Happy Marathon Monday! Great day for the runners of Boston, forecast is 60 and sunny. I am always happy to see that the weather gods are looking out for the marathoners, after so much time and effort spent training, weather cooperation must be much appreciated. The T was empty this morning, a lot of companies give their employees the day off and those less fortunate just take the day off anyway. I hope everyone [including myself] can scoot out of work a bit early to enjoy the festitivites! It is really a cool atmosphere around Boston on Marathon Monday. Feels like a giant international track meet to me.
I spent the weekend in NYC and it was amazing. The city impresses me more every time I go, there are endless things to experience, and it is the best place in the world to people watch [one of my favorite past times]. Sunday was perfect 60 and sunny weather [after torrential downpours and tornado winds on Saturday], so I spent hours walking around Manhattan. Walking for hours is pretty decent exercise, and also good for upping my pain tolerance. Frye boots are great. Walking around NYC in Frye boots 2 days in a row is not great. Footwear fail. Besides massive blisters it was an amazing weekend with amazing people.
One aspect of NYC I'm not sure I could deal with long term: sleep deprivation. Going to bed at 4am doesn't work too well for me. I am a 23 year old grandma and get 8 hrs of sleep a night, without fail. Me without 8 hrs of sleep is not a pretty sight. My body has always required a lot of sleep, and now that I work full time and get morning workouts in every day, it can't really be compromised. Well, joke was on me this weekend with 4 hrs of sleep two nights in a row. It is hard to convince yourself to lay in bed when NYC is outside your window waiting to be explored. Alas, I caffeinated myself and managed to have a great time until sleepy Shannon arrived late Sunday afternoon.
I set my alarm clock for 6am this morning with the honest intention of getting up to work out. It didn't happen. I struggled to get out bed at 7:30am. This was my first morning of no workout in....many many months. MANY MONTHS. Sometimes you need sleep more than you need exercise. I generally make my life work in a way where both are possible and no compromise needs to be made, but when sleep deprivation is a result of meaningful life experiences, I feel ok with sleep winning out. I can't stress enough how important sleep is to the human body and health. You can read millions [quite literally] of studies correlating lack of sleep with awful health problems, early aging, heart failure, depression, obesity, and the list goes on and on. Experts suggest that 7 hours of sleep or more is sufficient for good health. I know my body well enough to know that I need a bit more, and some people need a bit less. I encourage everyone to try and get a few more zzz's a night, the payoff is enormous.
Don't you worry, I brought workout clothes to work so I can get my workout in after I leave the office. After a weekend without exercise [but a ton of walking around], I am looking forward to sweating my booty off at the gym. Nothing like the Boston Marathon in the city today to help motivate people to get moving!
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