The Balance

Whenever I don’t go swimming after work, I’ve gotten into the habit of jogging around the block. So far the pace takes me about 20 minutes and I’m ready to die.

I find the body is an interesting machine. While I can swim 90 lengths up and down a pool with no real problems, as soon as I hit the pavement to jog a little, it’s like my body has taken a beating.

While I know this feeling will go away with time, it is interesting to note that the body somehow knows the difference. Perhaps my endurance is up, but the fact that swimming is a low-impact activity may have something to do with it. Maybe it’s the fact that my body is crying out saying “Dude! You’re killing me here!”

Anyhow, I think it’s a nice balance for when I don’t feel like swimming. I am trying to obtain balance in all healthy aspects of my life. I learned this concept from Philipp. He can party hard, eat hard, but at the same time knows how to get some exercise also. He commented on how North Americans seem to take things to the extreme (like diets and whatnot) as opposed to a balance. It’s alright to have a beer or two, but don’t forget to eat some fruit and veggies too.

So in the life of Palmer where I usually stick to one thing and one thing only, I am trying to get out of that habit. I don’t have to swim every day, I’ll go jogging or biking instead. I don’t have to eat the same sandwich or apple every day. I’ll give some variety in my life. It will be hard to accomplish, but heck, I’m up for the challenge.