A putative study by RAND claims that, yes, exercise does lengthen your life, but only by the equivalent amount of time that you have spent exercising. (Quality-of-life considerations probably change the parity of that equation.) Take-home message: The exercise program has to be intrinsically fun, or it’s really not worth it.

 

My busy summer has started, and unfortunately it pulls me away from UCLA for a series of conferences, workshops and experiments, ending with a month-long stint on the East Coast. Therefore, I must withdraw from the BHIP program. It is a fact of this professor’s life that there is no consecutive 12-week period in which I am in residence at UCLA uninterrupted by experiments on the road, research trips, seminars, conferences.

 

I am sad to be leaving BHIP. I will especially miss the coaches and the camaraderie. I enjoyed exploring my physical limits. My fitness has improved, and I am becoming stronger physically and mentally. While the scale has not budged much, I have taken off an inch each on my waist and hips. I ran a 5K on the 4th of July. I can do 10 pushups. My goal is to maintain my hour-a-day exercise habit and continue to improve my physical fitness. My challenge will be to find ways to work myself into a sweat every day.

 

Thank you, Coach David, for your knowledgeable, professional approach, consistent encouragement, and knowing exactly when and how to push. Thank you, Mandy, for your dancing exercises and your warmth and skill. A huge thank you to UCLA for providing this opportunity.

 

But the biggest thank yous and hugs go to my fellow BHIPsters — my fellow UCLA employees. We saw each other every day. We cheered each other on as we ran, squattted, lifted, pushed ourselves to our breaking points and beyond, tried things we were afraid to try, ached, whined, cried and laughed. Here’s to BHIP!! Read all of Abby's posts here.