Off days

There's a discussion thread on Karateforums.com about workouts on one's day off from TKD classes.

I'm kind of interested in this. On my days off of TKD, I have days on ballet (about 2x a week). Sometimes I swim laps. I also like to take walks. Does this count as "working out?" I find all those things fun.

When I'm away from home, as I am now, I sometimes get antsy for exercise. My joints tend to get stiff, so often if I travel--say, here, to visit my parents and brother--I take my swimsuit and goggles. As a Y member, I can get into a Y anywhere for a little swim. Makes me feel less cranky.

The trip I'm on now (I'm writing this away from home) is short--too short to spend it in a pool somewhere. So this time, my brother and I did our usual exercise, a walk down the parkway to Isaac Lake, around lake on the path, and back. We try to do this every time I come by myself for a visit.

It's kind of a walk back into our childhoods. We spent a lot of time playing in the parkway, a strip of woods between two sections of town. A small creek runs through the parkway; we always liked to splash there, clear away trash, and look for minnows.

Lake Isaac is really a pond, surrounded by scraggly woods. We'd bike up there when we were kids and spend the whole day adventuring around, finding "forts," and blackberrying. Since that time, the metropark system has taken over that spot of ground, tamed the woods a bit, and spiffed up the trail. It's less wild than it used to be, but there are still kingfishers and snapping turtles. I'm glad, too, that someone looks after it, and it's not going to turn into a subdivision.

Bill and I walk briskly, talking and watching out for birds, mushrooms, leaves turning. It takes about an hour or so. Probably a few miles, enough to stretch out the few remaining kinks from last Saturday's grueling TKD workout. All in all, it's a great walk. We've done it with the kids when I come with my family, but sometimes it's nice just the two of us.