Walking

Day 365. I used the abs exerciser early this morning, and since it’s a lovely day I left early enough to do the RiverWalk before work this morning. Today’s soundtrack, the latest episode of the Celt in a Twist podcast, their 2011 top 12 (1 for each month, of course).

I have now gone for a walk, outdoors or inside on a treadmill, for at least half an hour (usually 45 minutes) every day for a whole year now.

Towards the end of 2000, I was seeing a bit of chatter on FaceBook about something called the 100 Days Challenge—get at least half an hour of exercise every day for 100 days in a row. I hadn’t been doing too well at getting some exercise for as little as two or three days weekly but a year ago I thought I’d see if I could make myself do some walking every day for 100 days, which at the time seemed like a hell of a long time, but I did it, and continued to do so.

Walking regularly became a lot easier once Mom helped me move to somewhere that is large enough to have a treadmill of my own right at home (thanks, Mom!). Although the place where I lived previously until I moved this Spring was conveniently located for walking, in the sense that there are fairly major N-S roads .25 miles on either side of my duplex and a major E-W road a half mile and a mile away, there are large sections where there are no sidewalks at all. That meant I usually had to go over to the gym and use the treadmill there, or stop at the park with the nice 2-mile path I regularly drove past, or do the RiverWalk downtown, but I still managed to get a walk in every day once I started.

Having my own treadmill at home really has helped. I really enjoy going for walks outside, either in my new neighborhood, along the RiverWalk, or down in the park near where I used to live but I have to admit that some mornings I just can’t get motivated to shave and shower and leave early enough to drive somewhere else to walk and still make it to work on time. For instance, I left home before 8 this morning to be able to do the RiverWalk. I can start using the abs exerciser at 8, be on the treadmill by 8:15, use it for 45 minutes, shave and take a shower, and still have time to make it into work by 10. Then there are the days where I just haven’t been able to get myself motivated to just use the treadmill in the morning, but even then I’ve still used the treadmill later that day, in the afternoon or later. (This doesn’t count the weekend days when I use the abs exerciser in the morning, and plan on doing my walking in the afternoon. I’m talking about days like the one where I pretty much had a sinus headache all day until after dinner, which is when I used the treadmill, days like that.) Or the days where the South Florida weather isn’t conducive to walking outside (high heat/humidity, heavy rain, lightning, etc.).

I don’t know if I feel better since I started walking/exercising regularly, but then again I wouldn’t have said I felt bad when I wasn’t exercising at all. I don’t think it’s affected my allergic sensitivity to dust, which is my major noticeable health problem (other than there being more of me than there should be, of course), but Mom thinks the walking/exercise has to have improved my resistance. Although I have lost quite of weight over the last year and a half, most of it was before I started walking and I still have quite a bit more to lose. I do know that I probably wouldn’t have been as able to do as much walking around as I did in Glasgow and Edinburgh when I was there this summer if I hadn’t been doing my daily walking.

My goals for the next 35 days/year? Keep up the walking, outside whenever possible, maybe do a full 60 minutes on weekends/days I don’t work/Tuesdays & Wednesdays when I work 12-8 PM (unless accident or injury prevents me prevents me for walking or even limping on the treadmill and if that happens, I’ll just start again from day 1 and see how far I get that time—I’m not going to allow not feeling well to keep me from dragging myself on to the treadmill for at least the minimum half an hour). Use the abs exerciser every day I’m home, eventually moving on to the longer, more involved intermediate work out. Eat at home more often and do a good job with portion control, and concentrate on having lower-calorie snacks like fruits and low fat yogurt.

Happy New Year’s, everyone!

Stephen