20 Minute Walk Challenge - Progress Report

Well...I am not succeeding at the daily 20 minute walks right now. I hit a blue patch, the weather has been up and down and colder, and frankly cabin fever has been winning. I'm conquering it a bit indoors by working in my jewelry studio as much as possible and trying to structure my days. But that too is not as successful as I'd like it to be, many days the last few weeks I go back to bed after driving my husband to work and sleep until lunch...oh winter, you are winning.

I am headed home to visit family and attend one of our friend's weddings in March and will use the treadmill in my bedroom there to hopefully jump start my desire to move and feel physically better. Hopefully upon returning here I will be in a more motivated space with the whole "daily movement" mindset. Wish me luck!

In related news, I think I will keep my eyes peeled on the classified sites for an inexpensive treadmill or exercise bike. Winter and I are just not jiving. Also, I did catch a performance of an African dance troupe this weekend, a casual group of varying ages that is looking for more people to join in. I studied West African dance a few semesters in college so contacted them about joining. That will be a fun sweat fest and hopefully takes off!

20 minutes of Walking Outside Inspired by VB

I have been inspired by Virginia in her attempts to walk outside everyday for 20 minutes and take at least one photo of something she sees that inspires her.  There was one day this week, Tuesday, that was nice enough to get out the stroller and go for a walk with my husband and son.  We walked down to the post office to get the mail and then we got some drinks at the Fairfield "mini-mall".  It's actually one of my favorite places to stop by in Fairfield.  It has a coffee shop, a boutique, the state liquor store in back, a tanning bed area and you can get mani/pedis there.  The people who own it are wonderful women, who brighten up what usually is a boring redundant day.

Of course, I forgot to bring my small camera along.  I will not forget the next time I go out though.  Along the way, I saw a couple of things that would have made for a neat photo.  I'll get it next time.  Not much changes around here, so it will be there the next time I get outside for a walk.

Most days I walk on our small treadmill we purchased for $50.  It is not fancy.  I can't incline or decline as some machines do.  I just set the pace and walk for 40 minutes, which is the time it takes to get through 1 General Hospital with fast-forwarding through commercials.  I dvr the episodes.  I do this either in the morning when Jason takes Preston over to the church to have a bigger play area, or in the afternoon when Preston is napping.  I try to get my walking in at least 5 days a week.  Sometimes it is less, sometimes more.  I find that it not only helps me feel better physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.  I get a lot of thought processing done when I'm walking, because it is constant and monotonous with something to look at so I don't die of boredom.  Kind of like meditation but with noise and visual from the tv and constant movement for 40 minutes.  It helps me in mind, body and soul.

The main reason I don't bundle up and go outside for walks, is because the roads here are awful.  There is no snow removal service, so the snow on the crappy roads is around until it melts.  Snow typically melts away within a few days here, unless the temperatures stay cold.  This winter we've had cold temps followed by chinook winds, which gust up to 60+ mph, but bring warmer temps with it.  On Tuesday it was in the high 40s and it might have even gotten into the low 50s.  It still cools down quite a bit at night, but during the day when the sun shows itself, it can be quite toasty outside.  So I walk outside when it is nicer out with wind that won't blow me down the street.  Basically, like it was on Tuesday.  I don't get out much.

So, the whole point of this post is to follow in Virginia's footsteps.  When I can get outside, bring my small camera and take one or maybe two photos of something along the walk that catch my eye and post them here on this blog.  In the meantime, I'm going to get walking on the treadmill before the guys get back.

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. 

VB's Hunt for Silver Linings

To piggy back off of Megan's idea of seeking the silver linings, I thought it would be a healthy and inspiring activity for me to try to see my own silver linings. Today I am home at my family's house trying to purge belongings I love and became very upset upon shattering an antique mirror I was going to sell today. Still really rotted about it...so trying to focus on good things might help heal this cutting experience.

I can see the ocean from my front door. It's interesting to watch the change of the sea depending on the weather. I also like to watch the sunset over the ocean. Very vivid colors. I have taken many photos of the sunset here (so does my husband, here's one of me).

I have been learning about wild harvest - foods that grow in nature that one can pick and eat. We picked wild blueberries and the freezer is filled with them. We also picked chanterelle mushrooms and made amazing cream of mushroom soup. Here is the recipe on a blog I like, "Hunter Angler Gardener Cook" We actually made this a couple of times while we had fresh mushrooms. We tried to dry the surplus but they got moldy almost right away. Suckfest. 

Along with this theme, I learned to fish for the first time ever. Here, the regulatory agencies open the fishing season to everyone for 2 weeks to fish without a license. It's called the food fishery. You can catch 5 cod fish per person per day with a max of 15 fish per boat. We took advantage as many times as we could find a willing boat owner. Our freezer is still stocked with ocean to table fish! Here I am with one of my larger catches. Pretty impressed with myself that day. 

I am also grateful for the freedom to work on creative projects and the leisure/desire to cook complex foods. I have been focusing my creative efforts on avant garde jewelry-making (my jewelry projects can be viewed here: facebook.com/yazberryfashion ) with found, vintage and new materials, painting and refinishing small wooden projects and have recently been exploring the local past time of rug hooking. I find it relaxing and satisfying to work on something that could be useful. Here is a jolly picture of my progress so far on my first hooked rug. I made up my own design. 

Right now, these are my silver linings. 

GOAL: Focus more on the silver linings and less on the loss of: belongings, social interaction and feelings of accomplishment. 

BREATHE....