Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Springtime and Fitness

I used to be very diligent about walking 3-4 miles outdoors every day, but with age, inclement weather, and procrastination [laziness], it fell by the wayside.  On March 16th, however, I decided to get serious about losing weight, and that includes walking again.

After walking 14 consecutive days, I had hoped I could call it a habit, but then I read that the generally accepted theory is that it takes 21 days for a new behavior to become a habit, and newer studies say 66 days.  I'm sticking with the old theory - 7 more days and it's a habit, but either theory requires self-discipline. 

I prefer outdoor walking to a treadmill, and last week I took my camera along to capture some sights of spring.  Robins are everywhere, but I haven't spotted any cardinals yet, and they're my favorite. The robin below reminded me of the old 1926 song Doris Day recorded and made popular again in 1953:

"When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin' along, along
There'll be no more sobbin' when he starts throbbin' his old sweet song...".

Do you remember it?  Robins are indeed a sign of spring, and this one posed so willingly for my photo!  The robin is Michigan's state bird.


The only flowers I've seen are wild, and look like violets peeking through ground cover.


Below is a patch of daffodils in a yard I passed that are waiting to blossom.


At the moment the only flowers blooming in southeastern Michigan are in garden centers.


On Saturday I bought myself a Fitbit to keep track of the number of steps I take in a day, and a new pair of walking shoes.  


So far my daily outdoor walks are only 2 miles which is just 4,000 steps, but 10,000 steps a day is the recommendation, so I need to get movin'!  The average time for walking 2 miles is 30 minutes, and currently my best time has only been 45 minutes - Yikes!  I'm 7 1/2 minutes below average. Does that mean I'm out of shape?  ;-)  

The good news is tea has 0 calories if consumed with no additives, and green and oolong tea are said to boost weight loss, so guess what tea I'll be drinking!  

Happy Spring Everyone!


3 comments:

  1. Good luck! I need to start walking, too.

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  2. Enjoy your tea - guilt-free!

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  3. Sounds as though you are making lots of productive new changes in your life! I'm intrigued by that 21 days versus 66 days theory regarding habits. I've always heard the 21-day model myself. In fact, this year I made a pledge to write at least 1,000 words a day on a new novel each weekday of the year. I've done so every day so far, but I'll have to count to see if that actually translates to 66 weekdays so far! :)

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