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Walking Break
Jun. 19th, 2014 08:45 pmWhen I started working for the legislature, I decided I would walk on each of my breaks. This was mostly because I was very afraid of how the "sit all day" office environment was going to affect my health, and this was the only way I could think to counteract that. (I also managed to lose some weight those first few months because I took my diet to the extreme, but that has definitely tapered off since then.)
When my break schedule was set in stone, I noticed that I walk past a lot of the same people pretty much every day. On my lunch break, a man who wears jeans as well as a wide hat to cover his balding head walks in the shade around the governor's building. He has said hello to me a few times and commented on how he walks two miles during lunch! Otherwise, we usually don't make eye contact but just nod and pass. In fact, because of my general introversion, that's mostly what I do while walking because I don't want to get into weird situations with people because I've proven that I'm not good at small talk, even if I'm doing it for a good reason.
In the afternoon, an older couple walks most days, regardless of the weather. A few months (or maybe a year?) into my job, I stopped them and had a brief conversation about how I saw them every day. I don't know what possessed me to do this. They mostly looked at me like I was crazy and kept walking. I reverted back to not making eye contact and didn't attempt to talk to them again.
Obviously I haven't been able to walk very much recently, but I have started to get back out and try to walk on my breaks again, even if I am a lot slower these days. I tend to walk a little more than half of what I used to in the same amount of time, mostly because my foot hurts with each step. Still, the foot doctor says this is the best thing for me to do to get rid of the osteopenia (which, during my last appointment, he said is starting to go away), and it's not as bad as it used to be. It's just harder.
Before my sinus surgery a few weeks ago, I was struggling to walk past the governor's building during lunch, and the man with the hat that I used to walk past every day stopped me and asked why I wasn't walking as well as I used to. I told him what happened with my foot, and with that context, he said it was good to see me out trying.
Fast forward to today, my first day at work post-sinus surgery. I had pretty much convinced myself not to walk on my breaks, and yet I found myself outside on my afternoon break anyway. As I made my way to the sidewalk, I passed the older couple. To my surprise, the man said, "Excuse me."
I looked up, and he said, "It's nice to see you back. We wondered what happened to you."
When my break schedule was set in stone, I noticed that I walk past a lot of the same people pretty much every day. On my lunch break, a man who wears jeans as well as a wide hat to cover his balding head walks in the shade around the governor's building. He has said hello to me a few times and commented on how he walks two miles during lunch! Otherwise, we usually don't make eye contact but just nod and pass. In fact, because of my general introversion, that's mostly what I do while walking because I don't want to get into weird situations with people because I've proven that I'm not good at small talk, even if I'm doing it for a good reason.
In the afternoon, an older couple walks most days, regardless of the weather. A few months (or maybe a year?) into my job, I stopped them and had a brief conversation about how I saw them every day. I don't know what possessed me to do this. They mostly looked at me like I was crazy and kept walking. I reverted back to not making eye contact and didn't attempt to talk to them again.
Obviously I haven't been able to walk very much recently, but I have started to get back out and try to walk on my breaks again, even if I am a lot slower these days. I tend to walk a little more than half of what I used to in the same amount of time, mostly because my foot hurts with each step. Still, the foot doctor says this is the best thing for me to do to get rid of the osteopenia (which, during my last appointment, he said is starting to go away), and it's not as bad as it used to be. It's just harder.
Before my sinus surgery a few weeks ago, I was struggling to walk past the governor's building during lunch, and the man with the hat that I used to walk past every day stopped me and asked why I wasn't walking as well as I used to. I told him what happened with my foot, and with that context, he said it was good to see me out trying.
Fast forward to today, my first day at work post-sinus surgery. I had pretty much convinced myself not to walk on my breaks, and yet I found myself outside on my afternoon break anyway. As I made my way to the sidewalk, I passed the older couple. To my surprise, the man said, "Excuse me."
I looked up, and he said, "It's nice to see you back. We wondered what happened to you."
