Tag Archives: Walking

Inspirational Thought Wednesday!

CrownGood evening!

“A day at a time, a walk at a time, even a simple step at a time, my sad and tangled life began to sort itself. I say sort itself because all I did was “walk through it.” I have been walking ever since.”

~Julia Cameron

This quote has really resonated with me this week. You see, I have always been a bit of a walker – that is until the last 6 months. I am not sure why, but I just kind of stopped. No real reason…just stopped. now don’t get me wrong, I still walk a lot, to get to meetings, go to lunch, to find my car, but it is not the same as walking on purpose – with a purpose. For me that means to walk with no other intention but to get out into the fresh air, while enjoying nature and raising your heartbeat so you can listen to your inner voice. That is what I had given up! It was one way that I listened to my soul, and what it was trying to tell me.

Well, this past week, I have taken up walking again. On purpose. With no other intention but just to get my booty out of the house and spend some time with my inner thoughts while out in nature! Simple. Simple, yet oh so gratifying!! šŸ˜‰

The benefits I have discovered for walking:

  1. Walking clears my head, especially if I am suffering from artist’s block! New ideas seem to just find me while I am walking.
  2. Walking alleviates anger and frustration! Things that are stressing me out just doesn’t seem as important after a long walk.
  3. Walking gives me the chance to change my perspective! I have a tendency to get channeled the finite details of things, and sometimes I really need to step back and see the big picture – walking does that for me!
  4. Walking really energizes me! If I take a 30 minute walk, I find I have way more energy then when I first started out!
  5. Walking helps me get a good nights sleep! If I take a long walk, like 45 minutes or more, I sleep like a log!! That is a GREAT feeling especially to someone like me, who has a tendency to be an insomniac!
  6. Walking really makes your legs look good, and if you take large enough strides, your booty gets a nice toning too! ALWAYS DESIRABLE!!! šŸ˜‰
  7. Walking is a peacekeeper! If my sweetie and I are arguing or disagreeing about something, we can just take a walk together, and the energy we expend walking helps deflate the sales of whatever it is we are arguing about. Again – maybe this one fits under the changing of perspective benefit!
  8. Walking is a problem solver! When I am struggling with a decision, especially when I have more than one option at my disposal, walking helps me get focused and come up with my solution AKA make that decision!

I am sure that I have many many more positives to say about walking, but this is what I am able to come up with at the moment!!

My Take Action Challenge for you this week:

Get outside, into nature and start walking!! 10 to 15 minutes if that is all you can muster, but I highly recommend 30 minutes or more every day, ON PURPOSE!! Take note of how this one simple step changes things in your life this week! You just might be pleasantly surprised, and might even want to make this one of your life habits!!!

Here is to a FABULOUSLY ARTSY evening! šŸ˜‰

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If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

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The Good With the Bad!

Good evening!

Well, I realize that it is late, and I should really be going to bed, but my sweetie and I have just returned from first playing with the girls outside, and then walking the girls back to the house, and then my sweetie and I heading out for a nice evening walk ourselves!

Before I tell you our walk, I want to tell you about our good news, and our bad news. Bad news first. Jason and I have gotten our final surgery dates today, which is good news, however, Jason’s date is 2 weeks later than he had originally thought so he is a little bummed about it. My date however, has been pushed out by a month!!! ACK!!! When I first found out, it ALMOST caused me to want to quit, but of course, my super-supportive husband came to my rescue, and I am NOT backing out now!!! šŸ˜‰

So, for the good news. Well, Jason has made his surgery goal weight!! YEAH!! WHOO! HOO!!! I am soooo EXTREMELY PROUD OF HIM!!!! and for those of you keeping track means that he has lost 4 pounds this past week! AMAZING!!! Whatta man!! šŸ˜‰ I did not make my goal weight this week, but I am only one pound away from my goal weight, so I will HAPPILY TAKE THAT!!! YEAH ME!!! LOL!! šŸ˜‰

Getting back to our walk! While we were walking, my sweetie and I took turns saying out loud one goal that we hope to be able to achieve post surgery. With my sweetie’s permission, here are a couple of examples of things we came up with…

ME: I want to be able to touch my toes with my knees unbent

HIM: I want to be able to breathe while tying my shoes

ME: I want to ride the rides at a carnival and not have to worry that the lock won’t latch

HIM: I want to see that

ME: I want to be able to run a mile

HIM: I want to see someone from my past who made fun of me, and make them eat their words

ME: I want to see that

HIM: I want to be able to take a bike trip. A long one!

ME: Me too!

HIM: I want to go to a water park and not get stuck down a water slide

ME: I want to be able to keep up with my niece while swimming

HIM: I want to be able to buy tall clothes without having to buy big and tall clothes

ME:Ā  I want to be able to sit Indian-style in a movie theater seat

So, there you have it! I really am so thankful to be going through this journey with my sweetie!! I would never have made it this far without his love and support!!

I have said it before, but I will say it again, life is really good!!

Here is to a FABULOUS evening!! ;-)

Ā If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!

A Walk in The Park!

I had soooo much fun taking my walk today! The weather was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!! So I convinced my co-worker to get out of the office with me so we could go for a walk through the park across the street from our office. I made sure to take my camera out with me to get you those pictures that I promised!

Aren’t I such a lucky girl to work so close to such a beautiful park???? I really need to get my booty over there and walk more often!!! I will have sweet dreams tonight!!!

Have a FABULOUS evening! šŸ˜‰

Good Morning!

I am up! I am dressed! and I am raring to go!!!

I have a lot of actions that I need to take if I am going to accomplish my 60 Day Life Makeover goals:

  1. Lose 20 pounds
  2. Sock away an extra $1000 into savings
  3. Find a church home
  4. Clean, organize, and purge our entire home of unloved and/or unused belongings from top to bottom
  5. Purchase and refinish one piece of furniture to sell to get the ball rolling on getting paid to do what I love

My To-Do List for today is:

  • Blog
  • Walking plan – 3 miles
  • Track Food
  • Drink 2 Liters of water
  • File my stack of creative paperwork
  • Read for at least 1/2 an hour
  • Write letter to my sponsor child
  • Mail it
  • Organize bills
  • Update electronic monthly bill tracker
  • Finish Laundry
  • Eyebrow wax appointment
  • Bathe Faye
  • Bathe Sophie
  • Sort all magazines (HUGE project!!)
  • Create a journal bookmark for my planner
  • Go swimming with Jason – make time for play!!!
  • Go to bed by 11

Whew!! Let’s see how much of that I can get done today!!! I have already gotten dressed and ready for my 3-mile walk!!! WHOO-HOO!!! My goal today is to find the fun in any task or situation, and to honor the child inside of me by consciously making time to play as I get these actions done!

I will let you know how it goes this evening!!

Have a FABULOUS day!! šŸ˜‰

Getting REAL!!

Good morning! IĀ  did my weigh in this morning and am up .2 pounds from yesterday, which is frustrating because the weight was falling off so quickly before, and now it seems to be inching up a little every day. UGH! I am not really sure what adjustments to make – I am counting every calorie, exercising more, stress level is down, and I am making sleep more of a priority – I am not sure what else to do. I pray for wisdom in this area, because I am a little stumped! I just don’t want to have weight loss surgery! I want to know that I did this without such invasive medical intervention!

Anyway, I am loving taking the time to tap into my creativity every day! It has really taken the edge off of my sometimes stressful life.

Also, I have started, along with my partner at work, Chris, walking through the Willamette University campus for about 45 minutes every day. Willamette University has such an electric and creative feeling atmosphere – that feeling is VERY CONTAGIOUS! When I was in both Junior and Senior high schools, I had always dreamed about going to Willamette. It has always been so prestigious and the grounds are both stunning and architecturally MAGNIFICENT! I just wanted, and maybe still do, to be a part of that school’s history! Well, for now, I will just have to be satisfied with my daily walks!

Can I confide in you? I am having a health issue and normally I would let it go, but this issues has really become a problem. The thing is, is that I am menstruating seemingly all the time, which can really make it difficult to feel normal, not to mention clean and absolutely un-GROSS! My mom had a total hysterectomy at 32, I think, and here I am at 35. My doctor suggests getting a DNC done, which she warns will be very painful! I have ALWAYS been a BIG BABY when it comes to pain! A DNC is basically where they go in and scrape out the lining of your uterus! SHUDDER!! That sounds HORRIBLE!!! I think my hesitation, besides the pain, is that I hear that it can make it more difficult to get pregnant; like we need ANYMORE issues in that area of our lives! My husband and I have been together for 16 years and we have NEVER even gotten pregnant. That is REALLY rough because I have always known that I was born to become a mom, and Jason would make a FABULOUS daddy!! It is really hard to not be constantly jealous of my friends and family who have kids; ESPECIALLY those people who you come across in life who either ignore, or take their children completely for granted – that has been REALLY ROUGH! Anyway, one way or the other, I am going to have to get myself to my physician and get this issue taken care of, OR I will have no other choice but to invest in Kotex – since I may be SINGLE HANDEDLY keeping that company in business!!! LOL! šŸ˜‰

Has anyone else ever had a DNC done? I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject in the comments above! Is it really as painful as I am thinking it is? Were you able to have children after having one done? Anything to help fill me in on the details would be EXTREMELY appreciated – thanks!!! šŸ™‚

ON A SIDE NOTE: I hear that is supposed to be some kind of AMAZING show of shooting stars this evening! If the weather cooperates I will have to check it out!

Have a FABULOUS day!! šŸ˜‰

Walking Milestone!!!

My Sis-in-law and I are both training to walk to the 3-Day 60 Mile Susan G Komen Walk for the Cure in September, and we have completed THE LONGEST walk of our 3 months of training. We walked a total of 8 MILES!!! Now, that may not seem like much to some people, but when you consider that the the two of us combined have a total weight of 600+ pounds – now that is SAYING A-FREAKIN-LOT!!!! Anyway, I am just so proud that we did it, not to mention that our walk encompassed almost EVERY crazy steep hill on this side of town. At one point I literally told her that if there was even one more hill to climb I was going to sit down on the curb, and we would have to call someone to come pick up my dead booty!!! IT WAS HARD, but OH SOOOOOO WORTH IT!!!!!
Thank you, sis, for believing in me more that I believed in myself!!!

With all of that said, please click on the link on the left hand side of the screen and donate to the cause – NO woman should have to suffer and die from this disease!!! You can help us make a difference.

Thank you,
~Christina