Time to switch to heavy sweats.
Since I was going to be working in a too-hot kitchen on and before Thanksgiving Day, I’d only packed two pairs of knee-length exercise pants, one velour jogging suit (for Black Friday), along with an assortment of t-shirts and hoodies. When I stepped out of the van Wednesday a.m., I stepped into the definition of bone-chilling weather. I mean, 35 degrees in Ohio is much colder than 35 degrees in North Carolina. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)
While the exercise pants were great in the house for a number of reasons, I was stuck with the jogging suit every time I needed to fetch some forgotten ingredient at the store. It’s cold up there, and soon will be just as cold here in North Carolina.
So, I want sweats. The pants more than any other piece. Some good old-fashioned Russell sweatpants with the drawstring waist and elastic at the ankles. I can usually snag a pair for less than $10 in the men’s section at TJ Maxx, Marshall’s or Ross – stop laughing; women’s sweats are too short for me – and this is the best time of year to find the heavyweight, fleece version.
I need the sweats for my evening walks, which begin tomorrow. Even though I’m a morning person, I can’t seem to get to the gym most mornings because of the car situation. Post-work workouts are out of the question, because they’ll just never happen. I mean, I don’t even like the thought of them.
But I do like the idea of coming home, stripping off the suit or sweater, slipping on the sweatpants, one of my many sweatshirts and the $78 pair of New Balance sneaks I bought a few days ago off the clearance rack at TJ Maxx for $15 (!!!), and heading out for a head-clearing, 2- to 3-mile stroll in and around my neighborhood.
Even better, there are a lot of other walkers out and about around 6 p.m., so it’ll be a little bit social, too. I may even do a little bit of wogging if no one’s around.
It’s been six weeks since I started my new position, and I’ve yet to find a proper gym-work balance. Again, it’s mostly because there are four drivers and two cars, and mine gets pressed into service far more often than my husband’s, so I’m the one being dropped off and/or picked up. What a great excuse not to work out, eh? The thing is, though, I really cannot afford not to exercise. Stuff is starting to revert to its previous, flabbier form, and I’m not having it. So the walking begins tomorrow after work, with extended gym workouts on the weekends.
Who knows? Maybe Santa will bring me a treadmill. I’ve certainly dropped enough hints.
All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
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Leslie J. Ansley is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur who blogs daily for TheRoot. She lives in Raleigh, NC.