Hitting the Books (and the Gym)

via Pinterest. Actual study situation is, of course, not at all picturesque.

For the next eight weeks or so, I'll be studying for a licensing-type exam, spending about six to seven hours per weekday on hitting the books. It isn't too bad, though it takes some getting used to! I'm currently at home in California and, I must say, I find the weather patterns here very strange after several summers away. After so much time spent in NYC, and in Hong Kong before that, I'm unaccustomed to dry summer climates. Not that it affects what I wear. I do most of my studying at home, which means pajama pants and those Forever 21 T-shirt nightdresses I like (back when they were made of a cotton-modal blend). 

I've actually managed to spend a fair bit of time at the gym as a form of stress relief. I'm one of those people who really doesn't enjoy working out, which means that I quickly find excuses not to exercise as soon as there's anything remotely complex, scheduling-wise, on my plate. When things are simple, though, and the only other schedule component is studying (on an entirely flexible, self-set schedule), getting to the gym is even a welcome relief. While I don't enjoy the act of working out itself, I'm remembering that I do like having it as part of my larger routine: It helps with stress relief, it feels good to get in shape, and I do like taking that time for myself.

I seem to enjoy the gym much more when I make time for it an average of five times a week, such that it really becomes part of my day-to-day routine. When I'm trying for around three times a week due to other obligations, every attempt to get out of the house for a workout becomes like pulling teeth, if only because I can never stick with it long enough to really make it a habit. I suppose I will need to try to find a happy medium between those two extremes once my office job begins in the fall, if I hope to make the gym a regular part of my routine again.