WALKING WITH NATURE

I am finally getting with the program - it is taking a little longer than I thought (won't start Nautilus for another month).

My walks have been fruitful with flora and fauna.Along the canal path, I have watched mama goose, papa goose, and 4 goslings. My other bird finds include 2 blue herons, at least 1 pair of Eastern Bluebirds, lots of Robins and Goldfinch, Flickers, Red-Headed Woodpeckers, Red-Winged Blackbirds, and the most surprising of all - a Pileated Woodpecker. The canal is alive with turtles and fish and along the banks and path squirrels and bunnies are playing. Plants and shrubs are blooming in abundance - even found a shrub in my rose bush brambles that I'm not sure whether it is something I want to keep or if it is a pest - must look it up in my gardening books.

This weekend has been spectacular. My brother was here from Nebraska for a couple of days and I have been digging in the dirt and trimming and weeding. This is a good start this year - slow,but if I remember to get myself out of the office early enough in the evenings, this will be a great stress reliever besides helping my waistline.

"JUST DO IT"

I just read Norma's post - wake up call! I have a physical in 3 weeks and have really let myself get into a lazy mode. Work has been stressful and rain has been much, but it is time to set aside time for some unstressing - diligent walking and weight training as well as yard work. I should be able to do some good in those 3 weeks and then keep at it. I'm promising myself 4 miles in the early morning and Nautilus every other day right after Memorial Day (need time to build up some stamina with the walking). Did 3 miles today in just over 50 minutes, so that is a good start.

Here's a good reminder

High intensity exercise is more beneficial. Boy I hate that! I don't like to sweat. I'd prefer to stroll and enjoy the sights. But that’s what this article in Prevention says. The calories are the same--the results are different.

"Researchers from the University of Virginia found that women who did three shorter, fast-paced walks a week (plus two longer, moderate-paced ones) lost 5 times more belly fat than those who simply strolled at a moderate speed 5 days a week, even though both groups burned exactly the same number of calories (400) per workout. Those speed walking also dropped more than 2 inches from their waistlines, pared about 3 times more fat from their thighs, shed 4 times more total body fat, and lost almost 8 pounds over 16 weeks--all without dieting!

The improvements didn't stop there. The high-intensity exercisers lost about 3 times more visceral fat--the dangerous belly fat that wraps around organs such as the liver and kidneys and has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. "Vigorous exercise raises levels of fat-burning hormones," says lead researcher Arthur Weltman, PhD, director of the exercise physiology laboratory at the university. It also increases afterburn (the number of calories your body uses postexercise as it recovers) by about 47% compared with lower-intensity workouts."