the perfect drug
A week or two ago I began jumping rope in the mornings before work.
Whether due to chemical imbalance, simple neurosis or some combination of the two, I find regular exercise is required for my relative mental health. The sad irony is that when I need it most is when I am least likely to make the time. High stress and unpredictably long hours of work are not exactly conducive to maintaining any sort of regimen. So, jumping ten to fifteen minutes in the morning was my compromise.
Let me just say this in as gay a manner as possible - FAB-U-LOUS!
In the past, I have attempted to move my entire workout to the mornings and failed miserably. Without food, I lack the energy to truly push my muscles when lifting. What's worse, the requisite ninety minutes guarantees either an extremely early wake-up or an extremely late arrival at work. Neither of which makes for a positive mindset during the remainder of the day. When I tried a full aerobic workout of anything in excess of fifteen minutes, I usually ended up stumbling, sweating and exhausted through the torturous hours leading up to lunch.
Ten to fifteen minutes seems ideal. Not only am I putting my mind at ease regarding my inability to allocate the time for tri-weekly Bowflexing, but I am exercising with more regularity than when I succeed in sticking to my lifting/jumping regimen. I wake up, grab the rope and jump while watching a TIVO'd copy of the prior day's episode of The Colbert Report. After a shower, I drive to work awash in an uncharacteristic wave of optimism. The endorphin rush seems to blind me to the fact that I am walking back into a workplace characterized by looming beta deadlines, bureaucratic nonsense, political infighting and rumors of apocalyptic layoffs.
Then again, maybe that's just Stephen Colbert.
Whether due to chemical imbalance, simple neurosis or some combination of the two, I find regular exercise is required for my relative mental health. The sad irony is that when I need it most is when I am least likely to make the time. High stress and unpredictably long hours of work are not exactly conducive to maintaining any sort of regimen. So, jumping ten to fifteen minutes in the morning was my compromise.
Let me just say this in as gay a manner as possible - FAB-U-LOUS!
In the past, I have attempted to move my entire workout to the mornings and failed miserably. Without food, I lack the energy to truly push my muscles when lifting. What's worse, the requisite ninety minutes guarantees either an extremely early wake-up or an extremely late arrival at work. Neither of which makes for a positive mindset during the remainder of the day. When I tried a full aerobic workout of anything in excess of fifteen minutes, I usually ended up stumbling, sweating and exhausted through the torturous hours leading up to lunch.
Ten to fifteen minutes seems ideal. Not only am I putting my mind at ease regarding my inability to allocate the time for tri-weekly Bowflexing, but I am exercising with more regularity than when I succeed in sticking to my lifting/jumping regimen. I wake up, grab the rope and jump while watching a TIVO'd copy of the prior day's episode of The Colbert Report. After a shower, I drive to work awash in an uncharacteristic wave of optimism. The endorphin rush seems to blind me to the fact that I am walking back into a workplace characterized by looming beta deadlines, bureaucratic nonsense, political infighting and rumors of apocalyptic layoffs.
Then again, maybe that's just Stephen Colbert.