I’ve given a lot more thought to walking since I retired than I would have thought possible. The problem is a clash-of-intent. Mister likes to walk with me (and I with him) but, he doesn’t like to walk as OFTEN as I do. He likes us to take the dog (and I do too) but, we don’t want the poor little guy to collapse from exhaustion. Mister’s goal is to walk aerobically for 30 minutes but mine is to walk 5-8 miles a day.
Combine all those goals with the fact that I’m spending hours and hours everyday at my parent’s house and I’m trying to spend as much hanging out & helping Mister at our own house and finding a workable routine has had me stumped.
It’s really had me worried. But, I’ve been trying a new routine this week and I think it’s going to work perfectly:
When I get to my parent’s house in the morning I say a quick hello and take off for a walk. When I get back I work on their housework for an hour or two. Then I take another walk. When I get back, I work on Dad’s project for 3 or 4 hours. Go home (eat lunch) and whenever Mister wants, we take another walk with the dog. Then in the summer we can add an evening walk.
So far the morning walks have been a mile each and the afternoon walk is a little over 2. But, if I tinker with my route, I can make them all in the 2 mile range. And with a little commitment, even a lunkhead like me can figure out a simple problem….
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Welcome back! Sounds like you’re busier now that you’re retired…it just happens that way. Good luck figuring out how to fit everything in – and kudos for remembering to take care of yourself, else you can’t care for others!
Well that sounds like a good plan.
Plus the benefit of walking in spurts is that it breaks up the day in ways that the day sometimes needs breaking up. If you know what I mean.
by the way I don’t know if you assigned me the little green horney monster or if it was just random – but I really like it.
(waving at Beth and MaryB)
It’s good to see you!
Not a lunkhead! You were my first friend on the Internet!
{{therapydoc}} Thank you so much! I really appreciate that.
Glad to see you’re back ! I was wondering what was going on, and you didn’t answer emails. Ah well.
As for me, I’ve been transferred to a location which basically makes walking impossible. It’s 25 miles from home. Lots of stress with the commute, completely new job assignment, lots of confusion.
The worst possible environment for discipline and commitment, so, of course, there’s a lot of backsliding and getting back to “just for today” 1st principles.
Which I will get to just as soon as I’m back from yet another trip out of town where discipline is difficult if not impossible.
It never ends !
Catdog!! I DID answer your email — I swear I did. I wonder what happened to it?
I’m having trouble too with my confusing life changes.
I’m so glad to see you again
(off to check my sent mail…. maybe it’s in a draft?)
Hello… After maintaining at 125 (I’m 5′8″) for approximately two years I believed I had truly conquered emotional eating.
Then I discovered a mountain of seemingly endless deception built by my husband. I went to couples therapy with him for a year. I could not salvage my trust in him after
having been consistently lied to. I chose to leave him.
Immediately after doing so, I compulsively ate chocolate to compensate for the shock. I gained ten pounds and went up to 135 in the course of a few days. It has been a year and I have not yet had the courage to take the ten pounds back off.
Although my body weight and nutritional habits are perfectly healthy on a nutritional level [i.e normal amounts of calories and nutrients] – I know better. I know that my eating habits are haphazard, disorganized, and cluttered: like my mind was after my fractured and devastating break-up with my husband.
I know that I become confused about when I actually need the food and when I am eating it to take comfort. I know that I do not need this extra ten pounds. It is important to me to take off the ten pounds for symbolic reasons. I want to be the best person I can be. That includes treating myself with respect. Part of treating myself with respect means being at the weight that looks and feels the best to me personally, which is 125 – and not believing that I am powerless to accomplish this.
Mea Culpa, I am back and I need your support.