October 16, 2013

Rain Or Shine

Rain or shine, this is where I am most afternoons. In fact, as I write this post I'm getting ready to put on my running shoes and walk out the door. I'm fortunate to live in a town that's not far from several parks and has countless walking, biking, and hiking trails. Not to mention the high school track. I basically schedule my day around my youngest daughter's school schedule and this track. Boring? Not to me. When I walk in the woods I'm constantly looking at my feet so I don't trip, so I really appreciate being able to look around without falling down.

Just about a year and a half ago, walking around this track just once had me gasping for breath. But that's how my year-of-better-health came to be. Now I can actually run around it, but I'm not a runner. I'm a very fast walker who occasionally runs to test my endurance. I can walk 2 miles in about 30 minutes. Is that good? Bad? It's good enough. I also do a series of exercises that my generation would have called calisthenics or aerobics. Although I do like my Bowflex and Ab Glider, too, I just prefer to be able to sit, lie, or stand on the floor and get something done. Oh, and I love my bike.

In addition to exercise, I eat as healthy as I possibly can. The reason I bring this up is that I am constantly being asked, "What did you do?". I wised up. I realized I wasn't 20, or even 40 anymore. I was a middle-aged, soon-to-be-statistic if I didn't do something about it. So I did. I switched doctors and then I went to see a naturopath, chiropractor, and acupuncturist. I threw away all of the processed food in the house. I started shopping at the organic grocery store. And I kept at it.

I drink lots and lots of water and I make my everyday food more interesting by cooking recipes like Orange Chicken Stir Fry. I eat clean meats (certified organic), lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, good fats (olive oil, almonds, avocado), and no processed foods. Do I cheat? Sometimes. But I pay for it. My body now craves good food like it used to crave bad food. In all honesty, I didn't cheat for the first 6 months at least. (Email me if you really, truly want to know what I eat each day.)

As the temperatures start to drop, I'll have to put away my bike and exchange my running shoes for a pair of warm boots, but I will be out there every day I can until the snow prevents me from walking on the bare asphalt. I'm told we're in for a snowy winter. That's when I'll hit the snowmobile trails at the state park while my dogs keep me companyrain or shine.

3 comments:

Kimberly Merritt said...

I appreciate all of the emails I have received about this post. I hope my advice was helpful. My goal is to include more posts about healthy living as the blog gets a little makeover.

Sarah said...

Hi Kim. I just found your blog and I've been reading through your posts. I especially like your posts about family and motherhood, but this one really spoke to me. I've been trying to get healthy and your post has inspired me to move forward with my plan. I hope to read more stories like this in the future. And now I will continue to explore your blog. xo

Kimberly Merritt said...

Thank you, Sarah. I appreciate the kind words.