Fit Mommy Friday: Walking Rewards

• 
• Tweet
• Sumo

• 
• Tweet

encouraging each other to care well for the bodies God has given us

My personal goal is to regain strength after a debilitating illness so that I can live a healthy, active life with my family.

Your goal may be to lose weight, look better, feel better, or run a marathon. Whatever it is, please join Fit Mommy any time, no matter what your current level of fitness is. You can check in using the comments at the bottom of this post.

I’m focussing on walking, and it’s been paying off, big time.    Yes, I’m feeling better, getting stronger, and moving more, but what’s really happening is that I’ve spent some memorable time with my children.

We decided that this year each child would each get an ice cream treat for finishing the school year.  Miss 11 was the first one.  Rather than hopping into the van, she and I set out for a long walk.  It felt like summer, we were hanging out happily, and she thoroughly enjoyed every lick of her drumstick cone as we sauntered home.  

Last night, when I was half way through organizing the month’s receipts, Miss 14 announced she was going for a walk.  I asked to come along, so together with the dogs we ventured into the woods, chatting happily.  The sun had set, the woods were darkening but full of some amazing flower’s perfume, and there we stood, waist high in ferns.  Suddenly  some bird filled the dusky woods with the most joyful chirping and singing. 

Walking alone is good, but walking with loved ones can be a great source of joy.

Here’s how I did with my fitness goals this week.

Record my fitness accomplishments each day… Yes.

Do 10 repetitions of my eye exercises 5 days a week …3 x instead of 5.

Go for a daily walk and average 7000 steps a day … Yes. Several long walks and quite a few steps: 5300, 8000, 6500, 7300, 8500, 6600 for a daily average of 7000 steps.  As long as I don’t walk much over 8000 steps a day, my hips do not hurt, so I’m limiting myself to 8000 steps but trying very hard to average 7000 steps a day. 

I also bought an old fashioned stepper exerciser for $15 and use it a few times a day, stopping just before my heart rate starts to go up; I know from experience that aerobic exercise is bad for me at this stage. 

Do 6 repetitions of my physio exercises 5 days a week … No.

Do 5 repetitions of my organ keyboard and pedal exercises, 5 days a week… Only a few times.  After pinching tiny new weeds out of the carrot and spinach patch–and the rest of the garden–my hands are tired. 

Be usefully active for 30-90 minutes a day, 6 days a week … Yes. We garden for about an hour a day, and I hang out laundry regularly.

Avoid sugar five days a week … Yes.  But today we will have black forest cake.

Eat lots of vegetables, including fresh ones, and yoghurt … Lots of vegetables, especially asparagus, some yoghurt, and yummy pumpkin slice.  I’ve also been eating edible weeds as I work in the garden.  ‘Weed ‘n feed’, someone once said.

Relax daily…Yes. My husband bought me a zero gravity lawn chair.  How absolutely relaxing it is!

Have fun with the kids, including active fun…We walked, gardened, read aloud, and enjoyed the lovely weather.

How about you? Did you exercise, eat well, and relax happily this week?

Let’s encourage each other to care well for the bodies God has given us. Please link up your health and fitness post in the comments below, and don`t forget to link back here from your post. Then enjoy visiting and encouraging other Fit Mommies just like you.

Note: Fit Mommy Friday is the Health and Fitness Check-In column of The Christian Home Carnival.