I write about wine for a living, so balance is a familiar concept. But outside my 9-to-5, balance can feel a little more elusive. I’m talking, specifically, about trying to achieve physical equilibrium by following long nights of wine tasting and rich dinners with exercise and healthy eating. Sometimes, the only cure is a hardcore morning sweat session, but no one says it will be easy. To give you a sense, this was my thought process the morning after a long night.
Minutes 00:00–5:00: O.K., three miles. I can do this. Twenty-five minutes isn’t that long, and before I know it, I’ll be enjoying that yogurt parfait I’ve been dreaming of since the cab ride home last night. Two minutes has already gone by. I’m one-twelfth of the way through. This isn’t so bad after all. In fact, I feel surprisingly good!
05:00–10:00: This is strange, why am I not sweating? It’s 75 degrees and sunny. Am I really that dehydrated?
10:00–15:00: Whoa, this track is really intense on my legs. Am I running uphill? Can’t be. I’ve run this same track for more than a year now. Must’ve been the heels I wore last night. Or the dance moves that came out later in the evening. Hey, the tasting was on Bowery on a Friday night, and at least I got a good jump on today’s workout.
15:00–20:00: O.K., I’m struggling. It must be really humid today. Flights of Burgundy, like the Joseph Roty selection I enjoyed alongside last night’s dinner of roasted mushrooms and potatoes, always make me feel a certain way, but usually it’s not like this. It’s usually more of an irreplicable sensory overload of a voyage that transports me straight into the heart of the Côte d’Or itself. No, nothing like this.
20:00–22:00: What is that noise? Is my breathing actually this loud? I can hear myself through my headphones. Am I in a wind tunnel?
22:00–24:00: Focus. Focus on something good. Like the cheese. Oh, the cheese! Gevrey-Chambertin and a plate of Burgundian cow’s milk cheeses, perfectly accompanied with fruit jams and Marcona almonds? Never mind, the suffering is totally worth it…
25:00:…Except for the fact that everything internally is on fire. Regardless, I MADE IT! Go me. Time for a celebratory mimosa?
Published: December 29, 2017
