I have a volatile relationship with my fitness tracker. We’re on again off again, depending on the latest study (10,000? 15,000? 4,000?) and how many workouts I’ve managed that week. When I’ve missed a run or skipped leg day, I’m much more attentive to my step count. “Well, at the very least you accidentally walked 3.36 miles today,” I might tell myself at the end of a day during which I’ve barely locomoted, assembling my meager step collection through commuting to the office and, while there, going to get water twice, possibly three times, depending, again, on the latest study (64 ounces? Get it from fruits and vegetables? If you’re thirsty it’s too late?).
I found myself recently rambling about the manicured campus of a sprawling outdoor outlet mall. Before you remind me that I do not need any more stuff, I will tell you I was there really just out of curiosity. Who was spending their perfectly warm but not-too-warm late Sunday afternoon in pursuit of bargains? A good proportion of the greater New York City area’s population, it turned out. All of us, dull of eye and shuffling of foot, ambling the brick pathways from one shop to the next when the weather was practically begging us to go for a bike ride or a swim instead.
An hour in, outside a high-tech outerwear boutique, the sort of place where real athletes buy performance gear for the sports I was not participating in, I checked my step count: 5,700. Perhaps the day wouldn’t be lost entirely to sloth, I reasoned. By the time I made it back to the car, which I’d (virtuously, I reminded myself) parked a good distance from the shops to avoid paying for parking, I’d clocked over 13,000 steps.
I know! What was next for me? A world championship title? Biking 11 miles to and from Costco with a trailer of groceries, as Andrew Leonard has been doing since his car broke down three years ago? Leonard has found errand-running to be his ideal form of exercise: a healthy routine that’s intrinsically motivated by his love of cycling and his love of getting things done.
I’ll admit I’ve tended to look askance at incidental exercise. I like intentional movement, a workout that begins and ends and then I’ve fulfilled my contract. It’s not fashionable to admit this. “Take the stairs!” instruct people who see the world as their gym. “Get off the subway one stop early!” lecture those who do not leave a precise two-and-a-half-minute cushion to get from their house to their first meeting.
“The most important thing,” a physical activity psychologist told Leonard, “is that people find ways to make their burst of exercise — be it walking the dog or biking to Costco — the most enjoyable possible.” I have a friend who’s permanently moved her therapy appointments to the phone so she can walk and talk and get her steps in. I remember a colleague telling me about how she brushed her teeth in a squat, a twice-a-day mini glute workout.
Where can we, you and I, get more exercise in an enjoyable way? The problem, I find, is what we qualify as “enjoyable.” I told myself that I enjoyed stretching during conference calls while working from home, but it was so enjoyable that I did it for two days and then never again. I respond well to arbitrarily self-imposed rules, so I’m toying with a carrot-and-stick approach. I love listening to podcasts and audiobooks. If I make a rule that I can finish “The Sullivanians” only if I am walking while I do it, there’s a very good likelihood I’ll lace up.
How do you fold exercise into your everyday? How do you make it enjoyable when a far more attractive option is, say, taking a nap? Tell me. Include your full name and location and I might include your response in an upcoming newsletter.
For more
Nothing gets between David Sedaris and his 21,000 steps.
“You have to make a decision to put exercise into your day; it’s not just magically going to happen.” How to exercise when you don’t want to.
How about a workout that’s done in 10 minutes instead?
Or, try two-minute bursts.
Generally, the more minutes the better.
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Olivia Rodrigo is facing a daunting task: following up a smash debut.
One of the original “Sex and the City” quartet, Samantha, returned briefly in the season finale of “And Just Like That … .”
The singer Oliver Anthony denounced Republicans for co-opting his hit song, “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
Michael Oher says Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy unfairly profited from his story in “The Blind Side.” They have denied it.
Netflix said that customers could keep their final batch of DVDs as it ended its mail-rental business.
“Bottoms” is a new film about teen lesbians that aims to hit the tone of a horror-indie-dramedy-action-teen sex comedy.
Songs recorded in 2009 by Mark Linkous, the creative force behind the band Sparklehorse who died in 2010, are finally being released this fall.
Ben Gibbard, the singer for Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service, said he’s honoring his past with a tour this fall to perform hit albums by the two groups.
Are Broadway musicals like “Six,” “& Juliet” and “Once Upon a One More Time” really empowering for women? Times critics debated.
The director of the British Museum resigned, acknowledging that he had failed to respond to warnings that a curator was stealing items.
The breakout hit of the Edinburgh Fringe? A clown who performs at 1:30 a.m.
A widow’s legal fight could unravel an art dynasty.
Bonnie Prince Charlie is portrayed as a beautiful character in “Outlander,” but a new replica of his real-life visage shows him with imperfections like acne.
THE LATEST NEWS
After the crash of the mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane, the Russian government appears to be sending the message that no achievement is protection from punishment for disloyalty.
The authorities in Hawaii released the names of 388 people who were still unaccounted after the deadly wildfires on Maui.
“Penny,” the woman whom Ron DeSantis cited at the Republican debate as a survivor of abortion attempts, has told her story before as that of an unwanted child.
The heat wave in parts of the U.S. this week prompted school cancellations, highlighting districts’ lack of preparedness for extreme weather.
The latest problem to plague China’s economy is a crisis of confidence.
Spain’s soccer federation threatened legal action to protect its president’s reputation after a star player said he had forcibly grabbed and kissed her on the lips, prompting calls for his resignation.
CULTURE CALENDAR
???? “The Equalizer 3” (Friday): Star actors don’t quite exist in the way they used to, but Denzel Washington remains one of our last greats. And what range! He can play a mammoth American stage role, as he did when he portrayed Hickey in “The Iceman Cometh” five years ago. He can star as Macbeth in a spartan black-and-white film directed by one of the Coen brothers. And then he can crack heads in a franchise like the Equalizer series, the third entry of which finds his lead character just trying to take it easy in Southern Italy when he crosses paths with the Mafia.
???? “Justified: City Primeval” (Tuesday): Speaking of franchises, Hollywood has gotten scarily proficient at thinking of new ways to extend their life spans. Based on a character created by Elmore Leonard, the beloved FX series “Justified,” starring Timothy Olyphant as the U.S. marshal Raylan Givens, ended in 2015. But who’s to say that Raylan couldn’t be the main character in other Leonard adaptations, including of books he never even appeared in? That was the case with “City Primeval,” which ends its eight-episode run this week.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
BLT Pasta
Why restrict one of summer’s sterling trios — bacon, lettuce and tomato — to the space between two slices of bread? Colu Henry’s BLT pasta turns that staple sandwich into an easy seasonal dinner, with a smoky sauce built on bacon fat. Arugula or baby spinach replaces the standard iceberg lettuce.
REAL ESTATE
No renovation: She got her dream house as long as she kept a promise.
What you get for $500,000: A Craftsman bungalow in Syracuse, Ind.; an Edwardian house in Louisville, Ky.; or a 1912 cottage in Milwaukie, Ore.
The hunt: They wanted a house in the Orlando, Fla., area that was ready for move-in. Which one did they choose? Play our game.
LIVING
Bridal wear: A designer says that wedding veils, which are often seen as outdated, can be a form of personal expression.
Take a dip: In the cold waters off Washington Island, Wis.
Generational divide: Hate Gen X? Get in line — behind a Gen X-er.
At the bar: Some men see certain cocktail glasses as lacking masculinity.
ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER
Stock up your car
As summer winds down and you begin cleaning out sand from your trunk, spare a moment to take stock of what’s in your car. Outfitting your vehicle with essentials and emergency items can help life run more smoothly. For my fall reset, I’m finally getting a foldable, durable bag to keep in the glove compartment. I’m guilty of forgetting reusable bags at home and often have to awkwardly clutch purchases while fumbling for my keys. Wirecutter has expert recommendations for cheap(ish) things to always keep in your car, including a first aid kit and a reliable jump starter. — Gabriella DePinho
GAME OF THE WEEKEND
Little League World Series: Youth baseball players the world over dream of playing on the manicured fields of South Williamsport, Pa., in late August. Friends and family cheer them from the stands, and TV cameras capture their athletic glory. By the end of the weekend, one team will be crowned champion. But just by making it this far, every kid in Williamsport has already done something amazing.
Here’s a bit about the four remaining teams:
Needville, Texas, loosens up before big games with a dance-off between players and coaches.
El Segundo, Calif., holds a pregame huddle to talk about the importance of playing for one another.
Willemstad, Curaçao, has been cheered on by a special guest — Jonathan Schoop, an alumnus of the team who went on to play in the majors.
Taoyuan, Taiwan, gathers before and after each game to pay respect to the baseball fields.
The international championship is at 12:30 p.m. today, and the U.S. game is at 3:30 p.m. The winners will play in the final at 3 p.m. tomorrow. All of the games are on ABC.
NOW TIME TO PLAY
Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were belittling, belting, billeting and intelligible.
See the hardest Spelling Bee words from this week.
Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines.
And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku.
Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa
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