I have never been a huge fan of exercising. I danced for 18 years, and while it is exercise, it didn’t seem like it to me. I didn’t go to a gym for it, I wasn’t running laps, and it was fun. It was my extra-curricular.

Over the past year, I’ve finally gotten to the point where I enjoy working out. I’ve been a fan of yoga for years, but never really pushed myself. I’m at the point where I work out multiple times a week and it’s just part of my schedule. I’m now a fan of the midday run at the office. Never thought I’d see the day.

How did I get here? Not a traditional route. Last summer my stepfather died unexpectedly. I was back to work a week later. It was a stressful situation and I found it difficult to stay at work all day. So I took to running.

I’ve been trying to get into running for a long time. I could stick with it for a few months, but then I’d have a busy week and my routine would fall apart. I would leave in the afternoon to get in a mile, then continuing working online after I was finished.

I chose to just run a mile as fast as I could—mainly to spend as little time in the gym as possible. I progressively got faster. I tried different bootcamps, started doing yoga regularly, and I still run. Today I ran at noon.

Not only am I healthier as a whole, but this has been the easiest way for me to reduce stress. I’m lucky that I’m able to leave and run when I feel like it. It’s a great break to the day, and gets me out of creative ruts. Exercise is what kept me sane. It was how I kept everything from falling apart. And now it’s how I escape—it’s my own break.