Body Talk

I talk a lot about our minds and spirits but less about our physical bodies. Last week during Thanksgiving weekend I decided to put my body to the test. I am overweight for my height and because of…, well you know the list of reasons we tell ourselves why we can’t lose weight, I decided it was my time.

Often I desire to lose the weight but have not put the discipline in to get the desired results. Our bodies do so much for us. I am very grateful for mine and its time I showed myself the self love that is missing. I live with a paramedic who is constantly telling me about 50-65 yr old’s who are in bad shape so that’s a statistic I do not want to follow. I do feel stiff, out of breath and lethargic sometimes blaming my age but hell no I’m 58 yrs young and I have lots of grandchildren I enjoy being active with. It’s time for Nana to take that army discipline she was taught many years ago and get back in shape.

Today marks week 1 and I am feeling so much better already. Just being outside lifts my spirit and I can’t tell you how many happy people I passed today that said hi and wished me well! You don’t get that sitting inside the house! The picture above is one of the trails I use and as you can see it is beautiful!

To prepare for this new journey I bought vitamins, fruit for smoothies, metabolism booster tablets and I put an app on my phone (the free pacer app) to help me graph the data. I started a walking program and walk soon after I get up in the morning. Stretching exercises before walking are very important I forgot one day and I was so stiff I could barely make it up my stairs when I got home. By walking early I found that if I wanted to walk again there would be time to do so, thus being able to double my daily steps/miles. After each walk make sure you do cool down exercises, these can be found on the app and they are very helpful.

Here is a walking chart I followed:

Of course being an ex letter carrier I started at 3 miles a day just because of the trail I use and I am capable of walking that distance. I now find walking my favourite way to meditate. It is the perfect way to ground yourself and the sound of the birds as they follow you adds to the bliss. Watching the hawks as they circle and the leaves turning the most precious of harvest colours, fills me with peace. For those interested in my journey I hope to inspire you to start your own challenge. Loving your body is just as important as loving and attending to your mind & spiritual needs.

Each day is a new beginning and I will keep you updated on my success.

Wholeness to all, Jacqueline