After months of cold and snow, it's finally getting to be warm outside. Being in New Jersey, this time of year can be hit or miss with weather. There had been days when the temperature was in the high 60s, then within days, it was back to the 40s. Now, the temperature has been in the 60s and 70s. Perfect walking weather.
Right now, I'm not working, so every day that it doesn't rain, I get out and walk. When I walk, I have several routes that I like to take. Last year, I walked 2 1/2 to 5 miles a day. This year, I haven't walked less than 3 1/2 miles, but usually between 4 1/2 to 6 miles each time.
When you reach menopause, there's an added challenge in losing weight. Your metabolism isn't what it was in your 20s and 30s. I find that I have to work harder to take off even the slightest amount of weight. Right now, I'm at a plateau. I'll lose a pound one week, then the next week, it's back. I've tried everything short of starving myself. I refuse to do without food for 2 reasons: 1) It's not healthy and 2) I love food. So, because of this, I've stepped up my walks to the point that I'm now doing about 5 miles every day (with exceptions, of course). In the past month, I haven't walked less than 4 miles each time.
Since it is so nice outside, it's easy for me to feel motivated to get out there. I always have my iPod with the Nike+ so I know how far I go. I'm also getting hooked on the iPod sync with the Nike site that keeps track of my walks. I've even joined some challenges and set some goals. Right now, I'm working on a challenge to "Walk across the US". Each challenger walks (or runs) the distance across the US, which is 3,260 miles. The challenge started December 27, 2007 and will and on January 2, 2015. There are 7,888 people in this challenge and as of today, I am in 1,895th place with 597.03 miles. Not too bad, especially when you consider that I only started logging miles for this a little under a year ago.
With Spring and Summer comes another challenge: rain. I'm not thrilled with walking in the rain when it's 60 or 70 degrees, but clouds don't bother me, so I'll get out and walk even if the sun isn't out. When there are clouds, there's no guarantee that there won't be rain. When I walk, I carry my phone and key in a small bag that's a pain in the ass to hold on to, but I've gotten used to it. On cloudy days, I stick 2 Zip Lock bags in with my phone and key. This way, if it does rain, my phone and iPod don't get soaked. In the Summer, when it's hot, I have no problem going out for a walk when it's raining, as long as it's not a torrential downpour and the puddles are so deep I could swim through them.
Summer also poses a challenge for me: heat. I hate the heat. This means that I have to change my walk time. Instead of going out midday, I'll either have to get my ass out of bed early so I could start my walk just as the sun is coming up, or wait until just before sundown.
In about 2 weeks, I'll be taking a trip to Florida with a couple of friends. I plan on keeping up with my walks, so this could be my opportunity to train myself to get up early and walk. Early could be the way to go since I want to spend this time with my friends and they may want to sleep in. If they want to walk with me, I could always take another walk with them in the evening.
For now, I'm just enjoying this weather and my time outside.
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