modest—keep running, do some resistance training, add swimming after I finish the Couch to 5K running program, and get back to yoga, which I think will be more important than ever. My objective is to stay energetic and agile for as long as possible so I can enjoy the “go” period of early retirement, travelling and taking photos. My camera gear is heavy and photography is more active than it seems.
Sam
Two years from now, if all goes to plan, I’ll be on research leave — reading, writing, travelling, and riding my bike. But right now? I’m a dean with two years left in my term, and it’s a big busy job with long days and lots of responsibility.
I plan to take leave after finishing my second term in May 2028, and then return to a life of teaching and research in the Philosophy department, with maybe some part-time consulting on the side. I’m excited about all that. Leave will be the reset when I’ll have more time for writing. After that, I’m genuinely looking forward to the flexibility of a regular faculty member’s schedule. I suspect I’ll keep outdoor adventuring, and that having more time will mean a return to some bigger fitness/distance goals.
The fitness activities I manage right now, I have to struggle to fit in — early mornings, lunch hours, the occasional weekend longer ride. I love my job and still find the work genuinely exciting, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t already imagining what it feels like to train without all the pressure and busyness. The challenge right now is finding time for all the things. The dream, two years out, is that “all the things” shifts to mean something different — that movement stops being what I fit in and becomes part of how the day is shaped.
Of course, a lot could change. Health, caregiving responsibilities, the unexpected. Any of these could rewrite the plan entirely. But all being well, I’m not ready to wind down just yet. I’m more interested in what opens up.
Catherine
I’m looking at potentially retiring in 2031; I have a sabbatical coming up fall of 2029 and have to work another year after that. I’ve been in a less active period for a while now, which I think is due to several causes: I’m being more research-active, with a couple of new projects, I’m paying more attention to teaching (a good thing) and putting in more time with and for students, my ADHD/anxiety symptoms have increased (I think), and I’m just more tired than I used to be. Of course, physical activity helps with ADHD and anxiety, but it’s the inner activation that I’m working on. How? By slowing things down, reluctantly but intentionally. Summer is here, and I’m slowing down my days. I have the luxury of picking activities like cycling, swimming, yoga, kayaking, walking– alone or with friends. I’ll be reporting on how things go. In the meantime, intentional everyday activity is helping.
My pie-in-the-sky aspirations are to get recertified in Scuba and go do volunteer environmental Scuba projects in Florida and elsewhere. Also, to get in better condition on the bike to take multi-day bike trips in the US and Canada. The Scuba course will be my 65th birthday present to myself next year. And I’m doing a 4–5 day bike trip with a friend this summer.
Nat
I’m caught up in a bit of a whirlwind just two weeks into retirement. How did I have time to do paid work?
I’m loving having time to go to the grocery store during the day. I can meal plan around what is on the reduced rack to get more bang for my grocery buck.
I continue to walk daily with Michel and Lucy.
I’m adding short yoga routines at home.
My plan is to get on my bicycle daily but I haven’t made that happen yet.
I am seeing my physiotherapist for my lower back. It’s stubbornly still achy.
I continue to get regular massages and chiropractic care.
And my garden is definitely appreciative of my time.
The biggest surprise is how many friends were just waiting for my retirement to spend more time together doing things.
I’ve been following the hantavirus outbreak with great interest and a little trepidation. Great interest because my day job– public health ethicist– means I want to see how this is being handled to think, write and teach about it; a little trepidation because, well, it’s an an outbreak of a scary virus on a large moving vessel (the MV Honius) driving around the ocean with 175 people aboard. Yeah.
There is overall good news coming out of reliable sources (e.g. the World Health Organization websites, public health substacks like Your Local Epidemiologist, which I read and trust). That news is that the case count as of May 13 was 11 cases and 3 deaths. The passengers have all disembarked, and their countries have made arrangements for their sequestration and/or surveillance during the roughly 6-week incubation period.
But I think we need to know what’s working well and what’s not in public health these days. After COVID, we learned a lot. But some lessons we still keep having to go back to, again and again.
Bad news/good news one: The bad news is that a hantavirus outbreak on a ship was not on anyone’s radar. Yale epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina said on this podcast on her substack that this scenario was not on her top-100 list of Bad Things to Happen on a Cruise Ship.
The good news is that as soon as hantavirus was confirmed in one of the sick passengers, the WHO swung into action, coordinating reporting to health authorities, sharing knowledge, helping arrange safe dockage for the ship, and contact tracing for the 34 passengers who had disembarked after the virus came aboard.
Bad news/good news two: Where was the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) in all this? Well, pretty much in the dark because
Trump fired or forced out many/most of the senior scientists who have leadership experience in infectious disease;
Trump pulled out of the WHO, so the CDC isn’t officially in the loop on their activities (the Your Local Epidemiologist folks said that US public health people were getting info from WHO friends as a favor to them);
current leadership of the CDC isn’t even requiring the American passengers from the cruise ship to quarantine at home during the 42-day incubation period. According to this article, “the CDC is currently taking a “conservative approach” that involves “encouraging” people to stay home during the monitoring period.”
But but… what about the good news? Here it is: state and local public health authorities are on the scene, and they are monitoring the passengers, communicating regularly with the communities where the affected passengers are staying, and being completely transparent about the processes they are using the manage the crisis. This happens every day, all day, for all manner of infectious diseases, including flu, pertussis, measles hepatitis, all over the world. Local public health folks deserve a yearly parade. And yes, my sister of one of those folks– she’s a public health epidemiology nurse, working hard in an understaffed agency (also thanks to Trump and RFK). If it weren’t a major privacy violation, I’d ask you all to send her a thank-you card…
Bad news/good news three: Cruise ships and viruses– man, this just keeps happening! Yes, it’s true that cruise ships seem to be floating petri dishes for nasty bugs like norovirus. E coli outbreaks happen, too. But, in this case, the MV Honius folks did everything they could to minimize health and environmental impact of their travel (other than being an energy-intensive mode of transportation): they had sanitation protocols designed to keep contaminating biomatter from leaving or entering the ship, especially as their destinations are often fragile ecosystems. It was just a very unfortunate happenstance that the only form of hantavirus with human-to-human contact showed up from two passengers who likely contracted it in Argentina. The ship authorities responded promptly and fully, cooperating with the WHO and affected countries.
Bad news/good news four: there is no treatment for hantavirus (other than supportive care), and it has a case fatality rate of 25–40%. Oh, and this variant– the Andes version– is the only known one with human-to-human contact. Okay, let’s make sure to breathe here. The good news is Andes virus outbreaks have happened before and been stopped through old-fashioned public health means of isolation and contact tracing. Also, this virus isn’t highly contagious– it’s much less contagious than COVID.
Bad news/good news five: with the CDC in a leadership and knowledge vacuum and political leadship refusing to back up or fund public health infrastructure, it’s harder than ever to get accurate and relevant and trustworthy information. Yes, that’s true. But the good news is that there are both official sites (like the WHO, international news outlets) and substacks are out there and on the job (like Your Local Epidemiologist and dozens of others by conscientious experts who care about the public’s physical health and emotional well-being when crises happen). I posted this clear and reassuring flow chart on FB that the YLE folks made. It reassured me, and I hope it will reassure you.
Flow chart assessing anyone’s risk from the hantavirus. Upshot: if you weren’t on the boat or spending a lot of time with someone who was, you’re likely totally fine.
As always, your trusty FIFI bloggers will keep you apprised of whatever comes our way. Now, go out and enjoy the lovely May day…
Cardio rehab involves a lot of walking. It started with two six-minute walks on the first day I was released from hospital, and now I’m up to nearly an hour a day.
It’s necessary, but oh so boring for someone who loves to do other activities that aren’t yet permitted. Especially with the cold, damp spring we have been having. I’m getting flashbacks to the COVID lockdown days when we all walked because that was what was available.
Image: a grumpy looking bald eagle stomps through the water for its stupid physical and mental health
I have mapped out various routes around the neighborhood and am slowly checking them off as my distances get longer: grocery store, pharmacy, church, community garden, the Pond, the cemetery (it’s huge and full of trilliums this time of year). Tonight I am seriously considering walking downtown to see a ballet, if it isn’t too rainy.
The best was going to the tulip festival with my friend Florence. It was delightful to get out of my immediate neighborhood and see something new.
Left: Florence and I get our picture taken through one of the scenic frames set up to show off the tulip beds. Right: a particularly colourful bed of red, yellow, purple and white tulips with trees and a brilliant blue sky in the background.
Finally, finals are over, and I’m doing a bushel of grading. The bulk of it is logic exams, which we now give on paper because otherwise, students would cheat using GenAI tools.
Argh. Sigh.
Speaking of logic, though, I’m reminded of one of my favorite cognitive biases: the Dunning-Kruger effect. This cognitive bias happens when we wildly overestimate our own knowledge or competence when we ourselves have very limited knowledge or abilities in some area.
I’ve used this graph when I teach this bias in class. What it lacks in technical jargon it makes up for in humor and clarity.
This graph whimsically shows beginners climbing the peak of Mount Stupid.
My favorite example of this is a result from 2019, where a poll showed that 1 in 8 British men (12%) believed that they could take a point off Serena Williams in play. By contrast, only 3% of British women polled held this belief. What explains the difference?
This article from 2025 on overconfidence in beginner sports players offers a few insights. The bad combo of overconfidence and low self-awareness alongside low competence that some beginners have results in low performance (and sometimes injuries or accidents).
But what about so-called “beginner’s mind”? Isn’t being a beginner supposed to free us from expectations and limitations? This article explains:
It’s dropping our expectations and preconceived ideas about something, and seeing things with an open mind, fresh eyes, just like a beginner. If you’ve ever learned something new, you can remember what that’s like: you’re probably confused, because you don’t know how to do whatever you’re learning, but you’re also looking at everything as if it’s brand new, perhaps with curiosity and wonder. That’s beginner’s mind.
In yoga classes, I try to maintain beginner’s mind (to go along with my beginner’s ability), even though I’ve been practicing for years. It’s just more fun for me, taking it one pose at a time, exploring what it’s like (including the difficulties and physical limitations of my own musculature and range of flexibility) to do some pose or other.
Except for hero pose. I cannot now, nor have I ever been able to do that one. Go ahead, judge me.
This post came about not just because I’m trying to distract myself from grading, by the way. I saw this YouGov poll in which Americans were asked if they thought they could beat Donald Trump in a fistfight. Turns out that more Democratic women respondents believe they could beat Trump in a fight than Republican men respondents. Here’s the data:
71% of Democrat women think they could beat Trump in a fight, compared to 46% of Republican men and 19% of Republican women.
So my question I leave you with, dear readers is: Is this Dunning-Kruger effect, some form of beginner’s mindset, or are lots of women fed up with Trump and locked and loaded for a one-on-one showdown? You make the call…
Khalee and I have been working on a walking challenge – The Great Sniffari 2026 – and I chose for us to walk 21km over the first 10 days of May.
Often when I try to take photo of Khalee, she steps out of the way. This time she kind of photobombed my photo of this fallen tree with the roots exposed and a ‘witch broom’ tangle of branches on it. Image description: a photo of Khalee, my medium-sized dog with short, light-brown hair on most of her body and white paws, tail, and face, wearing a jaunty green bandana with cartoon bugs on it. She is looking to the right in the photo and her neck is foreshortened because of the angle so she looks a little squished. Behind her is a fallen tree with the roots exposed.
The challenge seemed like it would be fairly easy at the outset – a small extra effort on top of our usual walks – but things went a bit awry and I realized last Thursday that I was going to have to do a bit of a push to finish on time.
So on Thursday we walked 2.78km, on Friday we did 2.81, Saturday was 3km which technically brought us to the end of our challenge.* (In fact, we only needed .29km on Saturday to finish.)
I say technically because I didn’t realize the settings in the app wouldn’t carry over from my other, year-long, challenge and the Sniffari was pulling Apple Health step data.
I didn’t actually want to include steps from things like walking around the house or the grocery store but because they automatically uploaded at the end of each day, I didn’t realize they were being rolled into my total and I was surprised to find out that I was finished.
Once I figured out why I had finished a day early, I calculated my actual distances and then added extra amounts to my daily walks for the next few days to match the way I wanted things to play out.
No matter the details of the challenge, on Saturday I realized something important.
These longer walks were making me feel great.
I mean, I generally enjoy going for a walk – even when I have to drag myself out for them – but this was a different kind of enjoyment.
I was starting to feel those kind of intangible benefits I get when I exercise regularly – a looser feeling in my hips, a certain ease of movement, an overall feeling of wellbeing – after only 3 days of extra effort.
That seemed kind of quick but I wasn’t about to look a gift horse in its proverbial mouth here. Instead, I decided to keep building momentum.
So, on Sunday, we walked 4.42km and, on Monday, we walked 4.08km, and it felt purposeful, straightforward, and kind of tiring – but in a good way.
And, on top of that, all of this extra movement seems to have flipped a mental switch for me and I have found myself doing a bit more yoga, a few more strength training exercises, taking a few extra trips up the stairs, and adding mobility exercises while I am doing things around the house.
So, it seems that, like the title says, moving more makes me want to move more.
And I like it!
Of course, I know that this has happened to me before – I’ve gotten into an exercise routine, started to feel the effects, been enjoying myself, and then something has gone sideways and I lost momentum or had to change gears.
So, I have told myself to keep an eye out for when that happens and in the meantime I am developing some backup plans.
I’ll let you know how it all goes, obviously. 🙂
a photo of Khalee, my medium-sized dog with short, light-brown hair on most of her body and white paws, tail, and face, standing next to a river on a bright, sunny day. She is sort of side on and she’s facing the left side of the photo. She has a harness and leash on. She’s standing on dried grass and mud, the river next to her is filled with brownish red rocks and there are trees and more dried grass and mud on the other side of the river.
