One of the favorite things I have heard from a patient is: you’re a doctor, you don’t have to worry about blood pressure. Implying, of course, that doctor’s don’t struggle with their health.
I most certainly do struggle with fitness and health, like many other Americans with sedentary jobs and a proclivity to eat treats. One of my goals is to make sure that I get my 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise (or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise, which probably won’t happen). I will see for how long I am willing to document my progress Saturday to Friday.
- Saturday: I replaced the battery in my Fitbit, and walked 56 minutes, mostly in the airport on the way to a short vacation in Florida.
- Sunday: Took an afternoon walk in warm weather. Walked 60 minutes.
- Monday: Walked in warm-ish weather, up to a shopping area on the sidewalk, back along the beach (see photo). Later walked to a grocery store and back. 96 minutes walking.
- Tuesday: Walked in the morning before breakfast, 64 minutes. It’s my last full day away, and so I went swimming in the (heated) pool, despite the lousy weather. What with the starts and stops, and talking to the little kid playing in the shallow end, I’d say I swam about 20 minutes.
- Wednesday: A quick walk–last chance before leaving for the airport. It was lovely to see the moon at the beginning of the walk, and the sunrise at the end. Walked 30 minutes.
- Thursday: Back to work, no exercise for me.
- Friday: Work again; I demonstrated the truism that work will expand to fit the time available. However, when I checked my Fitbit, I see that my walking to and from various commitment got me 20 minutes of exercise today.
Total: 326 minutes walking, and about 20 minutes of swimming. I’d say I did very well in hitting my goal of 150 minutes of exercise. As always, I find it easier to manage this when I’m not working. The challenge will be to continue to exercise when I’m back at work. Next week, I may also increase my exercise goals.