Some of the Benefits

Tonight while I was walking with the neighbor, we were discussing fitness and exercise. We were talking about how much better we feel when we are getting in shape.

I started thinking about what I was like 6 months ago. I hardly moved. It was a chore just to get myself up the stairs to go to the van and pick up the kids or to go up to the kitchen for a meal. I spent extra time finding the closest parking spot to every store. I couldn't stand to walk, and on days when my back was really bad, I couldn't even stand to make a presentation. I was sluggish, needed 8-9 hours of sleep a night or had to have a nap.

Now my life is completely different. I have been walking anywhere from 7,000 to 11,000 steps every day this week. I can take the stairs like normal people (used to have to sometimes take one at a time like an elderly woman (step up with one foot, other foot come to that step, and so on). I now park and walk into the store from farther away to get in extra steps. My bad seldom hurts any more. I walk free of pain and can stand for a long time. I have energy and can sleep 6-7 hours a night and feel refreshed all day without a nap.

I look forward to getting up in the morning because of how great i am going to feel after I work out. I take extra steps on purpose sometimes, just to crank up the pedometer. I look for new ways to make sure I'm getting the best workout I can for the time allotted.

My husband and I have uninterrupted conversations on our walks, which we were not having at all. When we are both home and in the same room, there are always 4-7 children in the room with us. So our walks have given us time to talk.

My blood sugar and cholesterol are within normal range so technically I am no longer diabetic.

I have more energy, I think more clearly, and I think I'm actually more relaxed.

Do I like to exercise? Nope. Not really. Do I like how it makes me feel? Definitely.

Do I miss eating things that tasted great? Not as much as I thought I would actually. I miss it, but not as I had anticipated.

So life's good in this one area -- all the time -- i I want it to be. And that is awesome.