My 20 Minute Walk & Photography Challenge

Fact: I am fat for myself. I could gain to trim my waistline a bit. It bothers me. It hangs over my pants (the handful of pairs that still fit) and I am out of breath and aching and blue much of the time.

Fact: I need to exercise. I eat relatively healthy food, my downfall is baked goods and candy. I am working on cutting out the candy and have nearly succeeded. The baked goods are not going as well but I am working on modifying my recipes to include as many whole and ancient grains as possible. Made my usual chocolate chip cookie recipe but substituted 1/2 wheat flour. Tasted the same. Success!

Solution? I think I have a solution I hope to stick with. A 20 minute daily walk. I am thinking an afternoon walk, during the 3:00 pm hour or so when I hit my lull.

Problem: I consistently quit exercise "routines" before I even establish them. My neighborhood is boring and ugly, built in the 1970's next to a shopping mall (you've seen it, there's one near your mall). I don't want to drive anywhere as it is then a waste of time and gas and an easy excuse to lose the motivation. Also, I am fond of the mantra "start where you are" and wish to take this literally.

As I mentioned in my last post, I polled my facebook friends and was offered a realistic solution: "Have a goal to take one interesting photo during your walk - since your neighborhood is not inspiring in the macro, look for micro things to make a good photo as you walk: an oddly shaped branch, closeup of peeling paint or a brick wall, a weird chimney, whatever."

This is something I can do and would enjoy doing. It adds a creative and artistic element to my exercise and may even inspire me to create something new. A jewelry project inspiration?

Why am I stuck on 20 minutes? Well during one of my 30 minute scheduled, daily facebook binges, I found this article about what 20 minutes of walking can do for your brain. That's enough motivation for me.

The challenge: 20 minutes of walking anywhere, everyday. Must produce one photo of something interesting. Post the photo here because, well, I can. And it will keep me accountable. You are invited and encouraged to participate.

Today's walk: I went straight out my front door. Climbed a small hill. Here is my picture:

Confined Space; you have been warned.