Dusting off ye olde treadmill

Blogging has influenced my thinking and decisions and changed my point of view in more ways than I can recount. Last year after the Virginia Tech tragedy, for example, Suebob suggested an excellent, thoughtful, helpful response: giving to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. I immediately clicked through and made a donation. I've gained a much deeper appreciation of what it's like to face homelessness, depression, a health insurance system that doesn't help parents help children.

More frivolously, I've made purchases based on recommendations from other bloggers and tried dozens of new products for myself. And lately, I've been actually sticking with an exercise plan, and I have a blogger friend to thank for that too.

Last fall, Amy from Binkytown wrote about starting a running regimen (and in fact she, in turn, was influenced by another blogger!). What stuck with me was this: "You don't think you have 20 minutes? You do."

That's sound reasoning and it's totally true. And it's no slam to Amy to say that it's not original. I've heard the advice before, but I didn't really hear it until she said it. It still took 6 months for me to actually act on it. But now, I'm looking for that 20 minutes every day, and I'm finding it. First thing in the morning, right after bedtime, by bike on the way to or from the kids' schools, even squeezed into the middle of my working hours if that's what it takes. It's there and I just have to use it. (My secret weapon, by the way, is Exercise TV on Demand.)

So thanks, Binkytown, for kicking my butt into gear via the Internetz. And thanks, Julie P., for another Hump Day Hmm (which I also seem to be making a habit. Two in a row!).