objects in motion

Breaking news!  Exercise is good for you!  Who knew?

More specifically, researchers at the University of Texas recently put out a rather interesting study regarding exercise and cellular autophagy.  The study, carried out with mice, seems fairly well put together and suggests that one of the beneficial effects of exercis is to increase the body's rate of autophagy, the process by which cells clear out all the `junk' (malformed proteins, cellular respiration byproducts, invasive bugs) that accumulates.

Mice aren't a perfect analog for human anatomy, but hey, human studies are difficult and all findings should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt anyway.

So in addition to helping your metabolism operate well, keeping your muscles engaged and effective, and helping you sleep better, moving around likely increases your body's ability to clean house, cellularly speaking.  This notion is nothing that health nuts and hippies hadn't already assumed, but to see it somewhat justified in a real study is interesting.

Breaking news!  Sitting on your butt all day is bad for you!  Who knew?

This one came out a little while ago, and caused quite a stir.  However, it's not at all surprising.  Since I unfortunately kind of have to be sedentary for much of the day (as explained in a little more detail below), it does hit close to home.

This is all pretty compelling stuff.  Why, then, do I coninue to sit on my butt all day like a good little American?  Sure, I work a stare-at-a-computer-screen-all-day job and have a 1.5 hour commute each way, but surely there's something I can do.  I tried converting my desk into a standing workstation once and loved it for some reasons, but the furniture just isn't
well suited for it and my kluge-tastic adaptation attempts left much to be desired.  Also, I recently got a new (huge and gorgeous) monitor that definitely won't fit on the upper shelf.  What was I going to do, say no to the new beautiful monitor?  Hopefully someday I'll manage to get together a real standing workstation.

I've never believed too much in exercise for its own sake, but instead just stayed active by doing useful things.  When I lived in a small town I biked everywhere as a means of getting around, and participated in martial arts and dance because I was interested in those things.  Those final rehearsals before a show can really be exhausting!  I've always relied on my interests to keep me fit.  Now, unfortunately, my situation is such that I don't particularly have time for these things that I love, so I need to find other solutions to the sedentary issue.  I'm not sleeping well, feel tired all the time, and have a general lack of energy that really must be corrected.

When we first got our dog, we would take turns getting up extra-early to take him for a quick run before commencing our morning routines.  What happened to this?  We got too `busy,' or too attached to sleeping for an extra 15 minutes to take the time to do this simple activity that benefits both us and the pooch.

Additionally, I forget where I've read it, but as I recall many sources have pointed out that as little as 20 minutes of moving around per day has a huge effect on health, especially in short bursts of really intense activity. There seem to be diminishing returns after 20 minutes or so, so that initial getting-off-the-damn-couch move is really the most important one.

I took an unintentional hiatus from my monthly resolution thing for February, but it's time to get back on track.  For March, I will bite the bullet and actually get off my bottom at least twice a week and do some meaningful amount of exercise.  It might be a run around the block with the dog, a half hour spent playing DDR (my jumping-around-like-a-fool video game addiction), or taking a walk outside during my lunch break.

Okay, so it's not technically March yet, but leap day is pretty weird so I'm posting this anyway.  It's my blog and I can do what I want.

This is probably the single best thing I can do for myself right now, since my current zero-level of exercise is most assuredly the limiting factor in becoming healthier.  The science says so, after all!

january retrospective

My blogging goal for January was to update at least 8 times.  Looking back, it appears I managed a total of 4 posts.

Some might call that abject failure; I call it partial success.  I did accomplish the more fundamental goal of paying more attention to this thing and updating more often than I had been.  Stay tuned for February's challenge!

resolutions

resolute, adj.: Admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering.

resolution, n.: A firm decision to do or not to do something.

Like everyone else on the planet, I've been thinking about this whole 'resolution' concept that goes along with buying a new calendar and remembering to increment the year when dating things (surely I'm not the only one who will keep accidentally writing 2011 until at least February, yes?).  The most traditional resolutions are things like getting in shape, eating better, spending less, losing weight, and being a better person.  While these things are certainly admirable and are helpful long-term notions, the thought of measuring one's ability to 'achieve' such vague goals come the next calendar-buying-season is less than appealing.  Besides, that sort of thing belongs on my 'long-term goals' page, not in a format that is intended to be achieved in only a year.

I really like the method that Erin over at unclutterer.com has used in the past, wherein she makes a new goal at the beginning of each month.  Rather than long-term lofty goals, these are achievable things, and the format allows focusing on only one thing at a time.  I would like to give this a try, and so this is officially my first resolution post.

My personal rules:

• Each goal musts be measurable and definite. 
• This blog gets to know how each one goes.
• Each goal should improve my finances, household organization, happiness, sanity, effectiveness, or health. 
• Failing is not the end of the world.  Progress is good.  

I've been remarkably lax in updating this medium, and so for January my goal is to write at least two blog posts on any topics every week.  Counting this one, that means I will have at least eight new posts for the month of January.  Here goes!

time

Today Trent over at The Simple Dollar wrote an extremely thought-provoking piece about what it means to live a rich life. To quote, 'it's about the time, not the stuff.' Living a rich life (whatever that means for you) is related to how you spend your time, not the stuff you accumulate.

I love this attitude.

Do I really need four huge boxes of fabric, when I never 'get around to' sewing? Would we be more likely to play our card and board games if there was a less daunting selection, and the closet they're in wasn't blocked by a mountain of clutter? With our five bookshelves, how is it that I often 'can't find anything to read'?

As I continue on my anti-clutter campaign, it's important for me to consider not only how useful a given item is, but whether I even want to use it, and whether it would contribute better to my quality of life by its absence (and thus the ability to see, find, and use other things more readily). Hooray for anti-consumerism!

inertia

Ever since getting swept up in the last-minute stress of wedding planning, all the good exercise habits we'd built up had been inactive. I know, intellectually, that I should work out more, I should go running, I should get up off my behind and actually do something. I even have plenty of empirical evidence that it means I'll feel better, sleep more soundly, and have much more energy.

Getting out of this lethargy slump is an extremely good idea, by all accounts and by my own personal dataset. Does that make it an easy choice to make in the moment?

Nope.

Inertia is an extremely powerful aspect of life. 'Oh sure, I'll definitely start working out again,' I'll tell myself, 'starting tomorrow.'

We always have two alarms set; one is to let us know it's morning-time, and the second one happens 15 minutes later and is designed to actually get our butts out of bed. Last night I declared that instead of lazing around for those 15 minutes I would get up at the first alarm, bundle up (winter has come with a surprising amount of vigor!), and take the dog for a run around the block.

'Beeeeeeeeeeep!'

Then the inner monologue starts.

'I said I'd go running. Do I really want to? It's cold out there. Maybe just a minute more in bed. I can't see the clock from here, so I'll assume I don't have time. I'll go running tomorrow.'

Tomorrow. It's always tomorrow.

Once I get going I know it'll be good for me and I'll feel better. But overcoming the initial activation energy is going to be a challenge.

My resolution, right now, is that I shall actually go for that 10 minute run tomorrow (see what I did there?) morning. Wish me luck.

excuses

As chance would have it, I was born under Pisces. Pisceans are supposedly all about going with the flow, being empathic and intuitive, and creatively rolling with punches. I generally use this as an excuse for why I live my life passively.

'Oh, I don’t stand up for myself or actually pursue what I want, but it’s okay! I’m a Piscean, and so I’m perfectly normal!'

Somehow, that just doesn’t cut it. It’s time to define who I actually want to be, and make it happen.

conscious direction

My life has been spent waiting for someone to tell me what to do.

How did this happen?

I’ve never lived alone. Living with parents has its inherent passive aspects, and then I went immediately from that situation to one in which I had roommates. Very confident roommates with no qualms about expressing opinions on how to best do everything. While they are wonderful people in some ways, they’re the sort who feel they know how to do everything. I became accustomed to this, and simply learned to avoid voicing thoughts of my own. I’d start projects or attempt to change things, but would buckle under the slightest criticism or doubt.

This is not to blame them, only to point out that I had an awful lot of growing up to do.

This is no way to live. I find myself desperately wanting something, but waiting passively for it to somehow happen. When everything doesn’t magically fall into place, I get depressed and just learn to live with it.

What needs to change?

• Figure out what I want; not just short-term, but what I actually, fundamentally want.
• Figure out what I need; I never had to do this while I had people around to order me about.
• Develop tenacity in achieving what I want. Be stubborn FOR myself, not against myself.
• Stop being so depressed, and stack the deck so I can actually enjoy my life!