Don't you worry - I've completely eaten my words as I've gotten older. But that statement did actually stem from one of my goals in life, which is to not have to drive myself somewhere to get exercise. I'd rather bike or walk to the store than ride a stationary bike or run on a treadmill. It's mostly about practicality, but there's also something about labeling activity as "exercise" or "working out" that makes me not want to do it. I figure that if I think of myself as someone who needs to get out and do something, I will get the exercise I need, and I will always do it. I've done okay in programming myself this way.
Then a couple years ago I got a FitBit and realized that even with the built in activity in my day, I wasn't getting close to the recommended 10,000 daily steps. It turns out that it's really not that easy to do, purely as a practical measure, unless you don't have a car or live in a carless culture. On one of those first few days of wearing my smart wristband, I remember going on a long walk (to get ice cream) and coming home to find that I'd only walked about half of my daily goal. That's actually pretty good, looking back on it now, but at the time I was shocked that it wasn't 10,000 steps. Motivated by that little tingle on my wrist that tells me I've reached my goal, I set out to find ways to get myself to walk more, and to consistently do so.
Still, it needed to be practical. Fortunately, we'd just gotten a dog, so I had a purpose in taking her for a good walk each morning. She loves it, and I feel like a good pet owner for giving her that chance to sniff around as she reads the neighborhood news (i.e., other dogs' pee spots). I get up earlier than I ever thought I would, but I've found that I really do enjoy being up before everyone else. I daresay it's kind of fun to notice the changing times of the sunrise, or to be the first person to walk on the sidewalk after a fresh snowfall. Best of all, it's fairly easy to keep this in my routine, because unless I'm sick and Joel's on dog duty (he's on dog duty most of the other times), I've got to get this poor dog out. I don't hit the snooze button...for the most part...but best of all, I have gotten to the point that when the alarm goes off, I just get up without thinking about it.
But this alone was not enough. I had to deal with the other nine hours of my Monday-Friday week when I'm without my dog. That's when I remembered that there's a whole world of podcasts out there - ones I can learn from and be inspired by. I found my iPod and started downloading a bunch of fascinating-sounding episodes. (I do prefer using my iPod as opposed to my phone for this as it eliminates other distractions.)
It was through one of my podcasts that I learned that I'm "temptation bundling." This is the idea of combining something you should do (and find excuses not to) with something you truly enjoy or want to do as a way of getting you to do both. For me it means I save up podcasts to listen to only when I'm walking. Other examples of this: saving your favorite TV shows for the treadmill, or allowing yourself to drink scotch only while folding laundry, or taking a difficult relative out to dinner at your favorite restaurant. It's a way to power through unreliable willpower. So each week at fairly regular times during my workday, I pop in my earbuds and head out the door.
That's another key element to this system working: I've actually scheduled these walks as 15-minute meetings during my workday - meetings with my podcasts, I guess you could say - so I don't schedule over them. People who schedule my calendar can see I have these times blocked out and in very rare cases is it necessary to reschedule. And for the last couple years, this has changed my life. While out on these walks, sometimes I worry that others have noticed me laughing to myself or smiling for seemingly no reason. The other day I was holding back tears listening to Jason Alexander reading an essay about saying goodbye to a pet goldfish. But besides becoming an emotional grab-bag, I'm getting fresh air, clearing my head and enjoying time to myself, and walking so much more than I used to. It still feels practical to me because as I listen, I'm learning so much and have things to talk about other than work at the dinner table later. [As a sidenote, I've also signed up for a wine club and bought a very wonderful bra because of the brilliant advertising you get with podcasts. So I guess that's sort of a trade-off to a gym membership?]
If you're looking for a little listening inspiration for your next walk...or workout, here's a short list of podcasts (I could have listed closer to 20) that have stood the test of time for me, except for the first one, which launched just recently but I immediately love it and and read the column it's based on for years so I'm sure it will continue to be good.
1. Modern Love , based on the New York Times essay column of the same name. Try: Just One Last Swirl Around the Bowl (the one that made me cry)
2. Death Sex & Money, about the things we should talk about, but don't. I wish I were friends with the host, Anna Sale, in real life, but my day was made when she favorited one of my tweets. Try: Autism Isn't What I Signed Up For
3. On Being, which is always uplifting and inspiring to me. I try to listen to this one at the beginning of my week. Try: David Steindl-Rast - The Anatomy of Gratitude
4. Happier, a podcast from the author of several books about happiness, Gretchn Rubin, and her sister Elizabeth Craft. They are incredibly helpful in their discussions about how we form habits, and how people are different in their habit tendencies. Try: Save Your String (podcast 22)
5. The Splendid Table, if only to listen to the sultry voice of Lynne Rosetto Kasper. Try: Any of them, if you love food, but I did especially like $4 a Day
6. The Dinner Party Download, which is like a variety show for the ears. Jokes, culture, cocktails, etiquette, history lessons, music selections. Try: the one with John Slattery
7. Spilled Milk, my very indulgent choice. I don't expect anyone to like this, really. There is no real value to this show other than feeling like you are best friends with the hosts, which I would love to be. I laugh all the time at/with them. Try: Cocoa nibs
8. 99% Invisible, about "all the thought that goes into the things we don't think about." Episodes are brief, fascinating little history lessons and the ones I discuss most with other people after hearing them. I could recommend so many of them, but this one about awareness at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic is really, really good.
It was through one of my podcasts that I learned that I'm "temptation bundling." This is the idea of combining something you should do (and find excuses not to) with something you truly enjoy or want to do as a way of getting you to do both. For me it means I save up podcasts to listen to only when I'm walking. Other examples of this: saving your favorite TV shows for the treadmill, or allowing yourself to drink scotch only while folding laundry, or taking a difficult relative out to dinner at your favorite restaurant. It's a way to power through unreliable willpower. So each week at fairly regular times during my workday, I pop in my earbuds and head out the door.
That's another key element to this system working: I've actually scheduled these walks as 15-minute meetings during my workday - meetings with my podcasts, I guess you could say - so I don't schedule over them. People who schedule my calendar can see I have these times blocked out and in very rare cases is it necessary to reschedule. And for the last couple years, this has changed my life. While out on these walks, sometimes I worry that others have noticed me laughing to myself or smiling for seemingly no reason. The other day I was holding back tears listening to Jason Alexander reading an essay about saying goodbye to a pet goldfish. But besides becoming an emotional grab-bag, I'm getting fresh air, clearing my head and enjoying time to myself, and walking so much more than I used to. It still feels practical to me because as I listen, I'm learning so much and have things to talk about other than work at the dinner table later. [As a sidenote, I've also signed up for a wine club and bought a very wonderful bra because of the brilliant advertising you get with podcasts. So I guess that's sort of a trade-off to a gym membership?]
If you're looking for a little listening inspiration for your next walk...or workout, here's a short list of podcasts (I could have listed closer to 20) that have stood the test of time for me, except for the first one, which launched just recently but I immediately love it and and read the column it's based on for years so I'm sure it will continue to be good.
1. Modern Love , based on the New York Times essay column of the same name. Try: Just One Last Swirl Around the Bowl (the one that made me cry)
2. Death Sex & Money, about the things we should talk about, but don't. I wish I were friends with the host, Anna Sale, in real life, but my day was made when she favorited one of my tweets. Try: Autism Isn't What I Signed Up For
3. On Being, which is always uplifting and inspiring to me. I try to listen to this one at the beginning of my week. Try: David Steindl-Rast - The Anatomy of Gratitude
4. Happier, a podcast from the author of several books about happiness, Gretchn Rubin, and her sister Elizabeth Craft. They are incredibly helpful in their discussions about how we form habits, and how people are different in their habit tendencies. Try: Save Your String (podcast 22)
5. The Splendid Table, if only to listen to the sultry voice of Lynne Rosetto Kasper. Try: Any of them, if you love food, but I did especially like $4 a Day
6. The Dinner Party Download, which is like a variety show for the ears. Jokes, culture, cocktails, etiquette, history lessons, music selections. Try: the one with John Slattery
7. Spilled Milk, my very indulgent choice. I don't expect anyone to like this, really. There is no real value to this show other than feeling like you are best friends with the hosts, which I would love to be. I laugh all the time at/with them. Try: Cocoa nibs
8. 99% Invisible, about "all the thought that goes into the things we don't think about." Episodes are brief, fascinating little history lessons and the ones I discuss most with other people after hearing them. I could recommend so many of them, but this one about awareness at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic is really, really good.
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