The healing power of working out...

Sunday, October 30, 2011

I suppose I will never watch a Regional Cross Country meet again and not think that in 2010 I spent the morning in the hospital with Jim as he died.  I’d thought about him throughout the previous day while running around at the meet, but I never let it get a hold of me.  Not so, Sunday morning.  Facebook is a wonderful thing and I enjoy posting pictures...both on my page and the ‘Back to Basics’ page, but it can have a downside.  I went on in the morning and couldn’t help but notice the post from my niece, Jim’s daughter, about her dad.  Then my sister had one on and some pictures and before you knew it, I was in full-blown depression.  I grabbed Dakota and headed for the Metropark.  I knew a workout and time in the fresh, morning air with Dakota would do wonders for my mood...and it did. 

I returned home, took my shower and went out to rake leaves as I had done last year after he passed.  It was therapy more than anything...there were few new leaves down except in the neighbor’s yard...so I raked his.  Besides...I raked fast trying to make it like a workout...which it wasn’t...but I tried.

I found another example of the benefits of the Survival Workout when I decided it was time to climb through the small portal in Heidi’s closet to the attic space above our living room and kitchen.  I’d been meaning to get in there and see what I could do to increase the insulation around the recessed lights above the counters and kitchen sink.  Standing there, doing the dishes, I could feel the cold air pouring from the attic and it had made me crazy last winter.  I moved easily across the ceiling joists and in a crouch, something I would have been unable to do had I gone up there last fall when I was 30 pounds heavier.  I did notice quickly that no amount of working out had any impact on choking on insulation dust.  I figured out what I had to do and got out of there quickly, knowing that my return trip would include a face mask.

I scored poorly on will power later that night when Holly served up Pumpkin Spice Cake with her amazing whipped cream/pudding frosting.  My first piece was reasonable...my second was too big...but delicious.  Damn that woman.  And with holidays coming, too.

Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.