Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Walk Around the Lake

In an effort to make my lifestyle more healthy again, I rushed home and made it to a great park while the sun was still shining. When you work in an office without windows, sun exposure, especially in the winter, can be very important to mental health.

The park was great! The temps were in the mid 30s, there was no wind and as I said, the sun was shining. What more can a person affected by grey skies ask for!

So I did a comfortable two laps for about 2.5 miles. I'll have a chance to get out walking tomorrow, too. The week is looking good already!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Maintaining Stress Relief

I'm not sure that "maintaining stress relief" is even a valid concept. But, I felt so good after yesterday's walk, I decided I need to walk at least a little most days to help burn off some of my stress.

So shortly after arriving home and popping dinner into the oven, I went for a short walk. It was crisp outside, so I wore my jeans and a winter coat. I had not planned to walk fast or even athletically, so the attire was appropriate.

Regardless, the short walk of about 25-min was just what I needed. I came home feeling good, less stressed and a little less hungry.

Yeah, I think I'll try it again.
______________________________

PS: I FINALLY registered for the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon today! I can't believe I forgot. I was worried that it might have been sold out. If you have not yet registered, there is still time.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Training for Cincinnati a Little Late!

It just dawned on me this week that I have a little over eight weeks until the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon! That's what happens when job and life stress take over -- you forget all about your health and fitness responsibilities.

Well, today is Monday and for me, starting something new on Mondays seems to help with the success rate. I got up early on my day off and took a one-hour walk through the neighborhood. Part of this walk was to get me started training for the half marathon -- part was to evaluate how much muscle and endurance I have lost.

Though not a speed demon, I walked the entire hour at a reasonable pace and did a two-minute cool down. I tried to maintain good racewalking form, though I could feel in my back that I lost it in the middle.

I feel good. I could have easily walked farther. Though I'm a little worried about entering that very hilly half marathon under trained, after today's walk I feel pretty good about my chances.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Blogging as Inspiration

It's funny how just blogging inspired me.

I walked today! It was just around the big block in our neighborhood. It was a little too dark and felt a little creepy, but I carried a bright flashlight.

It helped reduce the stress (slightly) and I feel better.

I think I need to blog more frequently. I KNOW I need to walk more.

PS: I swear, in the next two weeks when things calm down I will return all of the e-mails and phone calls that have been temporarily ignored.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Stress Diet

Wow! It has been a long time since I posted anything here. It certainly was not my intention -- life is just extremely busy and stressful right now.

All of you know I published WALK! Magazine for the last 4 years. What many of you did not know is that I have also had a paying job all this time. So I've been working a regular 9-5 job, then working on the magazine evenings and weekends.

Recently that job has required a lot of extra time and has greatly increased my stress levels. Since graduating from college, stress has caused me to gain weight. This time has been a little different -- I lost over 7 lbs in two weeks! It's not that I haven't been hungry, I've been unable to swallow food. I don't recall ever having that happen before. (Though I did lose weight my freshman year in college I don't recall having trouble eating.)

Since my sudden and unexpected weight loss, I've been working harder to eat. On days when nothing sounds good, I've taken to eating high-calorie foods! I even had a very tasty, high-calorie, multi-layer fast food burger (with special sauce). The funny thing was, I felt sick the rest of the day. Since then, I have focused on eating healthier foods, such as my homemade vegetable soup, which sits better. (Delicious!)

So, yes, I'm still around. No, I haven't been walking or blogging or anything remotely good for me.

The good news is, within the next couple of weeks, things will calm down, I'll be able to eat, I'll find the time to walk, and I'll probably gain that 7 lbs back. At least I hope I don't gain it back.