The comment stream this weekend is, um, heavy with reviews of local restaurants. Which is great, because that’s exactly the kind of conversation we want to encourage at Patch – what’s going on in our community, where to go for a great burger or great food in general. So thanks for all that input.
But it brings to mind a thing on my to-do list that I haven’t quite gotten to yet. Sure, it’s important to eat right, and every now and then a treat is a good thing, but the other part of that equation is exercise, and that is part I haven’t quite gotten to.
Exercise has never been high on my list of things I love – in fact, it has always lived near the basement of that list. In school I was always the dork, never the jock. As a result, my association with exercise is not positive. The people in the best of health used to pick on me.
Nevertheless, 10 years ago I was convinced by a girlfriend that exercise should be a daily part of my routine. So I joined a gym, and plunged into a rigorous rhythm of weights, aerobics and stretches. My trainer was pretty cute, and 20 years younger than me. Being a guy (read: a moron), I decided to show off my strength and physical prowess. I started lifting twice the weights she recommended, and managed to herniate a disc in my back. Which, naturally, brought an end to my gym days, at least for a while.
But lately, when I sit for a while (and on this job, I sit for a long while every day), getting up is not as easy as I remember it being in days gone by. And I make these noises getting in and out of my car. And, of course, there is the growth around the middle that advertises “guy in his middle age, right here.”
So I need to begin exercising again. And here is where the debate begins. Join a gym? Sure, get the full range of aerobics, strength training, etc. And a place to go every day, rain or shine. Sure, but this is Northern California, and it’s gorgeous outside, and the Franklin Hills are in my back yard. So why not just start hiking every day, enjoy the splendor of the outdoors?
This debate rages on while I just continue sitting at my desk, or in a meeting, or in my car. So this week, I’m going to settle the debate, and pick one (or even both), and just start moving. I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, what do you do for exercise?
WEATHER:
Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming sunny. Patchy fog in the morning. Highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph...becoming west 10 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
MEETINGS:
Tuesday – Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 525 Henrietta St. The only item on the agenda is a proposal to construct a shopping center on a 1.5 acre parcel on Arnold Drive, including a drive-through Starbucks and other stores.
Wednesday – The Civil Service Commission meets in a special session at 5 p.m. in the 2nd floor boardroom, City Hall, 525 Henrietta St. The items are two appeals from Water Treatment Plant operators regarding the recruitment and hiring of the Water Treatment Plant supervisor.
EVENTS:
TODAY IN HISTORY (from Wikipedia):
1837 - The first commercial use of an electric telegraph is successfully demonstrated by William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone on July 25, 1837, between Euston and Camden Town in London.
1853 - Joaquin Murrieta, the famous California bandit known as "Robin Hood of El Dorado," is killed.
1920 - Telecommunications: The first transatlantic two-way radio broadcast takes place.
1965 - Bob Dylan goes electric as he plugs in at the Newport Folk Festival, signaling a major change in folk and rock music.
1978 - Louise Brown, the world's first "test tube baby," is born.
