Moving around

Exercise is an essential part of my life. I'm not sure if the physical or mental benefits that matter most to me. Daily exercise keeps me sane. The Parris Island Triathlon was yesterday, which got me to thinking about how different life is right now from just one year ago -- in a million ways.

Running: I've been going on a lot of long walks lately. When I see runners, I get very jealous. I want to be going fast, feeling my heart beat fast and the rush of endorphins. But I'll be one of those runners again soon. I was able to run up until a few weeks ago, but now I'm in my third trimester and have a big belly and there are hormones in my body making my joints loose and weak, which can be quite painful.


Swimming: I've been swimming a lot, which feels GREAT. No change in my ability to swim. If anything I feel faster, the curves of pregnancy make you like a dolphin. Less drag in the water. You just glide through. It's nice. Plus it keeps your upper body strong, which I'll need soon -- to carry around Orion. :)

Biking: I can't bike. If I lose my balance and fall off, well, that wouldn't be good. Yes, I can go spinning at the Y. It's just that the room has no windows and is dark and one of the most enjoyable parts of biking is being outside. It just seems like a chore inside -- not very enjoyable.

Stretching: If yoga wasn't at 8 a.m. I'd be there every day. Wednesdays and Sundays (10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.), I can get to. But seeing as haven't slept through the night in 6 months, and do not get home many nights till 1:30 a.m., doing anything at 8 a.m. is out of the question. But it feels great when I can go!

All of this makes me wonder how the heck I'm going to have time do anything, let alone exercise, once Orion arrives. We bought a jogging stroller (really cheap! yay!) from someone off Craigslist. So there's that. I plan on running the 4th of July 5k on Hilton Head, one month exactly after Orion's due date. I also plan on doing a triathlon or two in August. But I wonder if all this is completely unrealistic.

Anyway, add to this my worries about setting up a nursery when we have NO money. I have also started fretting about child care. Jimmy and I both work mostly nights; how are we going to find child care? How are we going to afford it?

Then my hippy mind chirps in and says, "Oh don't worry, you have time, everything will all work out. It always does. You'll figure this out." And I stop worrying so much. But now I worry I'm not worrying enough!

See this is why I need to exercise, clear my head and get some fresh air. Otherwise, I would drive myself insane.

I'm going on a long walk. And bringing the camera. If I get anything good, I'll post it here.

"Every time my mother became pregnant, [my father] ... would announce to her that 'the glorious walks' must begin. These glorious walks consisted of him taking her to places of great beauty in the countryside and walking with her for about an hour each day so that she could absorb the splendor of the surroundings. His theory was that if the eye of a pregnant woman was constantly observing the beauty of nature, this beauty would somehow become transmitted to the mind of the unborn baby within her womb ... "
-- Ronald Dahl