Of late, I’ve been feeling crankier than usual, attributed in part to the associated anxieties of starting a new job – and this one in teaching which has me facing 6 classes of 30 pairs of beady little eyes… starting tomorrow.
The other component underlying this deep funk is an annual affliction.  I. Hate. Heat.  It’s August and I live in South Texas.  And though I’ve lived here for decades, I never acclimate.  I just sweat and pout.
So you can understand how jubilant I am to discover that there is research to back me up.  A study from England ( where there are dark, dank winters) finds that bursts of outdoor exercise are the ultimate mood boosters.  If you are a runner, walker, cyclist or you like to row the occasional boat, you’re better off taking your sport outside rather than confining yourself to a gym, at least in terms of battling depression.  In my case, the summertime blues are like a reverse case of seasonal affective disorder.  I want my outside back.  But it involves walking across a parking lot in 100 degree heat.
 So I wait  in the air conditioning.   While we start the fall semester, autumn is still a LONG way off.