The Reach Out: Mona Charen
The Bulwark policy editor and podcast host has a message for her Apple watch.
Mona Charen is Policy Editor of The Bulwark, a nationally syndicated columnist, and host of The Bulwark’s Beg to Differ podcast.
Charen served as a speechwriter for First Lady Nancy Reagan and worked in the White House Office of Public Liaison and in the Office of Communications under President Reagan.
I reached out to Mona Charen to ask why regular exercise is important to her.
How is being active part of your life?
I try to exercise every day. I just feel like a slug if I don’t move my body. Besides, if you don’t exercise in your 60’s, you start to get aches and pains and stiffness. I do everything from home. The spinner bike, long walks with the dog, and exercises to keep the core strong and stay flexible (though I am among the least limber people you’ll ever meet!).
I’m thinking about rejoining a gym soon because I used to work out once a week with a trainer and want to get back to that.
Do you have a specific routine, or do you fit exercise in whenever you can?
Pretty much the same routine every day. Walk the dog, do the spinner bike, shower, start work. Three days a week, I do exercises I learned at physical therapy to ward off back spasms (the worst!). On weekends, Ike (the dog) and I go for longer walks in the woods.
Have your exercise habits changed since COVID began?
Not really. My husband and I are lucky in being able to work from home without too much difficulty.
Is there someone or something that motivates you to exercise regularly?
It’s just part of a healthy life. I’m one of those people who eats tons of fresh fish, fruits, and vegetables, bakes my own bread, drinks in moderation, doesn’t smoke, uses seatbelts, brushes my teeth for more than the recommended two minutes, you know, basically insufferable.
Do you wear a fitness monitor to track your steps or movement during the day?
My Apple watch reminds me that I’ve been sitting too long and I feel like replying: “Did you not notice all the walking and biking I did earlier?”
Actually, it’s funny about the Apple watch. If I forget to record a bike ride or walk, I feel disappointed -- like the great Judge in Apple land is not going to give me credit. My husband Bob says I should send a personal note to Tim Cook when that happens.
Do you watch television or listen to podcasts while you exercise?
I actually prefer to watch British police procedurals like Line of Duty or Shetland while biking. Also The Bureau. Anything to take my mind off the fact that I’m exercising and make the time fly by.
I’m betting that Mona Charen is not alone in feeling somewhat judged by her fitness tracker. Imagine how many thank you notes Tim Cook would have if everyone wrote to him.
Thank you, @monacharen
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