Tag: walking

The Wandering Hermit: Pacing Myself

   30 May 2024  Leave a Comment on The Wandering Hermit: Pacing Myself

Well, I learned a couple of things this morning.  

  1. I prefer early morning walks.  Today’s started at 5:07am, and I enjoyed getting it done and out of the way.  It’s a little bit too dark out here that early, but I liked having it done that early.
  2. I can improve my pace, both by trying harder and by walking on pavement.  This morning I decided to try walking a little more briskly.  While I am not trying to walk fast–my goal has been stamina, not speed–I have been aware that what seems very fast for me is on the bottom of the chart on walking speed.  That speaks more to my fitness level when I started than anything else, but I’m eager to change that.  Seeing an improvement in my pace will be a clear indication that I have improved my health overall.  That’s all I really want at the end of the day.

I need to start using my walking time to think of other things to write about.  The problem is that I need to allow my body the time it needs to get into shape and stop putting so much pressure on everything.  I’m impatient, I’m eager, I’m ready to weigh a lot less than I do.  I’ve lost about 150 lb, and I am happy with that number.  I just know how much there is left to go.  Without proper distractions, it’s all I can think about.  As usual, I need to just remember to take my time.  All of this will come in time.

[Walk #74]

The Wandering Hermit: Vibing

   29 May 2024  Leave a Comment on The Wandering Hermit: Vibing

I felt very motivated this morning.  I don’t worry much about my pace, but I averaged 22’15”/mile, which is faster than normal.  Yesterday I was at 24’16”/mile and often it is in the 25’ or 26’ range.  I realize that is fairly slow walking, but I feel really proud of myself for doing anything at all.  My speed will improve.  I just have to do the work to improve my health and speed will come in time.  I felt pretty good about this morning though.  I would love to do 2 miles in a lot less time and I look forward to being able to do that.

I actually didn’t have much on my mind this morning.  I was just vibing to my music and was focused almost entire on getting to Yost Rd and back.  Sometimes I worry about not getting back fast enough to remember all the interesting things I thought about while walking, but that was not a danger today.  

It looks like I gained everything back from the last couple of days.  That’s an illusion most likely; I was so thirsty last night that I drank about half a gallon of water just during the night.  I feel saturated today… oversaturated.  I don’t know why I felt so dried out; I keep pretty hydrated.  My body must have been working on some secret project.  If it says it needs water, who am I to say otherwise?

[Walk #73]

Daily Log: 29 May 2024

   29 May 2024  Leave a Comment on Daily Log: 29 May 2024

Weight: 273.0 lb/123.83 kg

Exercise: 2.34 mile/3.77 km walk (5:29am–6:21am, 🌙62ºF/16.5ºC)

Mindfulness: 7 minute outdoor meditation (6:22am–6:29am)

Mood: Very Good

Food: 1240 calories

  • coconut coffee
  • Apple Pancake Oatmeal
  • russet potatoes, steamed green beans, ketchup, mustard
  • russet potatoes, steamed broccoli, jalapeños, mustard
  • Monster Energy, Ultra Strawberry Dreams
  • Happy Belly SF Pink Lemonade

The Wandering Hermit: Legs & Fluctuations

   28 May 2024  Leave a Comment on The Wandering Hermit: Legs & Fluctuations

What a wonderful day to be alive!  I have just been feeling it since I woke up.  It helped to have a nice long conversation with my friend Robert yesterday; that is still resting firmly on my mind, and this morning’s walk was filled with thoughts I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

One of my preoccupations during the walk was how my left leg wasn’t in my way.  Because it has been so swollen for so many years, I had gotten used to brushing up against it when I walk, and even though my legs both brush together, it has been the left one that feels like it is encroaching on the space that belongs to the right leg.  This morning, that seemed to have not been true.  Again, it’s slightly emotional having any improvement at all.  One year ago, I was unwilling to leave the house because I was embarrassed about my leg issues.  Today, I feel like it’s barely a problem.  That’s really amazing.

I’ve now been doing daily meditations for a week, and I have some thoughts.  It’s a little sad that I need to schedule time in my day to just stop and be present.  That said, I’m really happy about it.  I worried at first that the time would turn into brainstorming for ideas or writing I wanted to do.  Almost all moments turn into that if I don’t have a distraction, but I’ve been able to put a pin in that and just listen to the world around me.  I don’t know that I have found the exact thing that works for me, but I’ll keep trying things.  Currently, doing a few minutes at the end of my walk has been working okay, but sometimes I do have trouble settling my mind down first.  My walks are mentally active—often chaotic—times.   

I had set a goal of losing 150 pounds by 1 June.  I have reached my goal as of this morning, but I’m not going to celebrate just yet.  I need to make sure it stays off and I’m not having some sort of weird weight fluctuation.  Still, if I haven’t achieved my goal, I’ve at least gotten close.  I’m starting to feel fairly proud of myself.  I really wasn’t sure I could do it.  Now the hardest part is ahead.  The closer I get to a weight where I settle, the harder it will be to lose.  I knew that when I started, and I am expecting that going forward.  But I think I can do it.  The past 10 months have proven that.

[Walk #72]

Daily Log: 28 May 2024

   28 May 2024  Leave a Comment on Daily Log: 28 May 2024

Weight: 268.8 lbs/121.93 kg

Exercise: 3.28 mile/5.28 km walk (5:41am–7:00am, ☀️64ºF/17.5ºC)

Mindfulness: 5 minute outdoor meditation (7:02am–7:07am)

Mood: Excellent

Food: 1970 calories

  • horchata coffee
  • steamed broccoli, lettuce, jalapeños, Taco Bell Fire Hot Sauce
  • bean & rice burritos
  • salad: lettuce, jalapeños, Taco Bell Fire Hot Sauce
  • Happy Belly SF Pink Lemonade

The Wandering Hermit: Itty Bitty & Shrinky Dinky

   27 May 2024  Leave a Comment on The Wandering Hermit: Itty Bitty & Shrinky Dinky

This morning was all about itty bitty tiny little goals.  For whatever reason, I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night and woke up a little late… honestly, it could have been even later.  I wouldn’t have minded so much getting sleep and having to walk later in the day.  I wasn’t very motivated as a result.  But I just kept setting goals as I went.  I was expecting to only get in about half a mile, but I just kept telling myself to just get to the next tree, to the next driveway, to the top of the hill…. that works pretty well for me when I just don’t want to walk.  And I ended up getting in my 2 miles that I like doing first thing.  I still might do a little more later when I go out to the cemetery.  It might be nice to do a walk around it while I’m there.  I almost feel like I’m only going out to get out of the house.

As of yesterday, my legs seem to be deflating the way I had hoped.  The infection probably helped actually; as long as I keep my legs elevated as often as I can, I think they should continue getting smaller.  They’ve been so big for so long, I almost don’t know what to do if they shrink to a normal size.  I don’t even trust that they will do that at this point.  We’ll see.  I was pretty obsessed with the smoothness of the back of my left leg.  It had been such a weird bumpy texture, so having it smooth out yesterday was almost emotional for me.

My broccoli break continues, but everything seems a little up in the air with my food.  I feel like I need to reevaluate and figure out some things.  It’s not that I’m bored with things; it’s more like I’m so disinterested in food lately that I don’t care what I’m eating, and that is making it hard to want anything in particular.  I am actually happy with that feeling in general, but it does leave me not eating for a long time and then getting so ravenous that I make unwise decisions.  It would be better if I was making sure to eat enough throughout the day.

[Walk #71]

The Wandering Hermit: Getting Over Something

   26 May 2024  Leave a Comment on The Wandering Hermit: Getting Over Something

My morning walk was nice.  I was once again a little late waking up, but earlier than yesterday.  After the evening I had yesterday, I’m pretty sure I had some sort of infection that I’ve been fighting off.  That would also explain the weird rosiness I had in my knees a couple of days ago.  Anytime I get an infection of any sort, I have redness in my legs.  It’s just another part of my annoying leg problem.

[Walk #70]

The Wandering Hermit: The Mysteries of Katie Lane

   25 May 2024  Leave a Comment on The Wandering Hermit: The Mysteries of Katie Lane

Today started much better than yesterday, but a little late as far as I’m concerned.  I was a full hour late on my walking routine, but my head feels much clearer today.  I walked down Burris/VFW Rd, intending to go down to Prairie Rd again, but when I got to Katie Ln, about halfway between Fairgrounds Rd & Prairie Rd, I decided to include it on my walk.  I had never been down that road and assumed it was a short road with maybe three homes, but not only was it about a quarter mile down, but then the road continued down into the trees winding around, crossing the creek and ending at one final house way down in a secluded spot.  In a way, it’s a perfect spot for a home.  I like that they chose to go across the creek, so they’ve insulated themselves on all sides.  Of course, it’s also one of those places where the kids of the people who built it shoot first and ask questions later, but it was early and I didn’t actually go all the way up to the property.  

Since my walk was slightly later, I saw several people outside—two running and one man working in his yard.  I rarely see anyone out on my walks.  I also encountered the three dogs on the corner.  The little pug was the friendliest of the guys, but they were all pretty gregarious.  They tend to act tough when they see me from a distance, but when our paths crossed they were a little pack of sweethearts.  I worry about them being on the road.  Too many dogs have gotten hit by cars out here.  Now that I’ve interacted with them, I’ll probably make a point to walk by to see them in the morning.  

My legs are shrinking, but not very fast.  It’s starting to bother me because I’ve not seen as dramatic a change in my legs as I have elsewhere…. don’t get me wrong, they are definitely smaller than they used to be, but they remain firm when other areas have softened and I’m eager for them to start reducing.  I just don’t know how or even if it is possible.  Maybe this is permanent.  I’m actually okay with that, but I’d like to at least know.

[Walk #69]

The Wandering Hermit: I’m Just Irritable Today

   24 May 2024  Leave a Comment on The Wandering Hermit: I’m Just Irritable Today

I slept in this morning, and it was just as well because my watch was not charged enough for a walk and that would have annoyed me if I had discovered that on my way out the door.  My biggest complaint about my Apple Watch is how quickly the battery dies.  And I suspect they could have done something about that; Justin’s smart watch, a random one from Amazon, needs charged once a week at most.  I don’t know how to improve the battery life, but I hate having some of the features on the watch that I find distracting, like messaging and email.  I don’t want that info; I want a tool to help me focus on exercise.  Those junk apps feel like an excuse to get advertising to me when I am able to get away from my phone.

My mood went from not great to terrible.  I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  Brent said sometimes he wakes up and wonders what he was dreaming about that pissed him off, and that’s pretty accurate to how I felt.  I was annoyed most of the day.

[Walk #67]

The Wandering Hermit: How Can I Complicate This?

   23 May 2024  Leave a Comment on The Wandering Hermit: How Can I Complicate This?

I did a short walk this morning; it’s supposed to rain, so I decided to just walk before then.  Of course, now it just won’t probably.  But that’s okay.  My goal is a minimum of 25 minutes each day.  I got in that amount, which means I succeeded today.  I don’t have to overdo it everyday.  I’m also not in competition with past me.

I’ve been thinking about YouTube videos.  I just want to be doing something while I’m doing something… if that makes sense.  I think I’d like to start recording my walks.  Depending on the walk, that might be interesting as a YouTube channel.  I know I like to look up videos of towns in different places.  Usually you’ll just find a short video of drone footage, which rarely gives me much.  Maybe someone would want to see some of the places around here by foot.  I also find those kinds of videos relaxing.  The question becomes do I set them to music or do I talk over them about whatever I want to talk about?  It’s hard to say.

Supposedly most pollen levels are pretty low today.  That concerns me because I have a little congestion going on.  Grass is high I guess; maybe it’s literally just grass pollen stopping me up. 

[Walk #64]