Walking

I've been trying to find a way to exercise, especially early in the morning. I really don't enjoy exercising at home, partially because it disturbs my family in the morning, but also because I hate being watched. My friends from playgroup (Emily, Tamra, Julia, and Ginger) have been talking about doing the Race for the Cure this coming May. The thought of doing it frightens and yet excites me at the same time. If I would just decide to do it and train for it, I'll be in a much better position physically than I am now. I'll be gaining muscle and losing weight faster than I currently am. That thought is what motivates me as well as what I can do with my life and family just by feeling better physically. I can better live my soul purpose because I'll be so much more productive and have the energy required to take care of my family and serve others in the capacity that I feel I should. So, I'm going to do it!

Yesterday I decided I was going to go walking in the wee hours of the morning, rain or shine, snow or not. I like to walk, but not in a stationary place. I didn't want to go by myself, so I enlisted Ginger to come with me. Last night it was raining and then snowing. I was wondering if it would be possible to drive just to pick her up, let alone drive to the Jr. High to walk. I kept telling myself, "the roads are clear, and we're going no matter what!" I got up at 5:30 this morning and nursed my baby back to sleep so I could leave without him crying about wanting to nurse while I was gone. My sweet husband helped me get up and laid back down near the baby. I had laid out all the stuff I needed last night, so I was able to quickly get dressed, although putting on two ankle braces and a knee brace took more time than all my other clothes did.

The roads weren't as bad as they normally are after a big snow storm, or maybe I was just in a good mood and didn't mind them. :) I picked Ginger up a little after 6:00am, and we drove over to the Jr. High School. We couldn't find the track, although we think we found it around the field area...which was very dark. We decided to trudge through the snow around the school instead. We ended up walking through our tracks twice. That saved my hip from hurting more than it did. It was hurting by the second time around, but I kept walking through it. The weather was so cold, and my nose was freezing. My hands finally warmed up about halfway through our walking, and my nose did too...until we got to the north side of the building where it was windy and dark. It's interesting how those conditions made me almost want to give up and go home. I knew if I did, I wouldn't be back again. God helped me through it all, and talking with Ginger helped to keep me focused on something other than my discomfort. We finished our third time around the school. I took us 45 minutes. I felt good about our efforts and to know we did it despite the conditions.

We're going to go on Monday at the same time. I'm praying for better conditions, but we're also trying a high school track near us instead. It's more likely to be lit, and easier to walk on. I think I'm going to get used to walking this next week, and then start on running a bit using this program. I'll also be using this program when I'm ready for it in a couple of months.

I didn't think I'd be so awake this morning. I thought I'd be exhausted, but I've been so excited to walk that I had no trouble getting up. I'm still pretty awake. I've got an early start on the day, and I'm happy to be getting the physical part of my Producer Power Hour done. Now, for a healthy breakfast and more Producer Power Hour stuff...scripture reading, gratitude journal writing, Soul Purpose narrowing, and book reading. I think I'm also going to have my husband to a picture of me for my "before" picture. I'm excited and can't wait for the "after" one!