Whether it’s lifting weights, attending dance classes, or running laps, there’s something for everyone when it comes to working out in D.C. For me, I tend to take a different approach.
With a set work schedule running Monday-Thursday and a morning class on Friday, I rarely find the motivation during the week to try and stay active. Although there are several gyms the area, including one in the basement of the Washington Center, I tend to try to relax in the evening, using my time to socialize with roommates and friends. Thus, I need to get my exercise in alternative ways.
The first way I like to stay active is walking. It may not raise my heart rate in the same way lifting weights does, but walking is a great way to stay healthy (especially after a few too many Georgetown cupcakes). Outside of weekends, where I’m typically walking a lot, the work week often consists of long periods of sitting. To combat these hours of inactivity, I make sure to walk to and from work as much as possible. Based on the location of my internship, it would take me over an hour to walk to work, which would be unreasonable to try and do every day. To ensure that I still get my daily steps, I opt to walk outside of any time spent on the metro. Rather than taking a bus or car service from Waterfront station to my job, I walk, ensuring that I get at least 30 minutes of intense walking every day.
Once arriving at work, I try to remain active during breaks ie. always eating food in the lunchroom, going to the IT desk instead of calling, etc.. This helps keep both my body and mind sharp, giving me an opportunity to charge my batteries before returning to work.
In general, I’m not the kind of person who enjoys the traditional means to staying active. Although I have a state of the art weight room where I work, I rarely use it, lacking the motivation to pump iron as often as I probably should. To remain active, I try to play casual organized games like basketball or volleyball with my co-workers instead, using the state of the art court located on base. These casual games have been a great way for me to get closer to my co-workers, and have actually doubled as great networking events, giving me access to high profile professionals in less professional ways.
For those of you that enjoy staying active through traditional means, there are tons of sports leagues, gyms, and yoga classes that are open to the public around the city. If not, I’m sure you’ll find other ways to stay active around D.C. that work best for you. Whether you lift weights or like to walk, try to push yourself to stay active–I know that you can do it!
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