The Workout called Commuting

Since I take four rides to work, I have to make sure that my going to work serves other purposes as well. I usually take a trip to the gym.  I do my cardio, work on some equipment. Yes, the effort is there to lose some weight. I intend to keep my butt size to average since I take jeepneys a lot (Read Upong Piso). In the process of going to the gym , I think I become more agile, flexible and faster.These are what Super-Commuters should possess in times of rushhours. Most of the time, I manage to get a seat and sometimes not. There is a rush in me when jostling happens; I forget some jeepney or bus manners when I'm pressed for time. I MUST TAKE THE BUS NOW! It's like the game, Trip to Jerusalem, where players look for seats, and the unfortunate and sluggish player leaves the game. Fun! Fun! Fun! No, not all the time. In the real life Bus Trip to Destination game, you either (a) leave or take another bus, (b) stand throughout the trip, or (c) squeeze yourself into whatever space left. These are realities experienced by most Manila Commuters. Now, we're just warming up.

For our cardio, athletics comes in. Imagine running after a bus or jeep along a NO LOADING Zone. Track and Field you call it. If we miss our ride, a training in walkathon would come in handy. The required twenty minutes a day to keep a healthy heart is observed by most commuters. We probably would not die of heartattack, but we certainly are candidates for lung problems.

As for the workout, we do a lot of free weights coupled  with cardio. Backpacks, document folders, plastic and papers bags constitute the weights; we carry these as we go about our business around town. We don't have to enroll in a gym to experience sauna or steam as heat-producing places abound for commuters. Nothing beats  natural heat.

Our cool down is that short tricycle ride to our house or that short walk that leads us closer to the welcoming embrace of our family. It is only then we give out our biggest sigh of relief on our commuter workout, and start anew on another workout waiting for us at home. Sigh.

Rush hour

Today you leave the house minutes after your usual time. You pray that a jeep welcomes you as you head to the street. But there is none. Then, suddenly there is, but a filled one. You glance at your watch and it says twenty-five minutes until reporting time. You begin to panic as you cannot afford to be late. Just as you are contemplating on taking a cab, an almost empty jeep makes its way for you. You hop on it and give a sigh of relief. The jeep suddenly takes a u-turn for the nearest gas station. You tell yourself  "this will just take a few minutes."The driver fills his tank, and gets the jeep back to its lane. He now stops at every sight of a  possible passenger.  Passengers take their sweet time to get on the jeep. The driver sees there are three more seats left. He makes the long stretch his loading area; at every intersection and corner he stops. You begin to be annoyed and  create a list of invectives in your head. "This cannot be happening," you tell yourself. You are looking for coins in your wallet to pay the remaining seats when all of a sudden the jeep stops.  A cop asks the driver to pull over. You are now made aware of the time because your boss is calling you on the phone.

I'll end the story there.

This has happened to me a lot times.What I don't like about it is the pressure and stress these experiences give me.  To start a day with a stressful morning makes one cranky and irritated the whole day.

The list of bad experiences doesn't end there.

Have you ever experienced getting off the jeep because the driver requests you to transfer because the driver claims to have had a flat tire or some other reasons which are incomprehensible to a passenger who just wants to get to his/her destination?  Ok, a flat tire is understandable, but when you see that the driver simply doesn't want to drive all the way to the end because of the heavy traffic or rain, you would feel duped!

Pretty much like the traffic in Manila streets

Alright, I'll stop here. Recalling all  those irks me already. I'll think of a happier post next time.

The roads aren't the same once they hold a sale.