Several years ago I published in
one of my email newsletters some messages
I had received from subscribers.
These messages described their
outdoor exercise sessions: What
they did, what they saw, what
they thought about, etc. The
response was overwhelming. I received hundreds
of messages from subscribers stating
how much they loved the exercise stories
and how motivating they were for them.
Reading about other people's exercise
can be very motivating! So, I
periodically publish some of the letters from
my subscribers. Here's the latest installment..
Hi all
Last fall a health screening at work said
I was 33% fat. Well at 135 Pounds I never
thought that was possible. I decided it
was time to get on the ball and do something
about it. I started walking and
weight lifting. I started walking
to the railroad tracks and back
and that took me 30 minutes. Then I discovered
I could walk a loop 2.7 miles and
did that. Since I live out of town a mile
only a short portion is in town. Ilive in Mt and the
view of the mountains is ever
changing.
Some days
the sky goes on forever and is sooooo
blue. I get to watch the snow line move
down the mountains in the fall to the valley
floor where we are and move back up in
the spring. It depends on the
day as to what I do and think
of. I work in a nursing home and somedays
I need to blow off steam and I see
nothing. Some days the view amazes me. Some
of the best walking times I've have
my mind is just on the smell and sounds
of nature and I'm home before I start
walking.
I also can
do a longer walk about 1 and a
half hour by going to a resort near by and
walking the loop there through the golf course.
This is more hilly and gives me a real
work out. In the early spring
I go to Glacier Park and snowshoe
what fun and sights. Never the
same and the people are great to meet.
We talk about
trails and kinds of shoes etc.
The summer offers hiking in the park
too. So many trails and places to go.
I love it. I do get lazy in
the winter and don't get out
as much as I should. But I froze my face
a few years ago and have trouble with
the cold now. I want to try cross country
skiing but made a real fool of myself
last winter. I must have been playing
twister in skis. I will try
it again someday. I did but cross country
skis a few weeks ago.
There are
alot of outdoor things to do here
and it is fun and that makes the difference
in sticking with it. If it was
all work I'd now do it. Keep up the
good work and have fun.
_____
Let me first say
how much I have enjoyed reading
your newsletter. It is extremely encouraging
to read about the successes of others
in their weight-loss endeavors.
About a year
ago, I picked up the sport of running,
due to a co-worker's sharing of her interest.
I had already lost about 40 pounds
through walking and sensible eating, but
decided that I needed to challenge myself.
I started working towards the goal
of completing my first 5K in
May of last year. After that, I
decided to continue training for races.
Although
I knew I would never win anything, I
was doing it totally for myself, and I loved
it!! Well, in
January, my husband and I found out that
we are expecting our first child after nearly
six years of marriage. Willingly, I curtailed
my running and now only incorporate it
in little spurts with my 2 miles per day of
walking. My husband has started
walking with me around our hilly
neighborhood and it gives us time to talk
about this soon-to-be addition to our family,
names for the baby, etc. Since my husband
works a very busy schedule, this is usually
the only time of the day that we really get
to take a break and just spend some time talking
about things that are going on in our lives,
both individually and separately.
He has now
expressed an interest in running and I
am helping him get started by encouraging him
and giving him some pointers. Although
there are not any races in my
immediate future, it is exciting
to see him get as "pumped up" as I
used to get for those big events.
_____
Hi Greg, my name
is Cindy. My outdoor exercise is
walking. I call it my "sanity walk." I
started walking several years ago as
part of my weight loss program
(I've lost 130 lbs.!!!) and
it is the one exercise that's so easy to keep
doing, that's why I love walking. I walk the
stairs (4 stories) at work, I park far away
at stores and walk across the parking
lot.
I walk on
my lunch hour - it's the perfect head clearer.
I live in a small town so walking anytime
of the day or night is still pretty safe. My
normal distance is about 2 miles a day but
I don't have a set distance - depending, my
walks last 30 to 60 minutes. When I
walk I think, I pray, I look
for something beautiful -- a
flower, snow covered trees, cloud formations,
children, another smiling face.
I've walked
every street in this small town many
times and each time I see something I didn't
notice before. When I'm angry - I walk.
You might be surprised at how
fast your anger disappears when
you start enjoying the beauty of
God's creation -- and there is always beauty
out there no matter how many times
we walk that same old route.
