Not The Best Way To Get Exercise In!

I'm back from vacation, after a long trip. I got a lot of steps in, but it was a stressful way to exercise.

I was on my way to Virginia and decided to take the train there. It's a long ride but I thought I could read, so maybe it won't seem so long.

I took the bus from Connecticut to New York. When I arrived in New York, I had four hours before the train would depart. This way, I had time to get a workout in and maybe get a healthy lunch at Whole Foods Market.

I searched for YMCA's in Manhattan and found out that the Vanderbilt branch was the closest walking distance from Port Authority. It was about a half hour walk as the distance was about 1.75 miles. I was impressed with the Vanderbilt YMCA. The facilities were clean and the equipment was up to date. I did some strength training, working on my legs and chest and did a few minutes on the treadmill.

I wanted to get a healthy lunch and knew there was a Whole Foods not too far from Penn Station, where I had to go for the train. So I proceeded to walk to Whole Foods on 7th Ave. It was getting close to 45 minutes before the train was to leave, so I really had to move to get there in time. I rushed through the streets and got lunch at the market. Then, time to rush to Penn Station, about a mile from Whole Foods. I made the train just in time, about 5 minutes before it left. I think I had about 15,000 steps by the time I got on the train!

I was visiting my dad and he lives in southern Virginia, close to North Carolina. We ended up going to Virginia Beach. At least it was nice weather, 85 degrees. The water was too cold, but it was nice to walk on the sand. I walked a lot on the beach and had about 20,000 steps for a few of the days. The only problem was finding a place to workout. I still needed the strength training. I did find a Y to work out at for one of the days, for about an hour.

So the trip back to Connecticut was another stressful time. I had to take a train that left before 5AM… way too early for me! When the train arrived in Washington D.C., I wanted to use the rest room at the station. The train's rest rooms were far too disgusting. I asked the conductor how long I had before the train leaves. 15 minutes! I made a mad dash to the station. Find my way back to the platform afterwards… enter the train and wonder, where's my seat? I asked a woman, is this the train going to New York? She said it was, so I go from train to train looking for my seat. Finally I asked the conductor. He asked me where I boarded the train from originally. Come to find out, the train was across the way. So I ran to the other side, find an open door at the end of the train and find my seat. Later on, one of the workers from the train walked by me and started laughing. He said he saw me running and was surprised that I made the train.

When I got to New York in the early afternoon, I had about two hours before the bus would leave for Connecticut. I must be crazy! I went back to the Vanderbilt YMCA! From Penn Station, this is about a 2 mile walk. I worked out for an hour and had to run in order to catch the bus at Port Authority. I don't know why I didn't just catch a taxi but I walked. I should say I ran! I guess I'm in great shape with the treadmill. I got to Port Authority in about 25 minutes. This is not an easy thing to do while carrying a two bags and navigating through the crowded streets. I made the mistake of trying to go to the bus station from the subway entrance. I ended up going back out to the street to finally find the entrance to Port Authority. I didn't know where the terminal was for the bus, so I had to find someone to ask.

The bus was almost ready to depart. I got on the bus just one minute before they left. I was exhausted by the time I was on the bus. It was such a relief to be home after all of the stress!

So, yes, I got a lot of exercise, but not the best way to get exercise in!