UJ: walks around campus

At work, we are starting this new program...it's a wellness program for women. It mainly deals with nutrition, self care, and exercise. It seems that women...as a whole and especially mothers, spend so much time taking care of others...that they don't get around to ever taking care of themselves. So...this is where that program came from.

And part of the program, is 30 to 45 minutes of light exercise. We are starting with walks....and the past week I have been mapping it out. I work right downtown...so I have been walking on campus. Indiana University has one of the most beautiful campuses out there. The buildings are absolutely gorgeous...and there are green trees and flowers and monuments all over the place.

As I have been walking this week...a mile here and a mile there. I remembered how much I loved my street outreach job. I loved the job because it was helping people...those people who weren't being helped by ANYONE else. And I also loved the job because I got to be outside and active as part of it. Most days, I walked from about 5 to 9 miles a day. We would cover most of downtown...and that was on foot. Sometimes we would bike ride, but most of the time it was walking. I really enjoyed that...and, it was so much easier for me to be healthy then. My job consisted of exercise....and I loved that. I have noticed how much I miss that...since most of my job consists of running to and from meetings (in my car) or sitting in my office.

So, I am making an effort to get out more. I am taking my lunch breaks...carrying my lunch and walking around town. Or, if a meeting is close...since a lot of meetings are downtown, I am walking to them. An example is today. I had a lunch meeting with the directors of all the other family centers...and instead of driving down there, I walked. It was only 10 or 15 minutes...and it was a nice part of my day. It also gives me some breathing time in between meetings...which on some days, is much needed.

I just notice that my outlook on life is much better...if for some part of the day I spend it active and preferably outside.

That's my deep thought for the day....hee, hee