Reflections on Valentine's Day

This year, Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday. Now, I really like spending time with my husband, but it was dance night - and not much gets between me and my dance. So, I left a surprise for him to open when he arrived home from work and I planned to be home by 8:00 or so.

At dance, the teacher, Miss Ellie, passed out a few of those small Whitman Sampler boxes of chocolate. There is a sort of in-crowd at the dance, but it's such a large group of mostly women and I'm a relative newcomer. Having not a single shy bone in my body, I've made friends with many of the dancers. I also offer encouragement to people newer at it than I am, especially if I already know the dance. That's just who I am.

As I was preparing to depart the dance room, Miss Ellie came to me and gave me a box of chocolates! She thanked me for helping her teach! Made my day!!

Plus, when I got home, my sweet husband had a bag full of goodies for me - a Tiramisu cake and 4 different flavors of yummy-looking jams.

I'm going to have to walk a few extra steps tomorrow to counteract the calorie laden evening!

But, the moral of the story is this: you just never know where 'getting physical' (walking and dancing, folks) will get you!



***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Keep Your Ears On

Have you heard the latest numbers about how many joggers and walkers are hit by cars because they're wearing earbuds? Duh!

I've been walking outside with a Walkman and now an Ipod for more than 12 years. Not a single time have I had both of my ears plugged into the device. Not only do I want to hear some of the ambient sounds, I definitely want to be alerted to a potential hazard.

Last week, a jogger in a sponsored race made a U-turn in traffic and was hit and severely injured by a car. The driver was not held. Although pedestrians (which includes walkers and joggers) have the right of way, there is a fair question to ask. Want to be right or healthy? That jogger might have had the 'right of way' but he broke the Rules of the Road, leading to the disastrous events of the day. And, while the driver may well have been held harmless by the authorities, I feels sure that s/he suffers some level of guilt, thinking there was possibly something that could have been done to avoid the catastrophe. Life wasn't fair to anyone involved in the incident.

I'm not an audiophile. I'm also a person who would be content with black and white TV! I suggest that if you ARE an audiophile, you should do your serious listening in the relative safety of your own home - not on the walking trail.

I can hear all the songs on my Ipod well enough to sing along to them. And, OMG, I sing so poorly that only my dog appreciates my efforts. I sing because I love the music and because it makes the walking more of a work out.

But, I don't need both ears plugged into my Ipod buds to enjoy my walk. With one ear unencumbered with said earbud, I can hear oncoming traffic, dogs barking, the kid behind me on the track who wants to bike around me, and any other sound which might be of importance, from a friendly 'Hello!' to a police siren.

So, for your own safety -and that of those around you both on foot and in vehicles - keep both eyes and at least one ear on the road.





***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Walking Deer

What time of day do you walk?

I'm not a morning walker. No 5:30 AM walks before shower and office or carpool (or both). Nothing on this planet (except my children) is more dear than the hours of sleep between 3 AM and 8:30 AM. I'm just not a morning person.

So, I often walk at 9:30 or 10:00 in the morning before I go to the office. If the weather is going to be hot and humid, it's nicer to walk early. If it's sunny out and the weather prediction is for rain or gloom later in the day, I fit in a morning walk if possible.

But, other days, I walk late in the afternoon. In the winter, that often puts me walking at dusk. I'm cognizant of my surroundings, being sure to wear a bright color so I'm visible to drivers and bikers.

But dusk is also the time of day when deer will peek through the brush that lines the track at the park or walk out into the open in the football field near the creek by the high school track. Lizzie always sees them before I do.

It's always a thrill to see the deer. They are typically in groups of 4 or 5 - maybe more that I can't see as they so easily blend into their surroundings.

I hate seeing them when I'm driving since they are so hazardous on the roadway. But when I'm walking, it's like a prize I get that's just for me! They're elegant and graceful but not very smart. They can jump an 8 foot fence from a stand and run probably 20 MPH down the front yards on my street. They eat my neighbor's shrubs and are considered to be pests by many. But, I always enjoy seeing them on my walks.




***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

More Science - Walking is Trashy

Just in case I have not given you enough scientific and medical information about how beneficial walking (and other physical activity) is for you, I've got some more for you.

Today, I read an article in Science Digest about how physical activity assists the body in getting rid of 'trash' on the cellular level. Really! Did you know that? I didn't.

What happens is this - in my not very scientific oversimplification:

Each cell, in the course of the day, has a metabolic process that it goes through many times. Some cells are replaced completely every day - but not all. Every cell undergoes this metabolic process which allows it to release its energy into the body, which is how each cell does its work. So, liver cells, brain cells, heart muscle cells, toe nail cells, all do the same thing, benefiting the organ which is composed of those particular cells.

In the process of cell metabolism, 'trash' is created. Trash here is defined as the by-product of cellular metabolism - the stuff the cell uses then doesn't need anymore.

Anything that facilitates cells getting rid of their trash is good for you. Exercise is one of those things that help each cell in this process.

So, when you're carrying those bags of trash to the curb, you are throwing out the trash in more ways than one. If you drive your trash to the curb - well, that just doesn't count.




***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Dance Day

Today is one of my twice weekly Dance Days. I really look forward to them! Alas, Thursday is also the only week day I can walk with my friend Sally. So, Thursday turns into a 'work out' day. I walk my three miles with Sally in the morning then I go to my 90 minute dance at 6 PM.

Today, Sally had a change of schedule, so I had to make a decision. Could I walk in the afternoon AND dance in the evening? Usually, I have the two physical blocs separated by an afternoon of office work during which I can recover from my morning walk.

Today, if I was going to walk, I had to walk at 2 PM. Hmmmm.... Can I do this? I chose to walk then head home for a brief respite before I headed to dance. No office this afternoon. Lucky me.

Glad I walked! I drove the 35 minutes to dance then spent 45 minutes in the parking lot waiting for the guy with the church key who then triggered the security system and set the alarm ringing. Apparently someone changed the passcode without bothering to notify the evening security guy. No one, not even the Pastor with his fairly direct line to that great Line Dancer in the Sky, could get the proper code entered!

We finally gave up and went home. Such a disappointment. But, at least I had gotten a good walk in earlier in the day. If I had forgone the walk, I'd have had to rush home and get on that dratted stationary bike to get in my minimum amount of physical activity for the day.

Moral of the story is Never Miss A Chance To Walk. Got it??





***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Bad Dogs - A Valentine Story

Just outside my subdivision (which is exactly one street long), is the backyard of a house I can seldom avoid when I walk. In that yard reside two quite neglected dogs that bark, snarl, and jump at the chain link fence as Lizzie (my 4-legged walking buddy) and I walk by. Lizzie is intimidated by the loud barks and I'm angry that these dogs are unfriendly and neglected.

One day, I decided to see if I could turn the bad dogs into good ones. So, I began talking nicely to these guys as I walked by. Of course, Lizzie thought I was talking to her, so her ears perked up. She must have been doing something right, right?

After a few days of nice talk, I noticed that the angrier of the two dogs had a collar on which her name was embroidered - Sophie. So, I called her name. She's some sort of lab mix, altho' she's a pretty small dog. Short haired and yellowish - not very pretty. The other looks like a Cavalier Prince Charles Spaniel (I think that's the one. Like Charlotte fell in love with on Sex and the City.) The spaniel is both nameless and timid. But not Sophie.

Both dogs would stop barking and snarling as long as I talked to them. The spaniel would turn away from the fence, having lost interest in us. I decided to take a chance and 'meet' Sophie. So, I stopped, called her, and put my gloved hand for her to smell. She became immediately docile. She turned her side to the fence and pressed against it, clearly wanting to be petted. Now, the Spaniel is interested again.

It took several days before I was sure enough of Sophie's response to reach over the fence to pet her. She must stand up on the fence for me to reach her. She wouldn't do it - but the Spaniel would. So, Spaniel got an ear rub.

A couple days later, Sophie finally figured out what she had to do to get petted. So, she has been petted exactly twice by me.

Now, instead of crossing the street to avoid the snarling bad dogs, I have two friends I look forward to greeting. Tomorrow, I'm going to bring each a small treat.

I want to knock on the door of their house and ask the owners why they don't take care of these sweet dogs. In the almost 8 years I've lived here, these are the third couple of dogs in this house's back yard. Bad odds. I don't know how long these two will survive, but they're no longer bad dogs. Now, they're friends.

My 4-legged Valentines.



***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

When In Doubt

If there is ever a doubt if I should walk, the right decision is invariably 'yes'. Yes, I should walk - or dance or bike or do something to get myself moving in the right direction both literally and figuratively.

Do you know about the Itty-Bitty Shi##y Committee? It's the persistent and sometimes overwhelming voice that whispers or shouts inside my head, usually telling me to neglect myself, eat too much, say something mean, or do something negative, leading me down a dark path.

Does such a Committee live in your head? Rent Free?

There are a couple ways to overpower the Committee.

First, you can walk it off - as my friend Kirsten says, 'Walk off the stink of the day.'

Another way is to write it out - put those negative thought, worries, whatever on paper. Download them from your head to paper so you have more room in your head for positive things.

Dance it off. Bike it off.

I CANNOT eat it off, worry if away, or beg it to disappear. Just doesn't work

For me, physical activity is the best. After that comes an enjoyable activity like reading or crocheting. Writing helps. Calling a positive friend works too.

Don't fall victim to the Committee. Walk it off!




***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Backing Off

What do you do if you find that you've just overdone your new (or not so new) workout regimen? You must back off.

I discovered this last week when I walked 3 miles in the morning then danced 2 full hours the same evening. My bionic knees were hurting. Is that even possible? Well, the bionic knees have living muscles and tendons attached to hold them in place and I had stressed at least one of those. Turns out it was two - the one(s) that lift the knee and the one(s) that lower the knee - the motion of going up and down stairs. Not fun.

I did walk the next day, but avoided the stairs that my friend and I usually climb at both ends of the mall during our 4 rounds of those corridors. I also, sadly, stayed away from my Thursday night dance. That was a hard sacrifice for me ;-( I also iced the knee several times when it was achy.

But, it worked! After sticking to walking only , avoiding stairs, and abstaining from dancing for a full week, I was able to dance 1.5 hours tonight. I purposely did not walk this morning and I did not dance the full 2 hours. Better to get to dance for most of the time than not at all. I didn't want to reinjure whatever parts of the anatomy had been displeased with last week's activities.

So, there you have it. Backing off is hard for an enthusiastic overachiever like me. I don't tend to do things half way. But I have learned that I need to pay attention to what my body is telling me so that I can continue to do as much as I can/want rather than becoming overwhelmed with pain and losing my motivation. Works for me.



***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

Good News!

I found a pedometer with a readout large enough for me to see without my glasses! So, I ordered it and when it arrived my husband took his life into his hands and liberated the pedometer from it's almost impregnable plastic packaging. He set if for me - a mere finger punch - and I clipped it on my waistband.

That was at 3:00 PM. I had a walking date scheduled for 3:30, so off I flew, driving to the mall. Our usual walk is about 45 minutes - not quite 3 miles. After we had made our normal circuits of the mall, navigating our way around stragglers, strollers, and shoppers (why are THEY at the mall??), I checked my mileage (actually steps). It read 6579!

I headed home and went about the rest of the days activities. About 8:30, I thought to check the pedometer. It had cylced past the 10,000 mark and read 00079! Wow! I still had a couple hours to go, but I clipped it to my purse strap so I could find it the next day (and not wash it with those pants!).

So, if I can do it, so can you. I'm so pleased that 10,000 steps doesn't feel much harder than 6,000 steps. That might be different on a different day, but I was thrilled!



***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

NEED ORGANIZATION?

Need organization? I do! As my friends and family can tell you, I'm a genetically disorganized person. I know I'd have more time to do the better things in life (like walking more) if I was just more organized and didn't have to spend extra minutes and sometimes hours trying to find things I know I own.

If you're like me, you'll want to check out this blog - and enter the contest there.

Would love to win the book they're doing the Giveaway for!



***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.