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34. Why I Exercise a Lot

Posted on August 28, 2019November 17, 2019 by caritagardiner
How I Feel When I Work Out

I LIKE TO GET MY ENDORPHINS ON

I was never the best athlete growing up, but I like the way it feels to stay active. I played on the basketball team in high school, swam for the team in college, and play defense on my old-lady team now. Additionally, I've completed a few sprint triathlons and workout alone and with groups most days of the week when I'm not nursing an injury.

I feel better when I work out and like that I can stay relatively the same size without having to think too much about how much I eat. Sometimes, I think I'm too busy to work out and should take a break from the activities, but then I remember why I don't.

DOCTORS SAY CRAZY THINGS

I've probably mentioned, somewhere in the preceding twenty-eight posts, that I was sick three years ago. (Short version, I had a GIST, which is a rare kind of not-too-bad tumor that chewed through my stomach and esophagus, which left me down several pints of blood. After four transfusions and laparoscopic surgery, I'm fine now.) When I was getting better faster than expected, the doctors told me that I was benefitting from being in great shape.

Yes, the doctor actually said that I recovered fast because of my pre-tumor workouts. If that's not incentive to keep working out, I don't know what is.

I had no idea that I was sick until I couldn't stand up (Okay, I probably should have figured out something was wrong from all the fainting, but even now, doctors aren't sure that was related.), but all the while, by working out, I was aiding in my own speedy recovery.

KINDS OF WORKOUTS I LIKE:

  • jogging -- I can do it anywhere, any time, without any special equipment
  • swimming -- when my frozen shoulder doesn't hurt
  • spin class -- I teach a weekly one here at Hotchkiss
  • ice hockey -- when the ice goes down, the heart rate goes up
  • weight training -- I like going with the group
  • HIIT -- such a fun workout with loud music and a big group

What kinds of workouts do you like? How are you preparing for your next recovery?

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WHAT I DO

I serve as a class dean and teach English to high schoolers at a boarding school in Connecticut. I’ve earned a Bachelor of Arts (Amherst College), an Education Master in Learning and Teaching (Harvard University Graduate School of Education), a Master of Arts in English (Bread Loaf School of English), and most recently a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a certificate in the online teaching of writing (Southern New Hampshire University).

As a writer, I hope to capture the complexity and joy of life in the New England boarding school world. On this site, I share what I know about trying to write fiction while deaning, teaching English, coaching, and doing the other tasks associated with helping to raise over six hundred other people’s children.

WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU

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  • cgardine@hotchkiss.org

Read my recent “Why” Wednesday Blog Posts

  • NetGalley Review of Sunny Side Up
  • 337. Why Not Fit In
  • 336. Why SFAH
  • NetGalley Review of The Ripple Effect
  • NetGalley Review of Far and Away
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