Toe touchdowns

Too much gumbo: The Hanky Story
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashawolff/ / CC BY 2.0

There’s an agonizing, pivotal moment in every Super Bowl game in which the end-zone is crossed, the ball is fumbled, the flag is thrown. In other words– by the time you realize that you’ve had too much dip and beer, it’s really too late for a fourth-quarter comeback.

Or, in the case of Super Bowl 2010, you’ve had too much dip, beer and gumbo… delicious, spicy New Orleans-style gumbo with cornbread. Who dat ate too many football munchies is going to have to shovel a lot more snow this week if she expects her dress pants to fit.

Since the blizzard put the kibosh on my normal morning gig, I made myself pull on the ol’ Under Armour and go for a jog. As I lumbered through snow-drift and shin-deep slush (and probably dog urine) to the compelling rhythms of the Wall Street Journal This Morning podcast, I couldn’t help but marvel at how the transition to adulthood zaps all of the the magic that a childhood snow day once held.

Still, it was nice to get out of the house and breathe a little fresh air, laced with exhaust fumes…

Becoming the deadbeat partner in the precarious exercise tango is an annoyance of the big move I neglected to anticipate. Since leaving my pretty cheap gym membership behind in West Virginia, I’ve started running both a money and a time deficit. Eventually the snow will stop and I’ll be back to my good ol’ 9-9, without much time for pounding the ice-covered pavement.

My predisposition toward plumpness aside, I get really anxious if I have to spend too much time cooped up at home. I’m at my best zipping around on a bicylce, but since I also suffer from a nearly-reptilian cold-bloodedness, the gym usually suffices at this time of year.

The options appear to be slim. The Washington Sports Club is near my house and open until almost midnight. But it appears to be about $70 a month, which would put a major crimp in my budget. The Y is a little cheaper but not as close, nor open as late. More importantly, do I really have enough get up and go to be up at 5:30 a.m. or plow on after 11 to jazzercize or whatever the kids are doing these days? Survey says no.

Is there an option I’m missing here, Washingtonians? Running the capitol stairs in heels during my lunch-break? Trying out some Metro-rail yoga moves? I’m going to do a little more research and get back to you on that one.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 7:24 pm and is filed under wealth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.