Be honest. Are you working out as much as you should? Unless you work on a farm or a construction site, your life is modern-day America is probably pretty sedentary. How many hours each day do you spend sitting in the car, or in front of the computer, or (yikes!) in front of the television? Maybe your New Year's resolution was to move more.
Lately, I'm getting 2-3 hours of focused workout in everyday. It probably sounds a bit extreme, but I've had a lot of anxiety and diving into exercise is better than devolving into panic attacks. If you ever lay in bed with your mind racing, unable to sleep because of thoughts that stalk you, or toss and turn waking up every few hours with those same dark wings hovering overhead, then you can relate to the anxiety problem.
Intense and prolonged exercise sessions never fail to beat back the dark monsters. Yesterday, for example, I hiked the hills for almost two hours and spend another hour and a half on the stationary bike. After dinner, my body craved more movement. I planned to jump back on the bike, but Wonder Girl roped me into a game. The next thing I knew, we'd danced for almost 2 hours.
We danced and sang to the soundtracks from DreamGirls and O Brother Where Art Thou?. We took it mellow with a little Bob Marley, then cranked it back up with some salsa and merengue. I tried to teach her to dance la punta (a favorite of mine from Honduras), but she was not to be constricted, putting her own choreography over any prescribed steps.
It was the best I've felt in weeks. So, I challenge you, even implore you, to dance today. Do it right now! Put on some music, get up and move. Be silly, have fun, and enjoy your body's ability to do what it was meant to do. Dance!
Lately, I'm getting 2-3 hours of focused workout in everyday. It probably sounds a bit extreme, but I've had a lot of anxiety and diving into exercise is better than devolving into panic attacks. If you ever lay in bed with your mind racing, unable to sleep because of thoughts that stalk you, or toss and turn waking up every few hours with those same dark wings hovering overhead, then you can relate to the anxiety problem.
Intense and prolonged exercise sessions never fail to beat back the dark monsters. Yesterday, for example, I hiked the hills for almost two hours and spend another hour and a half on the stationary bike. After dinner, my body craved more movement. I planned to jump back on the bike, but Wonder Girl roped me into a game. The next thing I knew, we'd danced for almost 2 hours.
We danced and sang to the soundtracks from DreamGirls and O Brother Where Art Thou?. We took it mellow with a little Bob Marley, then cranked it back up with some salsa and merengue. I tried to teach her to dance la punta (a favorite of mine from Honduras), but she was not to be constricted, putting her own choreography over any prescribed steps.
It was the best I've felt in weeks. So, I challenge you, even implore you, to dance today. Do it right now! Put on some music, get up and move. Be silly, have fun, and enjoy your body's ability to do what it was meant to do. Dance!
