Marchers at goa. How about marching

The second tool in our arsenal or W E P N is exercise. I used to think exercise was a foul, evil word, but no longer. Now that we have lost the bulk of our excess weight it is so much easier to exercise. It is easier on our bodies and much more enjoyable. The trick is to find an exercise that best suits your needs and lifestyle. For many people it is to "go to the gym". (I'll be honest with you, I have never been to a gym in my life) It is very important to enjoy the activities that you choose. It should be something that you would do whether it was good for you or not. If you dread exercising your success with it will only be short term. My exercise of choice is walking. I can do it anywhere, it doesn't require any special tools or equipment other then a good pair of shoes. I can and do walk at any time of the day or night. It provides me with a wonderful feeling of wellbeing and is as much for my physical health as well as my mental health There is a program called "10,000 steps" if we take that number of steps each day it would equal 5 miles. I know that sounds like a lot, but it is only about twice the amount we normally would walk in a day anyways. If we walk 10,000 steps we will burn about 500 calories. The good news is that if we are following all of our other nutritional guidelines and we are at goal we could in theory consume 500 extra calories a day without it having a detrimental effect on our weight. If you are not at goal and you made no other changes in your life you could lose 50 pounds in a year just by walking. It is a good idea to wear a pedometer to track your steps at first. You can be very creative in how you fit more steps into your day. Park your car further away from your destination or take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Walk during part of your lunch hour or breaks. It may be a good idea to have an exercise partner, but keep in mind it is ultimately up to you to succeed. My personal goal is to walk an average of 4 miles a day in addition to my normal steps taken during the day. Last month I walked 111 miles and I have walked 1500 miles since I started logging my walking thirteen months ago. So how about you, what is your exercise of choice? Life is great, Rick

mine is swimming...that is the one thing I miss about liveing in TX i had an indoor pool i could go to every day and i did just about... I loved working out at the gym and I REALLY need to get back to doing that..if I had my bike I would be riding that..I love to bike ride....i do have a pedometer in fact my mom gave me a new last week that has a radio built in and flaslight as well....my mother gets up and walks every moring...before my dad even gets out of bed...by the tiime I drop my kids off at school and get to her house at 745 she's already gone and been back...she'll be 67 on the 14th. When i moved back she decided she needed to get moving and she has done great she's lost 18 pounds...which I know may not sound like a lot but I think it's wonderful. I guess I should follow my mom's lead and get moving too.

Mimi, It sounds like you have many options for exercise that you enjoy. It is just a matter of getting out there and doing it. I also think you should be proud of your mother and her renewed commitment. Yes 18 pounds does sound like a lot to me . Now that I am on day shift again, I take my first walk at 6:00 a.m. I walk a mile with my wife. I walk a mile and a half for my lunch break and then usually two and a half miles after work. At least that is what works for me. Have a great day, Rick

I want to do my 10,000 steps! What type of pedometer do you have? Think I will invest in two this weekend - one for me and one for hubby and we will have a contest and see who walks the most in a day!!!! Do you have a cheapie pedometer or a more expensive one? Is your 4 miles over and above your 10,000 steps in a day???? I think I want to keep track of how far I walk too- what a great way to look back and see how far you have gone! Barbara

Barbara, I've got to be honest, I no longer use a pedometer. When I first starting walking I had a pedometer and measured out my walks. I'm pretty boring and walk the same routes all of the time so I know how far I am walking. With my current work schedule I walk my 10,000 steps in additions to my normal activites. The bad part is I work a desk job for 10 hours a day and don't get a lot of walking in outside of my dedicated walks. It helps me to be accountable to my pocket calendar. If I don't have my mileage written down, I didn't walk it. I'm the same way with my weight. I weigh once a day, but I log it every week on a computer site. Rick

I have been walking on my country road about 4 times a week. My neighbors have been walking with me off and on (some go with me some days, others on other days). If we walk from one end of the road to the other, and back, it is 3 miles. I have gone to gyms off and on since I was 10. My mom was always trying to help her little fat girl lose weight I've NEVER liked gyms. I can't even tell you how many memberships I've had and different places over the years I even belonged to "Jack LaLane's" gym back in late 70's/early 80's... *sigh* I enjoy walking, especially since I take my dogs and feel like its beneficial to all of us. I wish my hubby would walk with me. I can rarely convince him to go... I'm worried about the weather changing soon, and not getting out to walk. I found a class at the community college, though, and its a walking group. It said they have indoor facilities for walking... so I may try that soon. Starts in Oct...

Rebecca, It's nice when you have someone to walk with. My wife has started walking with me in the morning. I agree with you about the gym thing. Although I have never been in one. I walk partly in a forested area and partly on the roadway. I see a lot of wild life including turkeys, deer, rabbits and a lot of squirrels. I have even seen a fox and a bob cat. I also don't like the change in the weather. I have walked in the rain and snow, but it isn't as enjoyable. The walking class sounds like a good idea. Have a great day, Rick

Rick- our living areas sound similar my walk is also partly forested and part roadway, and I see turkeys, rabbits, deer, and sometimes snakes they are mostly garder (sp?) snakes and very small, so I have learned not to freak out too much Cottage Grove is a very small town, pop. only 9,000, and I live 9 miles outside of the town, in the middle of the forest its like a mountain retreat here, with pine trees everywhere around me. Cottage Grove is not a college town (like you guessed before in another post) but I think people tend to think that because "Animal House" was filmed here Also, "Stand by Me" was filmed here. Thanks for your reply and sorry for diverting the subject again LOL

Rebecca, I have also seen a few snakes while walking. I DONT do snakes. Last week there was a dead one and it startled me every time I walked by it. I think I got Cottage Grove confused with Corvallis. A scene from "Stand by Me" (the train track scene) was filmed near I live. Isn't it a small world. Go ahead and divert the topic any time. My posts this week are a little dry because they are meant to be more educational then inspirational. Take care, Rick

Rebecca, the following link should take you to amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Leslie-Sansone-Walk-Pounds-Express/dp/0766211754/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/105 -9283282-0230010?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189015504&sr=1-3 Leslie Sanson has a great DVD for inside walking by your TV - this particular DVD has a 1,2 or 3 mile walk. I have the DVD - and hope to use it when it turns cold here. Walking at lunch in Boston in the winter could result in a broken leg because alot of the sidewalks have snow and ice on them and if you fall....OOPS...you are down! Anyway, this is cheaper than a gym membership! Barbara