Armed with 2 non-polycarbonate water bottles and sharing 23 almonds, my friend Barbara and I planned a vigorous hour of exercise combining the Start!Walking campaign from the American Heart Association and a tradition sacred to all Floridians since Ponce de Leon landed in St. Augustine in 1513…finding a tan and the Fountain of Youth.
Arms swinging and legs striding, mile1 was a breeze. Our thoughts turned to Gen Y sons and their relationships with work and women. The pace picked up, fueled by consternation I mean conversation as we discussed our mother-in-laws, and their relationships with men [our husbands]. As we passed the 3rd mile marker, gray hair [ours] aging dogs [4 legged] and [human] siblings were virtually fighting for our attention.
We slowed to admire cute babies, proud grandmothers, and an adorable puppy near the end of mile 4. Conversation turned to Earth Day #38 and legislation banning plastic bags from supermarkets in San Francisco and Seattle. We wondered what shape Earth Day 39 would find us in, and worried about protecting our planet.
Fueled by almonds, we powered through mile 6 in a frenzy about local girls in Lakeland behaving badly on You Tube, future daughter-in-laws who think we are perfect, and the new trend of ‘My’ as a prefix for marketing on web sites and in advertising.
At mile 8 we paused to admire our beloved Florida landscape. Anhingas were posing, turtles were crawling, and golfers in plaid were swinging. Our thoughts turned to the future as we rounded mile 9. Specifically, what we would eat for dinner, and how many calories we thought we had burned. We wondered why Seattle is still the only city requiring restaurant chains to post calorie counts and why New York wants to keep us “Dining in the Dark.” How do people do it without a Sensei to guide them?
Arms and legs, minds and mouths still moving, we realized we were passing mile #10. That exhausted us! We slowed to a proud limp. Our fitness hour had become a marathon. We had STARTED!Walking.We celebrated the joys of an ‘unplugged’ afternoon and hurried home to call friends and tell them about our adventure.
Hope you had a great day too!
-Nancy
Labels: Body Image, Exercise, Fitness, Healthy Planet, Mind-Body Connection, Motivation, Nancy, Physical Activity, Stress Management
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