I spoke too soon!

Just when I mention how cool this summer has been, we get a heat wave! Today it was 105, tomorrow it's supposed to be 106!

It's 7:13pm, and it's still 100 degrees. So, no walk for me! Me + walking in the heat = rheumatic flare. I'm considering a swim. If I can get myself out there. The heat makes me incredibly tired and I've wanted to sleep all damn day.

How are y'all handling the heat?

1.5

1.5 tonight! ran out of light. lol!

Solo Walking...

So, mom is in Canada visiting my sister and her kids, for the next month. That leaves me walking solo. At first, I thought it would be harder to get out and do it on my own. But, I'm doing it, and enjoying it!

Today was a hot one, about 98 degrees. Despite the heat it cooled down nicely around 7pm, like it usually does here. We live just over the mountains from the Pacific Ocean, which is close enough to get the benefit of the evening sea breeze.

It's getting dark around 8:20 now, earlier and earlier each night. That means I'm going to have to get back to walking a little earlier in the day as the seasons change. I'm really looking forward to the Fall, and the coming rainy season here. This Summer has been a lot cooler than usual, but even with that, I'm ready for it to be over!

2 miles

did 2miles, Thats all i could, toes & hip pain tonight. So really happy about the 2.

blister why!!! lol!

did 2.5, & got my first blister, I don't no why??? seems like it should have had them before this!!! It stinks!!! lol!

2.5 miles

Walked 2.5 miles today, & only my left toes went numb today. So thats good, lol! Better anyway. I need this & sometimes i just dont want to do it, but i am going to!

2miles today toes felt much better this time. :)makes me very happy!
Total weight loss is now about 40lbs, that's in the last about 15 months! Makes me very happy!!! I still have a long way to go! But am getting there. ;)

ooo my toes!!!

Walked 2.25 miles today, very happy! But my toes are going numb, to the point that it makes me want to cry! Also makes me not want to walk! but im still gonna! Probably need to have em looked at.

Im Back!!!!

Hello ladies im back. lol. & its about time. Did 1.5 miles today. & it is like starting over. Only have walked a hand full of times scene the move. :(. But in our house and pretty much settled in, So its time.
my feet are going numb now when i walk , hurts really bad.

How do you do it?

Hello, ladies! I'm back, with a question.

I've recently started "working" at a friend's shop three days a week, from 11am-8pm. This leaves me with no evening time to get my walk in. My only option is to do it in the morning before I leave.

Now, those of you who know me well, know that mornings and I do NOT get along. And seeing as I've quit coffee, well, it's even harder for me.

How do you guys do it? Work AND work out???

I feel all off kilter not getting my walk in every. single. day.

I tried a morning walk one day. It was nice. But it required me to be awake and functional and ready to walk by 9am. Ugh. Which means I need to be up around 8:30am to eat something and let my meds kick in so I'm not walking in pain.

So share your secrets, Ladies!! I need some help!

Finally

I finally figured out how to get on here. Joy you are doing such a great job! I find that i'm having trouble motivating. This heat is so horrible. I guess I can find a million excuses not to exercise. Maybe i need to find the strength to just get to doing.

Back On Track

Thankfully the flare ended a couple of days after my last post, and I'm back on track. Kind of. I'm not getting in 5k every day, but I'm walking at least a couple of miles a day, with mom of course.

I did weigh myself, finally, a couple of days ago, and have lost two more pounds. I'm down to 238lbs now. With that, I realized I'm no longer considered "morbidly obese" but merely obese! Who knew I'd ever be so happy to be JUST obese!?

It's been awfully quiet here lately. I know you guys are all crazy busy with kids out of school, and toddlers, and moves! I hope everyone is doing ok!

Ouch

So it seems I'm having a bit of an RA flare. My right heel has been giving me problems for the past 4 or 5 days now, limiting my daily walks. It feels weird not being able to do my usual routine.

I did manage to get some good workouts in the pool two days this week, while taking kiddo and his friend for a swim. And mom and I were able to walk 2.6 miles today, which felt nice. Hopefully things will settle down soon so I can get back to it!

Checking In!

So it seems I'm kind of at a plateau. I guess that means it's time to mix things up a bit, eh? I'll have to do some research and see what I can come up with. Jogging and running are out of the question for me. I can get in the pool some days and do leg work there, but not every day. Maybe I need to try the bike in the fitness room? some weight training?? Anyone have suggestions?

Our lovely member, Lynn, is in the middle of a cross country move! She started out on the east coast, and is currently in Texas, on her way to San Diego! Good luck, Lynn! Once you get to Cali, the summer weather is MUCH better for outside exercise, no humidity!

How is everyone else doing??

Monthly Total

I'm happy to announce that for the month of May I walked a total of 65 miles! I was hoping to top 50, and I did it!

We had a nice mellow holiday weekend here. Went to the beach on Sunday then saw Iron Man 2 today. I managed to get a couple miles on today, with Hubby along. He was getting pooped, so I didn't make him walk a 4 mile walk with me. Aren't I sweet??

1.7 mi.

Did 1.7 today. Wiener dog Said that was enough!!! lol!!

2.6 mi

2.6 mi tonight yay! & a little ouch in it too. lol very happy! :)

2mi in the rain

so i did 2mi tonight, hips were hurting frm last night so thats what i could do. O ya & it was raining too. which i do not mind the rain its the pain that sucks! lol :) im very happy with that.

2.6 mi

2.6 mi yesterday. very happy , very sore. ;) O & 10 push ups. lol!

If any of you guys are interested in healthy living and hints on walking go to the RealAge.com website. This is a website that comes from the Dr.Oz website. Yesterday I started adding some change to my walking straight routine. With hints from my aerobics teacher I began doing some backwards walking and side stepping into my normal walking routine. I also did some high stepping as I walked. My normal walking was getting to be a routine that my body was use too so I kicked it up a notch. I got in at least a good one and a half hour walk with a speed walk at the begining of the walk. Joy was doing her jewerly thing yesterdaywith her good friend Ashley so she wasn't with me.
I alson read on the RealAge web that if you have a child in a sport like baseball there is no reason you can't get in a walk while watching. What you do is walk back and forth near the base line watching your child play as you do your healthy walking. Keep on walking your healthy walk every step is a step closer to your goal.

For the times we just don't think we can do it.....

click the title of this entry..........All I can say is this....I have no excuses big enough to overlook what this woman does.

Love to all!

walking with monarchlinda

Hi All this is my first post and by reading what you guys are doing for yourselves is great. Remember to take things at a pace you are comfortable with. If you over do you will pay the price. When I first started out it was a walk around the block and then added more each day. Too much too fast and I paid for it by backaches and leg cramps. I had to make sure I ate enough potassium to handle the leg cramps. What I learned from the aerobics teacher for my back while walking was to stop lean over relax and take deep breaths while expanding the muscle area with the deep breaths. If you can't lean over grab a fence a post or a small tree and stretch again with the deep breathing in that muscle area. It works and helps you walk a little further. Keep doing it as often as you need till your walk is done. It helps me a lot. Keep on walking and as you do Joy and I will think of you as we do our walks together. "You Rock Guys"

Moving on up! lol

2.3 today feels good. YAY!!!!!

My walks..

Well, my walks have been seriously disturbed here! Between the rain, a teething baby, a grumpy three year old and a busy teenager.. I haven't walked for two weeks. BUT, I have been busy. Last week I spent any day that wasn't raining outside digging! I dug an entire flower bed basically by myself ( have any of you ever done that?) It's brutal! I have an entirely new respect for gardeners. Taking up sod is a job for a superhero.. it's a ton of work. It made my body hurt like hell the next day.. but it was truly rewarding. Wanna see?

My husband had a whole new respect for me after seeing this and it really did something for my self esteem. So, even though I haven't been walking as much as I'd like to.. I am getting physical... and I'm thinking of each of you getting physical too. It's helping me mentally keep on keeping on.

Till next time.. Renita

Bummer!

went for my walk. wanted to do my 2mi or a little more tonight. Well didnt even make it half way through & my belly started hurting, i told myself work through it! next thing you know, im hot footin it home! so glad i wasnt to far from home tonight! lmao! o my! ;^)

The Hike and The Numbers

So, this week Kiddo has been off at Science Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mom and I are taking advantage of his absence and getting in some hikes!

Yesterday was a nice, and I thought TOUGH, hike at Uvas Canyon park. It was a tough two miles but well worth it.

Today was a 4.3 mile hike at Canada del Oro open space preserve. We hiked up the Serpentine Loop Trail then across the Bald Peaks Trail to the East and ending where we started at the Serpentine Loop trail.

It was a TOUGH hike! Going up the mountain, was almost 600ft in elevation and took us an hour to do .8 miles! I sweat, and cussed, and huffed and puffed, but kept going! Mom was with me, of course, cheering me on all the way. The view from the top was amazing. We could see parts of Morgan Hill, all the way down to the mountains outside of Hollister. The mountains were green, the sky was mostly cloudy (thankfully!! no sunburn!!) and a nice cool breeze kept things from getting unbearable.

I honestly didn't think just a few months ago that I'd ever be able to do a hike like this. Hell, just a few months ago I wouldn't have been able to do this. I'm feeling proud of the changes I'm making in my body!

So, earlier Lynn was brave and posted her weight. So, now it's my turn. This morning I weighed myself and I'm 237lbs. I've now lost 41lbs! Hell, I lost 4 pounds just from YESTERDAY'S hike! We'll see what happens when I weigh myself tomorrow morning, just for curiosity's sake. I usually only weigh myself once a week.

So, how are ya'll doing?

1.4 miles

Ok i walked 1.4 miles today instead of 2. I don't feel good, so im happy about it. %^)

MUGGY!!! YUCK!

Sweaty today! 2.o miles. 10 push ups 10 sit ups & 10 lunges! very hard!!

2 miles! that must be the magic # .

Two miles tonight. I think that might be my distance for a wile. It seems just enough to kick my booty! Hurting just a little after, not to bad. & the calorie counting web sight says im burning 700 calories!! so very happy with that! %^)

Falling off the horse....and getting back on.

Well as you may have read I had a nasty bout with my knee.....and for those of you that know me when it comes to procrastination I am the master!!! Needless to say I ended up not walking or running for over a week. Yesterday with inspiring playlist in hand I set out. I managed to get 2 miles done but it was HELL!!! I only managed 2 60 second sprints before caving and even the walking took the wind out of me. I had to face the repercussions of my laziness head on.....lessoned learned. I'll be back out later today...and Saturday....and....well you get the point. I learned that no matter what...slow it down or cut the route shorter but keep moving!!! When you don't it's really hard to get back on that horse!

Lets get personal. : )

walked my 2 miles today. Hips were hurting but a burned through it anyway. Just to let everyone now how hard it is for me, i weigh........ 280, well now 275, lost five! & im pretty short! so im a big girl. ( really do not give this info usually, lol! just hoping to inspire others that they can do it too!)

A tool to help

As you all have seen on my facebook feed, I use an app on my iphone called Runkeeper to keep track of my walking activity. Well, did you know you don't have to have an iphone to use it? AND it's free?

If you guys go to www.runkeeper.com you can set up an account and enter in your activities manually. You can enter them in on a map, too. It's a bit tricky at first, but you'll get the hang of it! Look me up, I'm goddessjoy there, and join my street team so we can all keep track of each other!

Today's Walk

RunKeeper Shared Fitness | Walking Activity

Mother's Day

We spent Mother's Day in the Santa Crus mountains at Big Basin state park. We hiked up and down a mountain in a great 2 hour hike! It was misty then sunny then cloudy and sunny again. It was perfect! Everything was soooo green, the moss was damp and bright, the birds were singing, and I was hiking! The whole family went. Mom and I were trucking along and could have done a few more hours easily, but kiddo and hubby were worn out. So I went easy on them.

Then back to my regular three miles today.

Now, I have a question for you all. What kind of shoes are you wearing for your walks/runs?

3days off.%^( 2.0 miles on %^)

Ok so i took 3 days off, just wasn't feeling it! Then i felt bad for not doing anything , lol. so today went for 2.0 miles. body hurts a little, very happy i did it!!!

Battle with a baby gate......

I have a toddler and as we all know with toddlers come baby gates. I have stepped over this thing more than a million times over the past year so why is it that now when I am trying to get in shape that it chooses to lash out and try to kill me? Like any other time I stepped over.....only this time my left foot caught. I did the required hop several times to regain my balance but to no avail. I fell forward getting my hands up in just enough time to keep me from smashing my face into the cheap carpet that covers my apartment floors. All 200lbs of me came crashing down onto my left knee!! My beautiful daughter starring blankly as I crash into the floor. Somehow I managed to keep from screaming obscenities that would make a sailor blush and all that comes out of my mouth is "Mommy went plop." After ice and elevation I tried to keep on track. My usual 2 mile walk became a near death experience so the next day I cut it down....again death. I threw in the towel and took the weekend off. Hopefully Monday will be better. I still have a bruise the size of a tennis ball and the color of an extremely ripe plum on my knee but this too shall pass. As for the baby gate......I have a ceremonial burning planned for that damned thing!!

Oops!

So, today we went out for an early mother's day dinner to Red Lobster. Let me cut to the chase. I ate waaaaaay too much. For the first time in a long time I was so stuffed I wanted to heave. As a result, I've spent the majority of the day laying in bed feeling like total shit. Lethargic, achey, guts in an uproar, IBS flaring. Seriously? Yeah. I spent a few years early on in our marriage feeling like this. Ugh.

I did try to walk this evening. My heel spur is flaring as well (wonder if there's a connection?) and it took me 20 minutes to walk 2/10th of a mile!!! So, no walk.

But tomorrow is a new day and I'll not be repeating today's misdeeds!

Happy Mother's Day y'all!!!

Wiener dog is out!!!

Yesterday, about .1 ml into my walk my wiener dog deiced she wasn't going!!! got her head out of the caller & took off making me chase her all the way home!!! Turkey!lol! So i put her little butt in the house & headed off, did my 1.8 , well i guess i did about 2.o cause of the wiener! lol YAY!
KEEP GOING EVERYBODY!!!!!

Racing with Joy

I wasn't going to walk tonight. Too much homework and my son had a baseball game (late). I managed to walk over a mile and a half and only because I asked Joy to race me. She beat me of course, but at least I got off my butt and moving. Thanks! I am a fat chick. I have been for a long time. Babies, babies, babies..........I will lose weight and gain it back later. I am an emotional eater. I eat just because I am bored. I am trying to fix that. It is hard to get exercise in when life gets in the way. I am in school, work full time, 2 kids at home and a hubby. My son is in baseball. Sometimes it is easier just to get some fast food and run. I am trying this again. This is my weight loss journey.

walking with the Fireflies

so its been a couple of days since i have walked. But today i bummed it up a notch ! 1.8miles, i even jogged a bit, not far but i did just a little! Also the fireflies were out very nice. Dont know how much longer the wiener dog gonna be able to hang.

Weekend wrap up

It's so exciting to see you all posting and sharing! I love the
variety of starts we've all had. Variety is the spice of life, isn't it?

Our weekend was spent doing lots of spring cleaning. Since we rent
from a fairly large property management company we get yearly
inspections. Mainly it's to make sure the smoke detectors, sprinklers,
and fixtures are all stllbin tact. Regardless, we had a lit of winter
dust to get rid of!!

With that being said, I started Saturday off with a 3 mile walk before
1pm at that!! I've decided I'm ready to make 3 miles my daily goal (on
the weekdays). Those three miles went be fast! I had mom and Andy
walking with me, too!

Sunday was more cleaning. Hubby and I managed to get in a quick two
mile walk at dusk, which made for a nice capper to the weekend.

One thing I noticed this weekend? With the weight loss I'm getting the
saggy skin. Under my arms and on my inner thighs mostly. The last time
I started losing weight, I got to this point and it paralyzed me. Even
at my heaviest, everything was solid. These wrinkles and soft spots
freak me the hell out!!! I'm doing my best to not let it stop my
weight loss this time. So, I think it might be time for me to hit our
fitness room and start doing some arm work. Maybe the thighs will get
to a better place as I keep working my legs?

Any of you have thigh pointers?

Oh, and this is my first attempt at posting from my iPhone. I hope it
works!

Blessings.
Peace.
Joy

Sent from my iPhone

muggy ewww!

walked yesterday it was muggy! I didn't want to but i did 1.5 ml. Was very hot, sweaty, & hurt a little more than usual, also very happy i did it!

Day 4, 0.6 miles

Technically it's day 4, but I didn't run on day 3 because of severe foot cramps due to potassium deficiency. Today was a 0.6 mile jog. Yes, I waited until late at night to jog because my neighbor had a garage sale today and I wasn't about to run with all those cars going up and down the street! Don't worry, since I knew I most likely wouldn't get to run until late night/early morning, all my exercise stuff has reflective stripes or is white :)

walkin when im sick.

well so i have been sick for the last couple of days , But went ahead & walked my 1.5ml yesterday. It kicked my booty a little more than before! But am sure glad i did it!

My beginning

Ok so i hate exercise! But i really hate being the size i am now. So visiting FB i came across an old friend & became FB friends with his wife.( HI JOY%^) I kept seeing her walking status & reading what she had to say about her walks & to other people. Well she inspired me! so i started walking, think it been about three wks, off & on. Started @ 1 mile now im up to 1.5 miles. Its kinda hard @ my weight but im gonna keep going.

My beginning was when I realized just how vain I really am. 17 months ago I gave birth via c-section to a beautiful baby girl. Due to health issues and hospital screw ups I was a swollen 245lbs. Now, over a year later I'm holding steady at 200lbs and quite frankly pissed about it! While complaining to a co-worker about all the options that had failed me she said quite innocently "You should run." Hmmmmm.....run? This is something that is beyond foreign to me but okay.....I'll look into it. I e-mailed another friend that had started out a chubby smoker (much like myself) and is now running marathons. What she sent back was a wonderful and informative e-mail containing a training schedule!!! Well due to some set backs I've had to modify that schedule a bit but damn if I'm not out every day doing the best that I can! I'm not looking for miracles but 20lbs would be nice. :) Oh...and I'm about to sign up for my first 5k in July to support LifeLine of Ohio!!! I may end up walking it but come hell or high water I'll finish! :)

Living Room Walk

Our beginning started in the livingroom! I just had a new baby in January ( Mr. Alexander) so the three year old ( Bella ) and I walked to Leslie Sandstone's kid walk. In the livingroom. It's Ohio. It was cold outside! lol. We started off having a blast .. and then after a minor setback ( I was hospitalized.. high blood pressure, asthma attack, Lupus? bleck) we are up and walking again. OUTSIDE. It's a relief to finally have some decent weather so that we can be under blue skys. Yesterday during our walk Isabel and I couldnt' seem to find any birds flying around. Our adventure was filled with us calling out to the sky " birdies? where are you?" Isabel decided they were sleeping.. so for the next 10 minutes we called out " birdies?? wakeup!!" Eventually ( thank you fates) a few birds flew past and Isabel was happy that she had woken up the birds. This little girl sure does make the time fly. Today I'm thinking we'll walk through Ted Lewis Park .. maybe the birds there get up earlier! lol. ( add in Damn Speed bumps though.. ugh.) Anyway.. My name is Renita, mother of 4 ( ages 21, 14, 3 and 3 months-2 boys-2 girls) ( photos later.. must hurry.. Alexanders getting hungry lol) I'm a stubborn Aries women that has a lot on her plate... welcome to my life.

Till later,
Renita-

Faerie.... running?

I'm not a walker. I admit it. Heck, I'm not even really a runner. But I do it now. You see, a week or so ago there was this Ravelry thread on the only forum I actually keep up with, encouraging people to run. Well, the premise was running, but basically encouraging physical exercise. So, I posted my excuses, but I kept reading. I read about the opera singer who started running 18 months ago and had lost over 100 pounds. The women who have to wear three bras to keep the "ladies" penned up. The woman who runs with a knee replacement surgery under her belt. More stories, more examples... and my excuses just kinda crumbled away.

So last week I started jogging. First a quarter mile, but now I'm up to half a mile. I signed up for my first 5K in September to benefit the Kelsey Briggs Run Against Child Abuse. I might, if I can get up to the distance, sign up for the Red Earth 5K in June... however, I don't want to push my luck, and 5K is 3 miles and I'm still only at half a mile.

Oh, and I jog in a skirt. :)

So here it begins...

I started taking  my daily walks a couple of months ago when I realized it was time to get moving again. Since I've started walking I've lost 34 pounds and regained a great deal of my mobility! I'm focusing on walking comfortably rather than trying to walk fast. And I'm lucky, I have mom here walking with me.

In my posts I'd like to include things I've seen on my walk, or people I've met. I walk a fairly regular route, so after a while I've started seeing some of the same people over and over again. Especially folks with their dogs. There are pit bulls, a skipperkee, some poodles, lots of labs and retrievers, several chihuahuas, and many many mutts!

So, that's my beginning. What's yours?