Archive for Santa Monica

Traffic – A Contraindication for My Health and Well Being!

In medicine, contraindication refers to a condition that serves as the reason a treatment or procedure is inadvisable. In driving, traffic is a contraindication for many things, particularly when you’re on a quest to do something or go somewhere that goes awry because of the traffic. Ultimately, it defeats the purpose of going in the first place. The reaction can leave us apoplectic! I encountered this on Saturday and it reminded me of another similar situation. Oddly and ironically, both incidents occurred when I was on my way to do yoga.

Someone once gave me a one month membership to a yoga studio in Santa Monica. It was a really bad idea for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which was that it was terribly inconvenient. The studio was just about 4 miles from my home, but because of traffic it would take 40 minutes, sometimes more to get there, plus time to park and walk to the studio. By the time I would arrive to a class, I would be in serious need of relaxation! It would take the entire class to de-stress me and by then it was time to get back in car and drive home. So not worth it!

This past weekend, I encountered a similar problem. This time, I signed up for a yoga/meditation class at a place about 3 miles from my home in another direction. The problem this time wasn’t traffic as much as finding parking. There was no parking to be found anywhere near the studio, not even a parking lot where I could pay. I drove around the neighborhood for 10-15 minutes to no avail. I could have walked nearly half way there in that amount of time! As I felt my blood pressure rising, I decided that it was not advisable to continue this exercise of futility. I’d like to say that’s the last time I’ll need to drive somewhere for the benefit of improving my health and well being, but I’m sure it’s not.

How many times has driving or traffic gotten in the way of your well being?

Marci