Friday January 28, 2011

I was checking my blog today and I was surprised to see that my last two entries that I had emailed had not been posted!

I am going to have to investigate what happened to them because they were supposed to be on there :(

Anyway I will add them after today's post. So, even though I hadn't shared with you about my walking in the last two posts I am going to share with you today how my walking is going.

This week I have been walking with my mom around the block. Well, it would have been the big block that is 2.28km, but mom wasn't feeling up to doing that so we have been doing the smaller block that is 1.23km.

Even though I had been sick for a while and was starting off slowly, I was kind of sad when the walks were over. I know that I have to start out slow and not push myself but I think I am wanting to go further that the small block we have been doing the last few days.

To mix things up a bit, I have been taking my mom down different streets on our walks, it keeps things new and fresh and doesn't make it monotonous. The walks are still the same length but on different routes each time. One day we will go one route and then the next day we will walk a different route or walk the reverse of the route.

Walking with someone is good because you can talk about things and the walks seem to go much faster than walking alone. There is also safety in numbers especially when walking at night or in an area you are not familiar with.

I like to walk alone most days so that I can listen to my MP3 player and catch up on either some of my favorite Pod Casts or an audio book. It doesn't take long to get behind in your reading or pod casts, so I now combine my efforts and kill two birds with one stone. I have also taken to recording my stories and then listening to them as I walk and see if there is anything that needs to be edited out or changed.

I love to write and I love to walk, so combining both of them I can get more work done on time and still stay healthy. Do you have any audio books or pod casts that you like to listen to? You can find them free on the Internet if you don't have a favorite or don't have any audio books.

Here are some web pages to check out for free audio books:

http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/

http://www.audiobooksforfree.com/home

http://www.audiobooks.org/free_book_list.html

http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video

Pod Casts can be found at:

http://www.podcastdirectory.com/

I found that there are lots and lots of pod cast listings on the above site, and I am sure you could find something on there that would make your walk enjoyable. I headed straight for the comedy section and found a few to load onto my mp3 player for my walk tomorrow.

The only problem I have found when listening to either an audio book or pod cast that has comedy in them is that you tend to laugh out loud and usually people cannot see the ear buds in your ears so they walk a BIG circle around you. I have no problem with that and it is really funny to see their faces when they see you laugh at 'nothing'.

Well, keep on walking and having fun getting healthy. Tomorrow I will have more tips and tricks on making your walking fun.

Keep on Walking!!

©2011 7Ladybugs

January 28, 2011

My Most Memorable Vacation

In July we went on our annual family camping trip with my parents to Osoyoos, B.C. The funniest part of the whole week was my mom getting onto the floating chair, which Jason had brought with us.

He had been floating about without any problems, keep in mind he is 6"3 his legs could stretch out and reach the end of the lounge chair, his arms were long enough to reach over the inflatable sides to paddle himself around.

Now, Mom is 4"11 but wanted to try the chair so as to stretch out and not have to hang on for dear life, as with the inner tube she was using. She couldn't get on to it in the deep water so Jason pulled it close to shore for her. He showed her how to get on and said if she shuffled back it wouldn't tip over.

Mom stepped over the footrest thing and launched herself onto the chair. WHOOSH! The chair saw mom coming and shot like a bullet out of the way; she ended up on her butt in the water. She decided to give it another shot but with Jason holding the chair this time.

All was well as she launched herself backwards onto it. She was on it until Jason let go then it tipped her off into the water. By now the whole beach was cracking up laughing, as is my mom. She cannot stand up because she is laughing and Jason can't help her because he is laughing. She decided that the chair was possessed and went back to the inner tube.

This time she decided that she was tired of lying on the tube and I suggested she put it over her middle like the kids do. I should mention that my mom is a larger lady. I could not help her as I was laughing because I knew what was going to happen.

Jason came to her rescue and pushed it down over her head only to get it stuck on her boobs. She eased her boobs on top of the inner tube and was a happy camper. Now you can imagine what happened when Dad said it was time to start supper and we had to get out of the water!!

Picture this... a large 4'11" 60+ year old lady walking into shallow water with an inner tube around her. Mom was killing herself laughing because she realized that though the water was shallow, her inner tube was still up around her boobs and she was in ankle deep water. Once again it was Jason to the rescue and he pulled it up over her head.

From then on every time we went to the beach Jason would pop the inner tube over Mom's head and she was happy for hours. The lake, the fun and the laughter made that .

©2011 7Ladybugs

January 27th, 2011

January 26th, 2011

 

What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011?

 

1. Drama
2. Ed
3. Financial Troubles
4. Car Problems
5. Writers Block
6. Boring Weekends
7. Unwanted Stress
8. Desk Clutter
9. General House Clutter
10. Buying Junk/ Things we don't need
11. Rejection Letters

 

 

How will you go about eliminating them?

 

1. I will not get involved in other peoples problems. It is their issue and they can deal with them.
2. I do not have to talk to Ed or do any of his geocaches. I will take a No Contact With Ed policy.
3. Try and save money in anyway I can and use more coupons. I will also try and sell more things like my crafts or writings.
4. Save enough money to get a more reliable car.
5. Sit down and look around if I need inspiration.
6. Make sure that we go out at least one day on each weekend geocaching, even if it is to just one cache in Chilliwack.
7. I am not going to let things bother me that I cannot control.
8. Clean off my desk.
9. Cleaning out the things we do not use or need anymore.
10. Stop buying things we do not need.
11. Write better and send out more articles that have been polished more.

 

How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?

 

1.      Having a Drama Free house will make daily like easier.

2.      Ed will no longer be able to bully me and I can go back to having fun Geocaching.

3.      Saving money will be good because we can put it towards weekend outings, camping or our vacation.

4.      If I have a reliable car I will not be stuck at home and I will be able to get out more and do more things, which will make me happy.

5.      If I don't have writers block I will be more productive in my writing and in turn I will be able to sell more of my work, which will help with #3.

6.      I will not be sitting around the house doing nothing and I will be enjoying myself no matter what it is I am doing.

7.      Getting rid of stress will make me healthier.

8.      By getting rid of desk clutter I will be more productive in my writing.

9.      It will make finding thing easier and therefore making life easier.

10.  We will be able to save money for other things.

11.  Less rejection letters = more print opportunities.

 

© 2011 7Ladybugs

January 26th,2011

 

January 25, 2011

How is everyone today? I have been up since 7am working on the computer so I am getting a bit tired. I think it will soon be time for me to go and get some walking done to refresh my body and mind.

I have composed six letters to be emailed or mailed to companies asking them for donations for my upcoming events. I hope the companies I have selected are in a generous mood this year as I rely on people donating items or products to help keep my costs down.

While I have been on the computer, I have been surfing the net for some wise words of wisdom to motivate us while we are walking. Most of the things I found were things we already knew, like drink water while walking, take a snack with you if you are walking more than two miles, use a walking stick or hiking staff if climbing in rough terrain and things like that.

One thing that I haven’t covered is the use of walking sticks or hiking staffs. I have both and I didn’t spend too much money on either one of them. While I don’t use either one for walking around the block, I do use them when we are hiking in the forest or in a Provincial park. My daughter wanted a set of walking poles to use for when we go up some steep hills and I was looking for a set for her. I quickly told her NO as they were asking $40.00 for a pair of walking poles… way out of my price range! I did buy her some though for $1.00 at the local thrift store. They are ski poles, which are the right height for her, and they have the point on the end to grip into the ground. So, if you wanted to go and get a pair of walking poles for your walking trips, head to your closest thrift store and pick up some ski poles for cheap! They really do work and they also give your arms a work out as well!

I also have a metal telescopic hiking staff, which I managed to get for $5.00 from eBay a few years ago. It is brand new and great for when you want to carry it with you but not use it all the time. I usually carry it in my backpack when we are hiking to help get me through those tough parts. Personally though, I would not spend the $50+ dollars on an adjustable pole for walking with, it just isn’t worth the money, in my opinion. For the amount of times I have used it, it was good that I paid only five dollars for it.

My advice to you is to check out both types and then decide if you are going to use them often enough to pay full price for the product. Keep in mind that you only get ONE hiking staff for the price and if you head to your thrift store you get two ski poles for a quarter of the price and maybe even find a hiking staff as well.

If you have a carver in the family you could always have one made out of a tree branch that you find on your walks. They are always the best kinds as they are free!!

I found the following funnies on a page and I thought I would share them with you:

· My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 70. Now he's 77 and we don't have any idea where the hell he is.

· I like long walks, especially when people who annoy me take them.

· The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

· I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing.

· I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there.

· Every time I hear the dirty word "exercise" I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

· I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

I thought they were funny and had to share them with my fellow walkers. Do you have something funny to share? You can always add it as a comment or email me and I will post it for you.

As the year goes on I am sure there will be plenty of funny stories of my walking with my family and will have no problem sharing them with you!

One of my favorite authors said this about walking:

I've exercised with women so thin that buzzards followed them to their cars.
Erma Bombeck

If you can't make it better, you can laugh at it.
Erma Bombeck

Well, that is it for my thoughts for the day. I am now going to go out and have a nice walk around the block to revive myself so I can get on with my work.

Have a great walk today!

©2011 7Ladybugs

January 25, 2011

January 24, 2011

Well I am feeling a lot better today than I have this past week. The flu, my IBD and my fibromyalgia were all rearing their ugly heads at once; something I didn’t want or need to happen.

While I was sick I did manage to get some more writing done, that’s a good thing, and I also managed to get this years events organized – well sort of!
I have about six events this year that I have to plan, and with the planning comes organizing door prizes and sponsors.

I really don’t like going back to the same companies time and time again but they are the companies that are in the area and they are also the ones that are willing to donate.

While surfing the net today I did manage to find a couple of other companies that are big brands and I think I might try and see if they would like to donate something for a door prize. After all, it is free advertising for them and less expense out of my pocket to buy door prizes.

People really don’t realize how much goes into organizing a small event in any neighborhood, no matter what the event is for. You have to find and organize an area to hold the event. Then you have to organize food or other nibbles for people to snack on while there. Then there is the door prizes and the speeches and the awards or any other special items you have for the event.

I am glad that the Internet allows me to send emails to most of the companies I use. I would be on the phone all day for at least two weeks if it weren’t for emailing half of the companies *whew*

Less of how my days are going to be and have been, has your walking been eventful? I admit I haven’t been out for walks while I have been sick and I am back to square one when I start walking later this week due to being so weak. Its ok though because no matter how long you are down for you can always start again and start slowly until you get back up to the pace you were at before you were ill.

I heard something on the news the other night about walking for fitness. They were saying that new studies have shown that walking outside is more beneficial to your health and a better work out for you because you use more muscles.

If you are inside using a treadmill to walk, you can prop up a book or magazine and read while you do ten or twenty-minute workout and your upper body don’t move. If you are walking outside your arms are swinging and your upper body is leaning and you are holding yourself upright and using more muscles.

Plus if you are inside then you are breathing in the stale sweaty air and other people’s odors, which is gross just thinking about it! If you are walking outside then you are getting the fresh air in your lungs and you are getting your Vitamin D from the sun (trust me it is out there … somewhere!) and not getting in contact with anyone that is carrying a flu or cold virus.

When they said that on the news I was shocked! Haven’t I been telling you that the great outdoors is the best place to get your exercise? Some people are just a little slow to pick up on the obvious. I wish I had been paid to tell them what they just found out… I bet it cost millions of dollars just to realize that outdoors is better for you than being stuck in a building and exercising.

I am going to go for a little walk around the small block with my dog tonight, where are you going for your walk?

Keep on Walking!

©2011 7Ladybugs
January 24, 2011

Blue Monday

Today is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year! Some scientists in Wales used a bunch of different tests and came up with the most depressing day and the happiest day.

June 17th, 2011 is the Happiest Day of the year! How they come up with these things are beyond me. I wish I got paid for figuring out things like this, don’t you?

Anyway, how did you do with your walking today? I didn’t go out at all today for a walk as I have not been feeling well and it was raining all day.
I cannot wait until the rain goes away and spring is here. I have no problem walking in the rain but when it is so cold outside it makes walking miserable and not fun at all.

Today is just one of those days when I am trying to get my energy level back up from being sick on the weekend. I am so drained today and cant even muster up the energy to go for a small walk outside, but I have been walking in the house and going up and down the stairs a few times. I know I will not be getting a full work out today but at least I am getting some walking done.
Never give up walking! Its something that everyone can do and it is FREE!!

Today I was going to tell you the story of my mom and the inner tube when we were in Osoyoos, BC But I have decided to end today’s blog entry early so that I can go and relax in bed for a while.

Don’t forget to get out there and walk!

©2011 7Ladybugs
January 17, 2011

Saturday

I know I haven’t written in my blog for two days, but I have been writing, just not on here. I have also been walking as much as possible in this rainy weather we have been having lately. It wouldn’t be so bad except that we had nineteen inches of snow last week and then all this rain; it makes walking in slush a hazard.

Have you been walking? I had found a site for free pedometers but before I post the link I am finding out if it is actually free or if there is a catch to the “Free Pedometer” when you sign up. A lot of places I have found that have “Free Pedometers” come with all kinds of small print and if you do not read it you could be giving away your first born.

Totally of topic now but I want you to know that I have a great sense of humor. You are probably wondering, “Why is she telling me this?” Well, I am telling you this because some days my blog entry will be about my family or friends or an event that I have attended, but the way I see them!

I will start with my most favorite time of the year – Summer! Every Summer our little town seems to double in size as the tourists flow from all points on the globe to pass through our town on their way to a local tourist hot spot.
They come by car, van, bus and train.

The train is where I would like to take you first. Our train station is a unique one (I have never seen one like it before); it is in the middle of the road. Not just any road, but the one that goes through the middle of town.

Most of the time I can avoid the train as the locals know when the Via train is coming and we plan accordingly. On most days I have at least one of my teenagers with me, this is where the fun part comes in. I know that there is a way to go around the train when it is stopped in the middle of the road to pick up and drop off passengers, but I choose not to take it. It is more fun watching my kids squirm as I wave at the tourists on the train and watch them wave back to me.

One day I was the first car in the line when the barricades came down and we had to stop for the train. Oh goodie I get to see the tourists! My kids groan and pretend they don’t know me! I didn’t realize that tall kids could shrink down in size and almost fit in the tiny space made for your feet! You learn something new everyday!

This day was a special day for me as I had brought my camera! I had been watching the tourists take lots of pictures of us so this time I decided to take pictures of them while I was waiting.

“Mom you can NOT do that!”

“Mom get back in the car NOW!”

“Mom people will see you!”

Of course the kids were pretending that they were anywhere but in the car with me. So I turned around and said, “What kids? Are you talking to me? Your mom?”

If ever you want a teenager to be quiet, that’s all you have to do! My kids didn’t say another word to me on the short drive into the neighboring town that day, but you can rest assured that they cringe when they hear the trains’ horn in the summer and I grin!

This happened about six years ago, now my daughter is out there with me taking pictures but she still refuses to wave at them. She said something about if you cant beat them join them!

My kids know that I am kidding around and they can sometimes pull some great jokes on me, but they dread the payback that they will receive, and they know it will come!

It is a good job my whole family has a sense of humor as we try and make light of the many bad things that have come into our lives. We are the kind of family that if we saw you fall we would make sure you are ok and then make you laugh.

Our motto is: If you can’t laugh at yourself, we will gladly do it for you!

Maybe one day soon I will tell you the story of my son and his fishing trip where he caught a salmon fillet! Or one of the many other interesting stories that I can tell about my family.

Remember, keep walking and getting healthy in your free fitness area.

©2011 7Ladybugs
January 15, 2011

It was a SNOW DAY!

They said on the radio yesterday that we are supposed to get a bit of snow… for once in their lifetime they were right! It DID snow! A whole bunch of snow! On the roof we have a five-foot snowdrift and on the ground we have about a foot of snow!

The kids had a snow day today so they decided to walk me up at 7:30am to tell me that they were not going to school. I would have figured it out myself when I woke up on my own that there was no school. I didn’t need them to shake me out of a dead sleep to inform me!

The kids have not figured it out yet that if you wake me up then I will pay you back! As we had a big dumping of snow and they drank the last of the milk, it meant I had to go into town to get some milk and other things.

“Did you shovel our driveway when you guys were outside?” I asked them as they were excitedly talking about how they shoveled so many driveways and even helped shovel out one of the apartment buildings driveway.

“No we didn’t know we were supposed to!” was the reply.

I let them eat their lunch that they had made and get nice and toasty warm before mentioning that I had to go to the store. This is where the revenge part comes into play.

“I am leaving in five minutes so I need my car and driveway clear please!”

“But MOOOOOMMM! You could have told us before we sat down!”

“I thought it would have been obvious that the car had snow on it and so did the driveway and you knew I had to get milk as you were the ones that drank the last of it!”

“This sucks!”

“So does getting woken up at 7:30am to tell me you were home!”

They did some under the breaths comments (of which I am sure there were some four letter words in there) and slowly moved to get their jackets and gloves on to go and shovel more snow. It didn’t end there either.

As we were leaving the phone rang and it was my mom asking if the kids can go over to shovel their driveway!

They just came home from shoveling the snow one my parents and their neighbors. I think they learn that they shouldn’t wake me up!

KARMA BABY KARMA!!!

©2011 7Ladybugs
January 12, 2011

Tuesday

Well, today I did not go for a walk as I had planned! Instead I walked around the block in town in between two doctors appointments. Trying to cram in walking into a day when you have so much going on is hard, but I do practice what I preach and park far away from where I am going so I do actually get some walking in!

They are forecasting snow for tomorrow so I am not sure how much walking outside I will get done!I am just proud that I did get some walking in today, as I really didn’t have much time in between running around.

How are you doing on your walking? I still haven’t found anyone that is giving away free pedometers but as soon as I do I will post the link on here.

Here are some benefits of walking:

It supports weight loss and weight maintenance.

It reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.

It fends off diabetes by improving the body's ability to use insulin.

It eases the pain and stiffness of arthritis.

It keeps bones strong, which prevents osteoporosis.

In women, it relieves premenstrual and menopausal discomforts.

It improves sleep.

It builds strength, flexibility, and stamina.

It enhances mental function.

It counteracts anger, depression, and anxiety.

©2011 7Ladybugs
January 11, 2011

Geocaching and Walking!

I like to walk and include my favorite hobby, geocaching. If you do not know what geocaching is then let me explain.

Geocaching (also known as Caching) is a new age, electronic treasure hunt using a hand held GPS and making use of the military satellite system. You also need a computer and an Internet connection. People hide Tupperware containers, or other water tight/ weather proof containers and using the GPS take a reading of their location and then publish it on one of the many geocaching websites.

Once it has been published on the website then anyone can go and find it using their GPS. Geocaching is all over the world and is for all abilities.

There are different types of geocaches and different difficulties so if you are not a hiker and just want some that are literally a walk in the park, there are geocaches for you as well as the people that like to hike up mountains.

A few years ago we hiked over 12KM to get to one cache! Some people would say that is nuts to do that, we didn't think that it was nuts as we were camping right in the area and it was on a trail that ran by the campsite and we were going to go for a walk along the trail anyway… maybe not for 12 KM but for an hour or so.

On the web page that the geocaches are listed on there is usually a description of the cache and sometimes a hint to narrow down the search area. A GPS can only get you close to the actually cache, sometimes it zero's out, so this is where the hint is useful. For example, a cache is placed in a forest and the description tells you about the area, the hint will be able to literally POINT you in the right direction. The hint could be, " Beside the stump with the tree growing out of it." So now you know that it is in the forest and it is hidden beside a stump with a tree growing out of it. That will help narrow your search down a lot.

We cache as a family and majority of times I will have two kids with me when going to find one, no matter what the weather is like. We have found caches in all of the seasons and know the different difficulties that can occur with each season.

Our favorite type of caches for the family to do is the 4x4 trail caches. We incorporate our love of 4x4ing with geocaching each time we go out and play in the truck. We not only hunt for caches we also place them on 4x4 roads as well.

I know this really doesn't have anything to do with walking today but I just wanted to share how I also get motivated to go out for a walk in a new area or in a new park. It is fun to have a destination, or goal when walking, even if it is finding a geocaches in a park that is close to home or in the next town.

Also, geocaching can take you to trails and parks in your town or city that you never knew were there.

This is just my two cents worth on my favorite hobby.

Keep on Walking!

©2011 7Ladybugs

January 10^th, 2011

Happy Sunday!

Did you do some great walking today? I was going to walk up town with my two kids today but when we went outside, even though the sky was blue and the sun was shining, I thought I was in the arctic! It was so cold and the wind was just cutting through us. I was going to check out the wind chill but was too cold to even do that!

We did go for a small walk down by the river to get some pictures for the 365 Photo A Day challenge but even then my hands were freezing and I was only outside for a brief minute to take a few pictures. It was bitterly cold today and no matter how many layers I put on, the wind just cut right through me.

Today for my daily photo I waited until the sun was setting and took a picture of the sunset on the mountains. I think it is so beautiful when the snow capped mountains turn pink by the setting sun!

I will be glad when winter is over and I can get in a nice walk without freezing my hands or feet off! One thing to remember when you are out walking in the winter is to bend your knees and lean forward when walking on ice. If you bend your knees and shuffle across the icy section you have less chance of falling than if you were to talk across it normally.

When you are walking, either with a friend or with the dog, do you like to have your mMP3 playing quietly? I know this may have sounded rude, but I find that if I have my MP3 playing an upbeat song quietly I will keep a faster pace when walking, yet I can still carry on a conversation with my walking partner. I have one of the headphones in my ear with the music low enough that I can hear the beat and still be able to walk and carry on a conversation. It really is a great motivator to keep a faster pace and make the walkout, like workout but walking, a little more challenging for me! What do you do to keep motivated? Do you have some favorite music you like to listen to when you are walking?

Well, another day and another Photo, Walking, Writing and Geocaching 365 Challenges down and another couple of hundred to go!

Keep on walking and I will be back tomorrow!

© 2011 7Ladybugs
January 9, 2011

It Snowed Here!

Today I did actually go for a walk even though it was snowing. It wasn’t a long walk but it was a walk nonetheless. As I have said before, it doesn’t matter how far you walk as long as you get out each day and walk somewhere.

Today it snowed and it actually stuck on the ground! I love to drive in the snow that we get here, as it is not a wet snow but a powder. You can still slip and slide in it but it is a dryer snow than what the Lower Mainland gets.

I am hoping it either dumps a lot of snow or it rains and washes it all away. Have you tried to walk on frozen slush? It is difficult! You have to watch your step so you don’t go over on your ankle and fall or break a bone.

So, as you have noticed I have been talking about walking and the free fitness areas in neighborhoods. Well, I am hoping to add to that by giving you some tips on walking to get the most out of your walk.

If you are still having a problem trying to get in a walk daily, park your car in the furthest parking stall when you got to the mall or to work, even those extra steps count as a walk.
Instead of walking to do those errands that are close by, talk a walk and get healthy while you are doing errands.

Get your arms pumping as you walk, it will motivate you and make you have a workout like you never thought would be possible. It also helps reduce those ‘batwings’ we get as we get older!

Make sure that you drink water before during and after your workout to flush out those nasty fats that we don’t want anymore!

For safety reasons, always walk with a partner. If that is not possible then let someone know where and when you are going and when you will return, better to be safe than sorry. If I have to walk alone, I usually take my dog with me, he maybe medium sized but he is a big deterrent. If you don’t have a dog, borrow some ones dog, they will be happy you are taking them for a walk and you will get exercise as well as feeling good about helping out a neighbor or friend.

If you need motivation then repeat this affirmation: Walking is free and it makes me feel great!

You are doing really great!!! You have stuck with it for this long; just imagine how you will look and feel in six months or a year!

After each month of successful walking each day, I am going to treat myself to something that is just for me. I did the work and I think I deserve something nice for my efforts! I am not talking about going out to dinner or buying myself some expensive clothes or anything like that; I am talking about a new bottle of nail polish for my toes, a new pair of cute socks or a nice water bottle. Just a little something that I can see and feel so I know I have done great in the previous month. I believe in rewarding the good behavior and if I have stuck with something for a month – I think I need something that is just for ME!

My six months treat will probably be a new pair of walking shoes and a pair of socks! I think it will be cool to see how far I have walked in total at that point and then look on a map and see where I could have walked to had I kept on walking in a straight line. I would set my sights high like Hawaii but I am not that energetic… or am I? We will have to wait and see. I would also like to see where you would have walked to as well. Don’t be shy we are all friends here, even if you have just started walking post that here as well.

For me I am going to soak my feet and put some cream on them as I am hoping to get a longer walk in tomorrow.

Happy Walking!

©2011 7Ladybugs
January 8, 2011

How was your day?

How was your day?

Another day has come and gone and I am hoping that, like me, you have been keeping up with the free fitness in your neighborhood. Today I wasn’t really feeling like going for a long walk after being sick yesterday so I took it easy and only did a short walk of one kilometer. I do not really care how far I walk as long as I get out and walk somewhere each day.

Did you make use of any of the links I posted yesterday? I know I have visited them several times today and they impress me, so far. I was looking around the Internet today to find a place that was giving away free pedometers but I couldn’t find a place within the short amount of time I had that was free.

Today apart from getting healthy and walking around the block, I did manage to get some more work done on my writing. To be more specific I managed to work on my third novel in the Blossom Kingdom series. I had to put it down for a while as I hit a writer’s block, but today I actually added about twenty pages to the story, of which I am very proud!

I have been thinking while I am walking, and that is when I have my best thoughts, that I should bring along my handheld recorder so that I can dictate my ideas as I am walking and then review them when I get home. Occasionally I do have some great ideas! The only problem with recording my ideas when I am walking, is that my mom and daughter are usually walking with me and it would be rude to just tell them to “hush I am recording!”

My mom, daughter and I have a goal in mind for our walking and getting in shape. Our goal is to be able to walk around a lake that is about two hours away in the spring. The walk around the lake is ten kilometers and if we tried to do it now it would beat us down and we would be discouraged about the progress we didn’t make. Besides looking forward to walking around the lake and seeing the scenery and the wildlife, there are also about sixty-two geocaches on the trails around the lake that I haven’t done and would like to log.

I suppose our other goal, apart from losing weight and getting healthy, to be able to go on a hike up ‘Teapot Hill’. Teapot hill is a steep trail that takes about an hour to walk up. I have walked it before but it took a lot longer as my daughter and I were laughing all the way up there and laughing and walking just does not work!

Once we have completed the hike up Teapot Hill I would like to climb Mount Cheam with my son, daughter and husband. My son has climbed it several times and I have seen him double over with leg cramps, one thing I am NOT looking forward to getting. I think we will be able to climb Mount Cheam in 2012 as there is only a few months out of the year that you can get up there without having any troubles with the snow or ice. You have to 4x4 up to the lower parking lot and the road up to there is very rough and quite scary in some places.

Well, I am going to leave you today with a thought… It doesn’t matter how little or how much walking you do each day, don’t get discouraged as tomorrow is a new day!

©2011 7Ladybugs
January 7th, 2011

Hello World

How was your day today? Mine could have been better I suppose but then again things always happen around here that prevents me from doing one thing or another.

I didn’t get to do my regular walk today but I did manage to squeak in a smaller walk. I have IBD and when it acts up it acts up in a big way. IBD is Irritable Bowel Disease and that affects my intestines. I can not eat many foods and sometimes something that I have eaten a hundred times before could turn on me and cause a flare up of my IBD, which is what happened this time around.

Anyway, I wont go into that in detail, as I am sure you don’t want to know about it. So, lets get back to our fitness area. Did you go and find your fitness area in your neighborhood today? There is a cool tool on line that you can measure how far you have walked in miles or kilometers. The link is http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ and when you get there, zoom into your area. A setting needs to be adjusted before we begin and it is the Draw Route: change it to manually (straight lines).

Then click on the Start Recording button on the top left hand side and with your cursor hover above your starting point and double click. You wont see anything yet but when you move to the end of the street or to the corner and double click again you will see a red line and if you look over to the left side it will tell you how far it is. Continue doing this until you have finished your walking route and you will be able to track how far you have walked.

I also use a pedometer but I have found those to be inaccurate. The best one I had was from the Kellogg’s Cereal Boxes and it was accurate to my steps and also didn’t count my leg shaking when I am sitting down! (I have a habit of bouncing my leg when I am sitting working!)

You can use a pedometer to help you keep track of your steps and make a challenge for yourself to keep upping the amount of steps you take each day.
I have a journal that I used to keep track of each days steps and I was amazed at how far I would walk in one day just around the home. The reason I stopped keeping track of my steps each day was because I got very sick and was bed ridden for a few weeks. When I did get better I couldn’t walk that far so I put off wearing my pedometer … and you know how that story goes from there! If I could I would go back and start using my pedometer every day even when I was recovering just so that I would have a record of my steps.

Here is another useful web page that shows you the steps and how many miles it is. Check it out here http://apps.adcom.uci.edu/expresso/econtent/Content.do?resource=4473
I have used this page on many occasions to figure out how far I have walked in a day, because really and truly you don’t know that you have walked five miles just in the house.

You can also go to http://classic.mapmywalk.com/ and then you can see exactly how far you have walked. I am just trying this out so it will be a learning experience for all of us. So far, I have found that the site runs a bit slow but that could also be because I have a few other programs running.
I did a test map on this site and it seems to work pretty well. I figure for free why not add another little fun item to our getting fitness for free campaign.

So, now I have given you some links to check out and some reading to do, don’t forget to go out and walk for a little while and check out your neighbors front yard, you never know what they might have changed since you last drove by there.

Stay tuned tomorrow and I will give you some more helpful hints tips and tricks to getting out and about and getting healthy the no fee way.

©2011 7LadyBugs
January 6, 2011

Lets Get Moving!

Every New Year we all make resolutions to get healthy, whether it is eating healthy or vowing to go to the gym more often. I have been there and I know that most of us do not follow through with our plans.

We all have great intentions of following through with creating the “NEW” you for the year, we go to the gym or swimming and we pick up those bags of salad kits and we feel great about ourselves for at least taking charge of our lives and getting healthy; and this is the first week.

The second week we tend to skip a day at the gym because we plan on eating something really healthy for dinner and that evens things out, right?
Then the one day skipped turns into two days skipped and so on and so on.
You still have to pay the gym fees even when you do not go, so why start going in the first place? I know of a fitness area that is close by for everyone and it does not have any fees to use it. Would you like to know my secret fitness area?

The only thing you must buy to use this fitness area (or you may already have them) is a comfortable pair of shoes. The Club can be used by anyone of any ability and you can use it free of charge 24/7 all year long.
It might scare you to know that using my favorite fitness area has more health benefits than actually going to the gym and a lot less sweaty people in the changing rooms as well.

I bet you have a fitness area like I do in your neighborhood, unless you live on Mars then I am not too sure, it is right outside your front door! Yes I am talking about the trails and sidewalks that get used daily in your area and no one even thinks that they can help you lose weight or get healthy. More people would use the free fitness areas if they came with a brand name tag on them or were enclosed in a glass house.

The benefits of walking or running outside are you get your daily dose of vitamin D from the sun (yes it can even squeak through those cloudy days) and you get to see your neighborhood which you have probably only driven past. Did you notice that the house two doors down had installed a water fountain in their front yard? Or how about the house on the corner that they added on to?

People are all about getting healthy yet most of that involves driving to somewhere. I say forget the gyms and health spas and lets get moving the way our ancestors used to before Gyms came around by walking.
I love to walk and even though I am over weight it isn’t because I eat too much, its because I am not getting out there and making use of my local free fitness area, but that is about to change.

I am taking my mom up on her offer of a “365 Day Walking Challenge”. I have always loved a challenge and this is one that has really got me motivated, in more ways than one! Before my mom put this challenge forward to me I was challenged by three other people to do different 365 Day challenges, so I can incorporate the other three into my walking and complete each one daily. The other three incase you are wondering are: 365 Geocaching, 365 Writing Challenge, and a 365 Photo Challenge.

Now back to my original thought - walking! I know some people have a hard time walking but believe me no matter what your size is, you can walk around the block.

A good friend of mine was so overweight that she couldn’t go to the gym to lose weight and she had trouble walking. I sat her down and told her to quit feeling sorry for herself and that I would help her as much as I could. I proceeded to tell her that we were going to walk around the block together, but not today or tomorrow! I wanted her to be able to get some freedom from only sitting in the house or sitting in the car, so we started slowly by walking to the end of the driveway and back! It doesn’t sound like a lot I know, but to her it was the equivalent of walking a kilometer! We did that every day and soon she wanted to walk around the “small block” with me.
I am proving that no matter how overweight you are you can make baby steps and then more baby steps and before you know it you will be making toddler tracks and then adolescence advances etc!

It doesn’t matter how many steps you take as long as you get that body moving, even if it is slow to start with! If you can’t bend down to tie your shoes, wear slip on shoes! If you are thinking up an excuse not to go for a walk, I can counter with many more reasons why you should go for a walk!! If I can do it then I know YOU can as well. Lets get moving and make this the year that we do not waste our money on gym fees and get out in the fresh air and walk our way to better health!

My Walking Club is getting fit this year with plenty of Vitamin D and worn out shoes! Come and join me if you would like!

© 2011 7LadyBugs
January 05, 2011

365 Challenges

This is a New Year and I have been challenged by several different people to do several 356 Day Challenges. I am going to force myself to blog about them everyday!
My 365 Challenges are as follows:

Walking - Mom and Manda
Geocaching - family
Writing - Me
Photo A Day - Me and Manda!

I think I can incorporate all of these into one and blog about them :)
Through out the year I will post other writings of mine that you might like.
I have already started the challenges but just realized I could be blogging as well so ... lets see what happens from here :)