I look at health and fitness as a three legged stool: 1) Exercise. That one is obvious. 2) Nutrition. This one I think is also obvious but often ignored. You don't have to be crazy about your diet but you certainly cannot out work a crappy diet! 3) Good sleep. This one is the one where I think a lot of people fail. This weekend was the first time in a long time that I had two days in a row where I did not set an alarm to wake up to.... almost unheard of in this house! I do so much better with a solid 8 hours of sleep!!
Today was my first full day back in Tucson after spending two weeks paddling on the Rio Grande as part of the Fall Semester in the Southwest. We enjoyed high water though the water level consistently dropped while we were out there. The dropping levels increased the amount of mud in camp and the number of bugs we had at dusk and dawn. The students however were great and that made everything super fun!
Well, I feel great. In fact, right now I feel better at 45 years old than I did at 40. Regular exercise, a sane work schedule, and a healthy environment to live in go a long, long way. At 40 I was working way too much which left me feeling exhausted. That exhaustion caused me to not exercise regularly. On top of that I was living in a town that had questionable air quality because of the oil and gas industry. Thank goodness for the changes. One thing that has never changed is the love and support of my family and friends. Without them who knows where I would be?