Slice of Chaotic Life

Yesterday I was out walking in the sun for 3-4 hours in a stretch. This was not the best possible idea, I guess, judging from my bright red nose and forehead today. So today I waited until late in the afternoon before taking the bus to Kristiansand to hack portals. The sun was setting when I took the bus home. But that was two and a half hours later. I guess it adds up, because I feel even more tired than yesterday.

I did not jog, just walked and walked. But evidently there are limits even to that. I haven’t really been exercising more than an hour at a time at all this year. Last summer I would typically follow a 5-quarter many days, but this year I mostly take the 40-minute route (over the new bridge). I have read in numerous popular science articles that there is little benefit in exercising more than 30 minutes a day. I already do approximately that just getting to work and back, not to mention any trips in the lunch break. So adding another 40 minutes after I come home is pure luxury, I guess, but I often enjoy it.

Evidently adding a couple more hours to that requires my body to make some adjustments. Pulse remains 10-15 beats over normal throughout the rest of the evening. If I don’t have an infection without knowing it, the higher pulse usually means the body is busy changing something. Perhaps adding new tiny blood vessels to muscles, or adding glycogen to muscles or liver, or shuffling fat around from long-term deposits to more accessible places. I don’t expect the muscles themselves to bulk up simply from traipsing around on the pavement.