We just spent a long weekend at the YMCA camp at Estes Park; it was a working vacation for me as I was away from the phone and email, but had a major project that would take lots of time. I had hoped to snowshoe each day, but we found out there was no nearby snow to speak of and Lynnette came down with a cold and didn't want to do anything strenuous.
So that was last Friday through Monday and today I had to drive to an appointment in Denver and then had a Symphony Board meeting. In any case I wasn't going to be able to get in my usual two plus hours at the gym.
We all have this kind of time, one where our best intentions are to get some good exercise in, but work or meetings or other scheduled events get in the way. We can either shrug our shoulders and say, "Well, I'll wait for another day," or we can do something else.
Each of our days in the mountains, we took a walk for thirty to sixty minutes a day. Today, between my drive back and forth to Denver and my two-hour board meeting, I got in twenty minutes on the recumbent bike at our gym. I didn't get as much exercise as usual or as much as I would have liked to, but I at least got some.
In the case of the YMCA trip, I was able to break up time in front of my laptop with some quality time in the outdoors and to spend time in a shared activity with my wife. Today, I really had to squeeze in the gym time, but I felt refreshed afterwards and ready to cope with a board meeting.
Tomorrow I only have two meetings to attend, one between four and five PM and the other in the evening. I'll get up and go to the gym early and get back in my usual pattern.
I'm happy that I found some way to burn a few calories, spend quality time with Lynnette and break up what otherwise have felt like days of straight toil, with no time for fun. Exercise for me has become a tonic; afterwards I always feel energized and uplifted.
Try to find some time in your own day to get away from your desk or your computer or whatever occupies your time. be creative and look for new ideas on how you can take even short periods for exercise. I think you'll feel better and those small amounts of calories burned add up in the long run. If you're trying to lose weight, fifty calories a day translates into five pounds a year.