Yesterday, it was cold, but crisply so, and the sun was warm as I went about my outer-office errands. Going from my building to the main building requires a brisk (outside) walk of some five or so minutes, so a round trip, if not delayed, takes about ten. As I left my office, I noticed that I automatically began pacing myself appropriately, and was mindful of my abdominal breathing as I walked (in for four steps, out for two). That alone was cool, but it occurred to me after I dropped off my paperwork and was headed back, that I could just keep walking. So I took the long way home, so to speak, and made a couple of laps around the lower floor of the hospital. Now...I don't feel guilty about this one bit, because I rarely take lunches or breaks away from my desk, and yesterday was no exception. (This, by the way, is going to stop. It's time I started taking some much-deserved 'me' time.) All in all, I walked a total of 25 minutes, which I was very pleased about. Considering that I had planned on walking an hour last night after work, I looked at it as a nice little bonus to add to my log.
Before I left home, however, Keith called me with some sobering news. Our dog Luggie had been inadvertently locked inside the house all day, and the guys weren't going to be able to get home in enough time to let him out...and we were all sure he'd be busting at the seams. For most dogs, this wouldn't be an issue...but Luggie isn't used to that, and although he never 'goes' in the house, we were afraid to push the envelope.
All of this meant that I had to abort my plan to go to the mall, and head straight home. I tried to roll with the punches on this, because it IS life, after all, and things like this are bound to happen. It's how you handle this stuff that defines you. Now, the OLD me would have used this as an opportune cop-out to bypass my workout altogether. But right now, I happen to have a perfect streak going, and I don't want a black mark to smudge it all...so I decided to take Lug with me to the elementary school down the road (it has a small track behind it) to get my walk in, after all.Now...herein lies the problem. For all that she's insulated like a top-of-the-line sub-zero Igloo cooler, Crackerjill was not built for cold weather. There's a reason why I've been choosing to mall-walk right now....it's WARM. My entire body aches, right down to the bone, when I have to stay outside for any length of time. But I figured I'd be moving, so even if I started out cold, I'd probably be sweating by the time I hit my stride good.
So...chipping ice, I started off, Luggie in tow (or should I say that the other way around...he thinks he's a sled dog, I swear!). But by this time, the sun had set, and it was getting dark....and the temperature was dropping by the minute. Even bundled in my hoodie with my gloves on, I was completely numb, and my nose was running like a faucet. After 20 minutes, I threw in the towel and went home, disgusted.
But by the time I got home and thawed out, I started to think...even though my time had not been done all in one walk, that didn't mean that I hadn't completed a good workout. Thanks to my taking advantage of the golden opportunity I was presented yesterday morning, I had put in a good 45 minute walk...more than respectable, considering my circumstances....and far better than throwing in the towel.
My lesson for the day? Learning to look for more opportunities to 'bank' my workouts....just in case something unexpected comes up. Walks don't have to be done in chunks...as long as I can put at least 20 minutes behind it, it counts! And three of those a day equals an hour. That adds up. I'm thankful that I acted on my instincts, even though I didn't realize it at the time, because it helped me keep my streak going. And believe me....I'll be looking for more opportunities just like that one....every single day.
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