exercise; arghh!

So, for the past 3 weeks or so, a friend and I have been getting up at 5 am and hiking up a mountain for exercise. This is all foreign to me, because I am not an exercise person. I loathe exercising! To me it is boring, and to get up at 5 am....well...I'll just say, I love my sleep. This "hike" is brutal-I am not the most in shape person, so I huff and puff and my leg muscles scream at me as I force my way up the mountain. The best part is reaching the top and looking over the valley we live in. It is beautiful with the sun coming up over the hills, and the saguaro cactus' silouhette against the sunrise backdrop. When we start out at 5, it is dark. No moon, only a few stars and you can hear owls and a few coyotes in the distance. It is a little creepy, but we bring our flashlights, so we can at least see where we are walking. Plus, I am hopeful that the lights keep the coyotes and havalina's away. Now that I have been doing this, I must admit that I really am starting to enjoy it. I automatically wake up at 4:30ish, so I don't have to set my alarm. I enjoy the peacefulness in the early morning and being outdoors in the cooler weather...80's! The very best part is I feel better during the day, I don't feel achey as much and seem to have more energy. I also have lost a few pounds between the exercise and eating better. So I guess exercise does have it's benefits!