i’ve mentioned my new walking habit a lot, since i started daily walking in october. my highest week so far has been 41k steps for the week. last week i reached 35,294 steps. i’m far below the 70k/week that’s recommended, but way above the 10k/week i was getting before i started. moss cottage is tiny, so unless i’m in constant motion i don’t get much more than 1000 steps/day if i don’t leave the house.
this is all to say that since october i’ve really fallen in love with walking. i’m lucky to live so close to walking paths in the arroyo and old historic neighborhoods in pasadena. i don’t walk in my own neighborhood because the hills & traffic are discouraging.
but in 10 minutes or less i can hop in my car drive a few miles and be on tree-lined streets. with roosters! this guy surprised me on saturday when i rounded a corner and saw him strutting around crowing.
my sister dottie got me a fitbit for christmas. i love it. i was recording steps on my iphone. much to my disappointment it counts about 1200 steps more than the fitbit. which means when i was approaching 7k/day i was actually NOT. drat. but the fitbit is easier to keep on my wrist all the time, especially when i don’t have pockets to put my phone inside.
yadda yadda blah blah.
bird by bird as anne lamott says. poco a poco. bit by bit.
in other news, i added letters above wyatt’s head.
and painted some donuts.
and a hostess cupcake.
here’s to tiny daily victories that make us feel strong & good. whether it’s making time for art or stepping out into the world. here we go.
i love hearing about your walks. It’s pretty cold here and I don’t like to be out in that unless I have to be.
MaryAnn, I have told you in the past….I, too, have urg, ‘um’ a weight issue, but I do walk. not fast, not always the recommended amt, but I try so hard to do it…..last year on vacation I did a walking tour in southern France. It was very very difficult, but I finished it. Down the road, consider going on a walking tour OR purchase the ‘walking tour’ maps and create your own journey. I would love to see the Cornwall coast….the Irish coast….the walking paths in northern UK…..and more….I will choose a flat course next time….there really are so amazing walking paths all-over-the-world….and right in everyone’s own backyard (ie village/town/city)….Holly PS 99% of walking paths really want to be painted or sketched….there are great rocks to sit on…for your lunch & sketching post
i am seriously impressed with your walking tour. that sounds WONDERFUL. what a great idea. i’m off to investigate. what an inspiration!
Okay, so when I saw roosters and donuts, I started to shrug and shake my head – yeah, that’s Mary Ann. Then I thought, wait a minute, I have roosters walking around here. And I own them. And who doesn’t like a donut? So, you’re off the strangeness hook. I’m not even going to bring up the walking/cake combo conundrum. I’m going to say, good on ‘ya for walking! Something I need to do more of, so I’ll use you as inspiration. Although walking today will probably land me in a snow bank. Anne Lamott is my girl – bird by bird, indeed! Kiss that old Wyatt on the noggin for me.
That was Thank you MAM not ehank you……………
Wyatt is a stud muffin! Give him a hi meow from me. Now I want you to know I am back to walking again, thanks to you. AND yes between oatmeal/ cinnamon and walking my motor is running very well. Love your paintings as of late. I can look and enjoy all the goodies and not gain a #. Ehank you MAM.
I hear you girl!! Bravo to you and your walking habit!! I am getting there more slowly after having to get both hips replaced. Had it done in August and November and my Mom passed in October. A hell of a year to say the least! Recovery has been good form the physical still adjusting to the emotional!! but I am up to 45 min a day on exercise bike and with our recent 24 inches of snow IN SOUTHERN VA,. I am pleased with any small victory!! you always inspire me and bring me simple joy!! HUGS!! and STEPS!!
Go you, keep on walking on the wild side girl, I’ll be here rooting for you. And making journals and more journals. I just spent some time re-watching FTB vids and I got excited all over again at the possibilities and then the ideas started flowing like they always do. I’ve got lots of playing to do today so I am off and running 😉
steg för steg
such an approvement
Walking clears the brain and soothes the soul………I am with you Mary Ann. When I was young I would run but now that I am aging walking is my way of exercising…! Keep it up and WALK ON……….
That sounds great, Mary Ann! Every step counts, and with 40k a week you are already walking more than the average person!
Walking is about the only thing I do for my fitness. I aim for the recommended 10k per day, but often life gets in the way. So I set my goal to 50k a week, which is about 7k each day. But most weeks I have days where I walk a lot less (because I don’t feel good, or the weather is terrible, or there are just so many other things to do…), and then try to catch up on the weekends with a longer hike out in the hills, which is a lot more enjoyable than walking in my neighbourhood. But I don’t want to drive first just to get my body moving. When I don’t go out for a walk in the neighbourhood I get max. 3k steps a day…
I am using a simple step counter which I carry in my pocket. Saves the steps for 7 days, and that’s it. And I don’t aim for speed. I just stroll along, watch the plants grow, listen to the birds (and the traffic…), take mental notes and pictures.
Congrats on the good walking habit! I got a fitbit for Christmas also and, and like you. I love it too! Since its January and cold and snowy here in New Hampshire I haven’t gotten out walking the way I like to, but I am finding at work I am walking about 8,000-10,000 steps just teaching. Its not power walking but at least I am moving. Your walks looks much more interesting than mine even when I do get outside.
I love to walk also. My husband and I try to walk 3 miles 3-4 times a week. Where we live is super hilly so we walk uphill first and then come downhill. I enjoy getting out and we almost always see a neighbor and talk story for a bit. The only thing that stops us is heavy rain. I don’t have a fit bit but my husband also rides a bike with a Garmin so he knows how far we walk.
I love walking. BUT, I live in the Sierra’s in northern CA. We have had buckets of rain on an almost daily basis. While it sounds like I’m whining, it most certainly isn’t about the weather. I love rain. I love walking, but I don’t do it in the rain… I feel so much better when I walk!
Love the donuts almost as much as the cupcakes!
Proud of you, Mary Ann, for walking daily. I think that pathway with the stones is so beautiful, and the rooster looks like a painting. The flower is perfection. I think the writing added to Wyatt finishes it off very nicely, too! Funny, bc my husband was talking about fitbit today. I was telling him I’d be curious to know how much I walk every day, bc I run out to the barn numerous times, muck the stall and paddock, go out in the pastures to get the horse and feed the ducks, up and down stairs many times, and chasing the dog, shopping for groceries, going to the feed store, slinging around 50lb bags of grain and bales of hay etc etc. I’d just be curious how much I actually move in a day. I think he thinks I sit on the couch watching TV all day, so it would be a great way to show him how much I actually MOVE, which is quite a bit:).
For some reason I am craving donuts…
tiny daily victories. Whatever they are, are the grains that become the beach. Tiny daily victories.
lovely. thank you
Yay for walking. You’re encouraging me. Thank you. Your cat paintings are the, oh, dear, I can’t resist, the cat’s meow.