No Excuses

We did it! Arthritis Today's Fitness and Nutrition editor, Kenna Simmons, and I came up with a way to work in some exercise – and we didn't back down! Last week, Kenna read a study showing that in overweight, sedentary women aged 50 to 75, those who exercised at a moderate intensity for at least half an hour every morning fell asleep easier at night than those who exercised less. Women who exercised in the evenings had little or no improvement in the ability to fall asleep or the quality of their sleep. Kenna's e-mail to me said, "Clearly I have to get my lazy butt up and walk in the a.m., but I am NOT a morning person." Well, Kenna's not what you would call lazy, and she's quite pleasant in the mornings – so pleasant that we often chat for a few minutes before we dig into our days. I suggested that since we usually chat in the mornings anyway, we could go for a walk while we talk. She said it was worth a try because "something is just psychologically easier about thinking, 'I have to get to work earlier' versus 'I have to get up early to exercise!'"

So, we set today as our morning to start shooting the breeze while getting some fresh air, and wouldn't you know it -- this was the coldest morning of the year here so far. We had a breeze, that's for sure, and a quite chilly 20-something temperature. If ever there was a morning to stay under the covers, this was it! (I know, the 20s aren't so bad, but my Pennsylvania tolerance to cold has disappeared now that I've lived in Atlanta for 6 years!)

But, Kenna in her earmuffs, and I in my scarf and gloves, didn't let each other down. We met here early and walked about 5,000 steps before settling down to our computers. It felt good and cleared our heads, and now that we've done it on such a chilly morning, we have no reason to back down in the future. We'll see if we sleep better tonight. The well-placed Starbucks at the end of our walk provided us with some handwarmers (nonfat, mind you!) that hopefully won't interfere with the Z's.

Let us know how you've overcome an exercise hurdle by altering a portion of your day to fit in some activity!