89

Exercise on the 88th day of my Fast-5 experience included emptying the bathroom on our main floor to prepare for its remodeling.

My primary, "sit down" meal included a variety of baby tomatoes, 1/2 a croissant, left-over red beets, fresh Red Haven peaches, and hummus (plain, to which I'd added some minced garlic).

We took a break in our clearing to enjoy a glass of orange juice with crushed ice.  When finished toward evening, my husband ran to our local cafe and brought home one of their fantastic taco salads to share.

It was a productive day and another good one in the eating and exercising department.

Today - Day 89 - the demolition will begin!

38

I began "38" with a 20 minute walk.  The morning was cool; 

the walk made even more enjoyable as I shared it with my husband.

Later this morning, I came across this excerpt posted by a friend

from The Upper Room re. walking.

It is a wise and inspiring commentary, I think.

Christian practices that incorporate everyday gestures and actions typically involve our bodies: We speak, sing, eat, wash, or bow. We walk. By investing these gestures with new meanings, Christian practices shift our way of being in the world. …

These practices are not burdensome tasks or rules required to become “good Christians.” Instead, they are gifts from God that nurture openness and receptivity to divine love that streams continuously through the people, events, and places of our world. Walking represents one such Christian practice. …

When I walk, my life slows down. Rather than speed past the world around me, sealed in my car with the radio playing, I move slowly. Moving at the speed of my feet, I hear the sounds of birds, insects, and the wind blowing through the trees. The rhythm of my footfalls invites me into an awareness of myself and the world around me. This awareness leads me beyond creation to the Creator. … Walking, like all Christian practices, makes me more open and receptive, more mindful and aware.

– Thomas R. Hawkins
Every Step a Prayer

28

Started my 28th consecutive day of Fast-5 

with a 15 minute walk around a few blocks near my home.

The air was cool;

the sights pleasant.

Earlier, I'd boiled some pasta, dressed it with some Zesty Italian Dressing,

and tossed in about 1/2 a bag of some chopped veggies, a diced green pepper,

and a few sliced ripe olives. 

It will be a filling and satisfying way to open my 5 hour eating "window".  

Now to fill up the intervening hours with some meaningful

and productive activity!

Business and Pleasure

 Celebrated Day 7 by walking through

 a charming neighborhood

in Bryan OH.

  

Such a great way to combine

business and pleasure...

 the business of walking with the pleasure

of peeking at other peoples' yards and houses!

Almost a Week

 

Trail walking  with my husband this morning - a cool, sunny Monday.

Day 6 of my re-start.

I've successfully eaten within the 5 hour "window"--

and healthy foods and portions, too!

this feels good

Day 2 included successfully eating within the 5 hour "window"

and 2 walks - both short but more than yesterday!

Today (Day 3) I'll open window as I drive to spend time with my parents.

Roasted carrots and fresh pineapple, en route.

I'll close my window enjoying liver & onions with my father at the local restaurant.

And hubby and I walked the paved trail through the wetlands in our neighboring town

earlier today.

This. Feels Good!

Walking in Beauty

 These are three of the many pieces of art
that line the hallways of one of the hospitals in our area.

 After visiting a friend there, my husband and I walked for 30 minutes--

separately so we could go at the paces best for us.

 We enjoy finding indoor places to do our 30 minute walking 

during this extra-cold weather we're experiencing presently...

If you're interested in seeing more, 

visit another blog of mine where I posted more!

Sabbath

"You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; 

even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest."  (God, Exodus 34:21)

Soooooooooo, today is the Seventh Day

and I will "rest" from my 30 minute walks.

I have been consistent with them this week

AND

the Fast-5 approach to eating.

I ♥ Sabbath.

Joy to the World!

This morning I quit "confessing" and actually REPENTED.

Thirty minutes of walking in circles --

living room to library through eating area and around the kitchen island.

 

"...there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents..."  (Luke 15:10)

A New Vocabulary

Treadmill

Elliptical

NuStep

These are three new vocabulary words that I'm encountering at least 3 times a week!  (There are other machines, too.  Specifics escape me just now.)  After successfully completing 6 weeks of therapy for my knee replacement, I bit the bullet and purchased a quarter of a year's worth of time at the Health Fit center of the Hicksville Community Hospital.  My husband works out there regularly, and I have resisted membership for YEARS.  However, I don't want to fall back in my progress, and I think it will be a fine way to continue through the winter months especially.

Fast-5 continues to be working for me.  I WOULD like to lose 5 pound this month (November) and believe it is possible unless my body has just decided THIS is where it needs to be.  We'll see.

WALK

Read today while sitting in Barnes and Noble.

Only when I got home did I wonder why I didn't take the time

to WALK around the mall!?!?

Too much snow and too cold to walk ANYwhere outside presently...

Today.

20 minutes MINIMUM!

Year End Reflections

"The sin that is most destructive in your life right now

 is the one you are most defensive about."  (Tim Keller, twitter)

When I acknowledge that eating too much, eating thoughtlessly, and eating for reasons besides nourishment is sinful behavior, I experience the most health and "success" in my eating habits.

The statement applies to many other areas of my life as well...Thankfully there is a way to deal with the sin problem that puts my life and daily choices on a whole 'nother track!

Nothing to promote health and a good frame of mind like a trail-walk with grandkids on a sunny, winter afternoon.... (Why don't I do this more often?!?)

Intentions

To say that I've been busy doesn't quite convey the whole story.

"Urgent" and "important" have merged over the past few weeks

filling my hours and days (and weeks).

Yesterday, my husband and I took a walk--a stroll, actually.

A necessary break from some necessary responsibilities.

I really had intentions of getting into the habit of brisk walking this summer.

But now it is October.

I'm NOT an outdoor walker in winter.  I'll  have to come up with another plan

for exercise and put it into action so that it doesn't become only an

INTENTION, too.

(I HAVE kept my weight off.  I'm sure this is thanks to the Fast-5 eating habit I've established.)

Walk More

Walking was part of our day yesterday....

Around,

 past,

and through an older neighbrohood's  House and Garden Walk.

I just read this quote with no credit given: 

"The sedentary lifestyle is the smoking of our generation"

It is SO easy for me to drift into a sedentary lifestyle.  

I need to keep pushing myself to be more active.

Anyone else? 

Worth a Few Pounds

 My recent time spent at the Abbey of Gethsemani

were worth a few pounds!
(Giving them up, that is.)

 Hiking, simple meals and drinking lots of water

 played a role in helping me drop a few (pounds).  

I returned home rested and feeling quite healthy!

Exercise - Nature's Way

 Working out(side)

 ...the way God intended it!

We've done our share of it the last couple of days.

I go to bed tired and sore

but fully aware of having used my entire body in a productive way!

Spring in my Walk

"Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

OK.  This quote that I lifted off of someone's facebook entry is just what I needed to get me going this spring.  I will quit using the cold weather as my excuse and walk.   Probably not fast at first. Just regularly and farther than to the post office and back.  I COULD wish for a more picturesque  route around my house, but that won't stop me from exercising an "eye for nature" and "vast curiosity"!

 

Checking "Out"

Checking out for the week - just going on record that I achieved my goal of 30 minutes of indoor exercise without letting 2 days in a row go without... That added up to four days.  I'm feeling FIT and FINE. 

My plan is to continue the pattern next week.  After a third week, I'll consider it a "habit"!

Finally

Well, this morning I FINALLY added 30 minutes of exercise to my day. (Hangs head in shame.) I find Leslie Sansone's "Walk Away the Pounds" to be do-able at my age.  Plus it's something I can do without leaving the house or buying equipment.  However, I must say, the 45 pounds I've lost with Fast-5 last year happened without the discipline of deliberate exercise! I find that amazing.

My intention is to continue the 30 minutes of indoor walking without letting two days in a row go without it.