Walking

I may have mentioned it here before but I hate exercise.  At least, I hate exercise for exercise sake.  I love swimming but doing laps makes me crazy.  I like walking but jogging or running is not likely to ever happen unless fire is involved.  Riding bikes is part of my history but never miles and miles or with anyone using a timing device.  So no one is more amazed than I that I have learned to love walking.

I started walking last summer in the horrible heat of our summer drought after a conversation with my doctor.  She was very pleased that I had quit smoking but not so pleased with 15 pounds I'd gained and suggested I get some exercise like walking or swimming or riding a bike.  Swimming was my first choice but there is no public pool within hailing distance and none of my close friends have a pool I could use on a daily basis.  Installing a pool, especially an endless pool with moving water - think a treadmill for swimmers - would be fabulous but not in the budget.   Walking was the obvious choice.

Walking on the roads was a possibility but I really prefer walking around my property.  I do a circuit around the inside perimeter.  On a good day I can do it in less than 10 minutes and on a very stiff day it can take more than 15 minutes.  It gives me a chance to take a nice look at the fences, the grass, the ponies and all the other animals, etc.  I can open or close gates, check water troughs and see whatever else might need to be worked on.

The plan is to walk 20 to 30 minutes each morning.  I think my average is about 5 days per week.  Somehow if it doesn't happen in the morning, I'm not going to get it done in the afternoon.  That means the days when I have early appointments in town, I don't get my walk done.  I'm really pleased at how often I do walk and I'm amazed at how much I miss it on days when I can't walk.

I took my shoes to Oxford, MS and Destin, FL and managed to walk most of those mornings.  And, no, the pounds have not dropped off me because of walking nearly every day.  Too bad.