I think I’ve mentioned that I started walking last year. I did it to get some fresh air and to get the heck out of the house. 20/80.
You probably walk or run or bike too. Maybe even for the same 20/80 reasons as me. Although I never run. I can’t. My body doesn’t do that. If I were to be chased by an animal or alien or something, I would just surrender. It’s been a good life.
So see, we are totally alike. We’re just the same. Except when you go for a walk, you grab your headphones and maybe your phone – or you have an iwatch and you don’t even need your phone.
When I go for a walk…I have accoutrements. Some additional items.
Here’s what I grab before I go….
SPF 100 – yes it’s a thing. It’s real
Lip balm with SPF 30. I’m serious about sun damage
Visor – no, not baseball hat. A visor, with Velcro
Large sunglasses to block the sun and eye contact with other people
Tissues because it’s pollen season
Headphones – see I’m normal! Although I don’t listen to music. Ever. Like never. Only murder podcasts
Ankle weights. You heard me. Ankle weights. And not the cool, low-key kind. Nope. I like the Jane Fonda 80’s neon kind. Last week I added hand weights but I think I went too far. I got a lot of weird looks so I’m not gonna do that again…
BTW – if you think this is bad. I looked even more ridiculous in the winter.
Anyway the sun is out. Go take a walk. It’s easy. Just follow my 7 easy steps! Lol!
no big deal. Dogs bark at me me but I pay them no mind!Just a low key gal exercisingMeet baby babushka
It’s been a very busy and exciting few weeks. So much traveling and so much entertaining! Just kidding. No real traveling. And the only person I consistently entertain is myself. But it has been busy. Let me catch you up.
4 weeks ago I was going around saying things like, “gee I’m never alone” or “what’s it like to be alone?” and “I don’t think I’ve been alone since last March”. Well as the universe does, it heard me and gave me exactly what I wanted. Immediately.
3 week ago we got a call that a family member tested positive for Covid and we needed to go take care of them. It threw us into a tailspin. How do we do this? What do we do? Well, what we did is that I moved in with them for 10 days of quarantine. My job is fully mobile and all I needed was an internet line to make it work. So I packed a bag and within hours moved myself in to help out. Here’s what I learned:
PPE works. I wore two masks and a face shield and thoroughly washed my hands and surfaces. After 10 days of quarantine, we both left the house Covid free (2 tests to prove it)
Besides work calls and family check-in time, I was completely and utterly alone for 10 days. I had lots of interactions with my jailbird, but most of the time I had to keep my distance, so the conversations were short and quick.
I did miss my family. But it was an amazing respite for 10 days. Lots and lots and lots of alone time. I didn’t hate it.
My jailbird is as strong as an ox. It’s amazing how resilient we are as humans. He was luckily asymptomatic the whole time, but it’s hard to be trapped in a room (although a comfortable one). He did it like a pro. No complaints. No trying to breakout.
I went for long long long walks. I went in the morning. I went at night. I went if it rained. I went if it snowed. There was nothing else to do. And I loved it. Even though the path was small and I felt like a hamster spinning the wheel, it felt so good to be outside every day. I posted some of the pics from my walks below. There’s even one of me wearing my very sexy headlight. Not sexy maybe, more Blair Witch Project, but you get it.
Although I got points for taking care of someone like Florence Nightingale, it felt like a selfish indulgence. It was quiet and calm and peaceful.
Thank you universe for hitting me in the face with exactly what I asked for. What should I ask for next? A billion dollars??
Speaking of ox – it’s the Lunar New Year! The year of the ox. Strong, reliable, resilient. Like my jailbird.
2 weeks ago I came back home with a renewed sense of calm. I feel like I should rent that time out to people. It could be a new thing. I could call it Quarantine Quiet Time Spa! Without a deadly disease being a part of the experience, it would be perfect.
Last week went back to “normal”. Family, work, etc. I’m still walking. Let me say just a few words about the walks. The walks have been very impactful. The walks get me out of my head. They get me away from screens. They get me outside, in the very cold air. Sometimes I talk to people on my walks. Sometimes I listen to podcasts or Howard Stern. And because it’s me, never do I listen to music. I’m a weirdo. I know. I usually walk alone. Even when I walk with people I walk alone. I’m a slow walker. I’m also short and my stride is smaller. That’s my story.
Since Christmas Eve, I’ve walked atleast 10K steps a day. It’s what the kids would call a streak.
Who knows when it will end. I’m not worried about it. I’m worried about 1 million other things, but my walks and my time alone are not one of them.
Happy new year. Happy weekend.
That’s a selfie with a headlight- you’re welcome This was when I went for a walk with family and they left me behind to be murdered
I don’t get hooked on much – I especially don’t get hooked on any health fads (except for that 6 month affair I had with Zumba). So who knew I’d love wearing my FitBit? It’s so much fun. I love the way it looks. I love that it keeps me honest. I love the 10,000
step buzz. The buzz is everything. I love seeing other people wearing one. I usually nod to those folks and give them a knowing smile – they usually look away quickly, but it doesn’t matter. We’re in it together.
I haven’t been able to make my 20,000 step badge yet ( that’s when you walk 20,000 steps and the bracelet sends you a badge, complex right?). In the grand tradition of my over share, here’s what my days have been lately. Is it athlete worthy? Nope. Is it better than a vegetable? Hells ya.
Shopping for school supplies day:
Sunday hike. A short hike I guess:
Back in it!
A shameful shameful day. I couldn’t even look at my wrist that day.
Today is still calculating – I’m at 9,878 at 7:45pm. 10s in the bag.
20,000 is going to happen. Stay tuned!
I was driving somewhere yesterday, and saw these two ladies walking in the neighborhood.
You know what I thought about right? Us, circa 2004, walking our neighborhood in upstate NY with our babies in tow. Thank goodness for those walks and for you. I would have gone crazy. Actually I did go crazy but you were just my kind of crazy, so it all worked out. Our boys rode along as we hiked the ‘hood. They heard us talking and laughing and being totally relieved to be with each other. I hope these gals are doing the same. I hope they are talking about politics and religion and racial/gender equality, because we did. After days and nights spent with kids and husbands, whom we loved, it was so nice not to talk about homework, dinner or family. I imagine these ladies feeling like we did, like we were in college again with our best pal – except with a baby or two in tow. Those were such happy days!
Now we live in different states and see each other less often – but often enough to stay on the same path. I was a bit jealous when I saw these gals, wishing to have some of this back, but then I realized it’s only gotten better. The boys we pushed around together act like brothers and we can still talk the talk, even though we don’t walk the walk.
A few months ago I got a Fit Bit. I was so excited! And then I wasn’t. It’s been collecting dust in a drawer ever since. Well not no more!
After a fun summer of eating, drinking, beaching and overall gluttony – I’m done. For the love of God and my zippers, I’m done.
I’m putting it out there so I can’t back out. From now on, my Fit Bit and I are attached to the hip. Or the wrist. She goes where I go! I’ve assigned her a gender and have already started talking to her. That’s what you do right?
So here I am at the beginning.
0 steps.
0 calories burned.
0 everything.
I’ve got nowhere to go but up. I mean down.
Wish me luck.
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