The Seemingly Unrelated

For as long as I can remember, the heat has bothered me. I know it didn't when I was a child; I can't remember when it started. But I know that the summer I spent in Georgia in my early twenties nearly killed me--though I loved the slower pace and the proximity of the ocean, any notion of moving south was promptly abandoned when August struck.

Since that time, if not earlier, it's been a simple fact of life for me: I can't stay outside long in the heat, and I can't exert myself in the heat. I get dizzy, I get short of breath, sometimes little silver spots dance before my eyes and make me fear that I might faint (although I never have).

Until this year.

I've mentioned in previous posts that my daughter and I have been pretty steadily walking 2-4 miles/day, and sometimes even more. The other big change I've made is that I'm prioritizing sleep. I've learned that for me, 5-6 hours of sleep on a regular basis just isn't sufficient and if I don't average 7-8 my blood pressure and heart rate start to creep back up.

I've noticed a big change in my endurance recently, not so much in the course of intentional exercise but in the things I'll do without thinking about them. For instance, one night about a week ago I locked my keys in my car about a mile from home and just automatically walked home to pick up my spare keys and walk back. For most of my adult life, I would have had to stop and assess whether I was feeling up to the walk. But last week, I didn't even think about it.

It's been a big relief to see that I can, in fact, build endurance. That hasn't been my experience in the past, and I think it's because I never tried to combine regular exercise with getting enough sleep before. When my heart rate and blood pressure were up, more exercise just wore me down. But a few days ago, something even bigger happened. On a 93 degree day, I walked the 12 blocks from the train station to my office and back again. And, again, I didn't give it much thought. After nearly 25 years of having to be careful in the heat and suffering the consequences if I wasn't, I threw caution to the wind and suffered no ill effects.

I know this isn't a pretty thought, but I just have to share: it is such an incredible relief to be able to break a sweat again!