Stamina

I recently applied for a new job, school principal, and am waiting on the results of my interviews. One of my friends recently invited me to some facebook groups for principals and one comment on a post in particular recently caught my attention. One of the principals said, "In order to be a successful principal, you need to have the trait of stamina".

I have a lot of stamina inside of me. I can tolerate a lot of stress, dysfunctional, long work hours and have a lot of emotional stamina. But I am pretty out of shape and haven't been exercising, especially ever since we came back to work after the shut down. I am out of shape. I need to lose weight. I need to improve my cardio. I even get physically exhausted from cleaning the house, running errands or even going out and doing things on vacation.  It's time for me to increase my physical stamina. 

In October I was co-admin at a school site for about 11 weeks. I had previously had an injury from a car accident that affected my leg and foot that took years to heal. I don't know if it is just a coincidence (because there have been a number of times that it flared up briefly) but once I started at the school site I suddenly had major pain in my foot and leg. I suspect it was from all the walking that I was suddenly doing but I am also not sure if it was a coincidence.

After a week or so of walking, my hips also started to ache badly. In fact, my lower body ached so bad that there were nights that it woke me up from the pain. It got better once I left the school site and wasn't walking so much but I am still in a lot of pain with my foot. I haven't been exercising-which I know is a problem-and I am at an all time high in my weight. I really need to get this problem under control. 

The other day I went to an event with a friend at a zoo and I only walked about 7000 steps, which really isn't a lot. But my feet and my legs ached so bad afterwards and I felt exhausted. I always feel exhausted. I huff and I puff and I run out of energy. My legs and my feet hurt. My lower back hurts. I haven't done yoga in over a year and a half. It's been almost a year since I stopped exercising consistently. 

If I get this job, I am going to need a lot of physical stamina. I remember there being days that I had to run after students. The job requires a lot of walking and being on your feet. I once had to pick up a little kindergarten student who threw herself on the ground in the street and wouldn't go to school and I had to carry her into the office to keep her safe. The job will definitely require physical stamina.

If I get this job, I am not sure when I would start but I imagine that I would be in place for June. June might not be too much of an issue because it is just summer school and not as many students will be there. But the new school year starts in August and I will need to be at the top of my game for any potential kindergarten runners (or other runners). It'll also help my stress levels to have more energy once the school starts.

I keep saying that I will start today but I am going to start today. I am going to start steady and slow with a light walk and light yoga today. I am a little frustrated with myself that I am thinking about exercising for a job and not for myself, but....whatever works, right? I know there are no shortcuts and that the only way to increase my physical stamina is to get consistent with moving, drink water, and sleep water. I better get busy.