In the years 2020 and 2021, years that are increasingly easier to categorize as “the past” rather than the present, I worked from home every day, and most of those days I also worked out from home. Late in the morning, between meetings, or around lunchtime, she would ride a stationary bike, lift weights, or dance to Rihanna with a choreographer who live-streamed a daily class from an enviable home in Joshua Tree.
It was easy, in those days when nothing else was easy, to find time to exercise. The routine that had eluded me for most of my life was, during those years, attainable. In the years since then, this routine has become unrealistic most of the time. The days are once again organized around the office and its trips. Options for how to spend non-work time are no longer limited to a limited menu of what can be accomplished from a distance of six feet or more. Exercise, once again, has become something I put on a to-do list and try to squeeze in before or after work—an essential practice, but one that now competes with the entire open world for my time and attention.
I’ve adapted to what many of us do: a non-routine routine where I exercise whenever I can: jogging before work when I can wake up, quick rounds of strength training between meetings on days I work remotely, more workouts long weekends. . I constantly feel like I’m not doing enough, that I’m not engaging in a rigorous enough optimization program.
I read this week about a recent study in which people who exercised in the evening saw their risk of death decrease by up to 28 percent compared to those who exercised in the morning or afternoon. This, I thought, was convincing! I should become an after-work jock, one of those people who puts on gym clothes before leaving the office, who runs on a treadmill while watching “The Bachelor,” and who knows what else might be possible? – eats three ounces of lean protein for dinner at 8, spends a good 20 minutes melting away the ravages of sitting from my hips with a foam roller, and is in bed with a book – no screens! – for 10.
I quickly realized that this was a ridiculous fantasy. I am a diligent athlete, a person who does it because-I have to do it, always under slight pressure, wanting to do it in order to feel fulfilled, but also always fighting against my essential nature, which is, “I”. I’ve gotten used to admitting that I’m a little lazy. My exercise regimen is not a moving feast that I can change at an optimal schedule. I skipped to the part of the Times story about the study that I always look for in stories like this, the one that assures me that while the study is compelling, the most important thing about the exercise for most people is that they do it. There it was, courtesy of Angelo Sabag, an exercise physiologist who led the study: “Whenever you can, exercise,” Dr. Sabag said. “That is the answer”.
This is where I’d like to stop, having determined that any exercise is better than none, and congratulate myself for doing enough. And I will, for today, because it’s Saturday and I have the luxury of exercising at noon and I’m not going to waste it. But these days I’m trying to address things about myself that seem more curiously fixed. So, as I run through the park in the spring sunshine, I commit to reflecting on a few questions. What is it about the way I approach exercise that fills me with a bit of dread, that turns it into a chore rather than a joy or a privilege or at least something I approach with interest? If I wanted to exercise in the evenings, for potential health benefits or just because it would be nice to change things up, how can I do it in a way that doesn’t feel like a punishment?
Last week I wrote about considering how we spend our days, remembering that our time is limited. “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives,” as Annie Dillard wrote. “What we do with this hour and that, is what we are doing.” If what we are doing at this or that specific time is exercise, how can we make it a little more enjoyable? How can we make it a blessed hour instead of a cursed hour?
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THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Music
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Israel is under pressure to end the war. Behind the scenes, its officials are considering a postwar plan in which Israel would oversee Gaza alongside Arab countries and the United States.
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Turkey has halted trade with Israel until Israel stops bombing Gaza and allows more humanitarian aid in.
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A Times investigation, based on videos from journalists and witnesses, shows how counterprotesters instigated violent clashes with a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA, and how police waited hours to respond.
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Some professors at UCLA, Columbia, and other universities have joined pro-Palestinian student protesters, given them food, and even been arrested.
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China, Iran and Russia have mounted online campaigns amplifying protesters’ messages, criticizing police and stoking American political divisions.
Other great stories
CULTURAL CALENDAR
😹 “Woke Foke” (Saturday): Even if you didn’t watch the Katt Williams interview that broke the internet earlier this year, you probably read an interesting take, saw a highlight reel, or were vaguely aware that he had a problem with someone. My colleague Elena Bergeron talked about all of that in a new profile of Williams that was published this week, and this weekend her comedy special “Woke Foke” airs on Netflix. It’s only the second time the streamer has gone live with a comedian (the first was Chris Rock in 2023) and, as Williams told Elena, speaking of himself in the third person, “The benefit of Katt Williams going live is that you don’t do it. Either way, I know what he is going to say.”
Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Tart
We’ve hit peak asparagus season in much of the country, so now is the time to show them off. My Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Tarragon Tart is perfect for a light dinner, a delicate appetizer if you’re making a multi-course meal, or a festive spring snack to serve with drinks. It’s best when hot, but still good a few hours later after cooling.
REAL ESTATE
The hunt: An Alabama native looked in Brooklyn for a one-bedroom home for less than $500,000. Which home did he choose? Play our game.
What you get for $2.1 million: An 1830s Cape Cod-style house in Provincetown, Massachusetts; to 1939 two bedroom cabin in Austin, Texas; or an 1840s house in Charleston, SC
Living small: The tiny Bolt-Together House in Delancey, New York, had no heat or bathroom, but it was his for $85,000.
No surprise necessary: Some couples, rejecting traditional commitments, opt for joint proposals.
Beauty: When I was little, Sofia Coppola used to melt lipsticks to look like a character from a Roman Polanski film. That inspired her new line of tinted lip balms.
Travel: Chacarita is a quirky, low-key neighborhood in Buenos Aires where you can find Art Deco houses on cobblestone streets and decadent churros.
Old people: Rates of certain sexually transmitted infections are increasing among older people. Read about how to stay safe.
WIRECUTTER TIPS
It’s time to clean your camera roll
If you’re like me, your phone’s photo library is a mess. I have over 50,000 images stored in Google Photos, and while powerful search tools and facial recognition make it easy to manage this huge collection, I still spend a lot of time scrolling to find what I’m looking for. To get organized, the experts at Wirecutter have some tips, including developing a “delete day” habit. Take a few minutes daily to look up the day’s date in your photo software of choice and then delete, hide, or sort photos from that day in previous years. With a little work, you can transform your photo warehouse into a curated gallery. — Max Eddy
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets, NBA playoffs: The Timberwolves, who just won their first playoff series in two decades, now must face last year’s champions. The Nuggets have two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, a 7-footer whose water polo-inspired passes make him unlike anyone else in the game. But do they have an answer for Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves’ 22-year-old star, whose explosive athleticism (check out this first-round dunk) has drawn comparisons to a young Michael Jordan? 7pm ET tonight on TNT