Day 223: Walks in the neighborhood

I love walking. I love being outside. I love being with my children.

Today, as we walked through the neighborhood - taking turns deciding which direction to go - I realized that for me, this walking journey has changed...subtly.

I said from the beginning, that I took on this journey to see if my doctor was correct in his advice that all I needed to do was walk to lose the weight and stay healthy for life (the jury is still out on that one). I also stated that I didn't want to spend a lot of money or add more time away from my home & family - thus I chose to walk with my children. (I tell everyone it is their P.E.)

The subtle change in my journey is this: I no longer care if walking is all I need to lose the weight and keep it off. I no longer if walking is all I need for a healthy lifestyle. I no longer care if I lose weight. What I do care about is developing and maintaining a habit in myself and in my children.

Growing up, I considered P.E. something fun (grade school), something to endure (junior high & high school) and something to avoid (college). I hated P.E. I hated running, I hated basketball, I hated weight lifting...I hated it all - mostly because I am completely uncoordinated & non-athletic. I did have an awesome P.E. teacher in high school, and I think fondly of him (Mr. Winkfield). Perhaps it is because of him that I have throughout the years tried different ways to exercise.

I don't want my children to hate physical exercise. I also want it to be a part of their life - just like eating healthy, reading books, learning, attending church, and etc. They are not going to "magically" love & embrace physical exercise if they are never exposed to it...yep, all on me again!

Anyway, I like the change of perspective...and I really do enjoy walking with my children. We have a lot of fun.

Happy Walking!