In a Groove

Today was the second day in a row that I walked to work due to my car being in the shop.  It is 2.9 miles and there is a huge hill to climb up.  When I made the decision to walk it Monday, it was based on the fact that I didn't start until noon and could leave the house as early as I wanted in order to get there on time. Mapquest estimated it to take about 65 minutes.  It was a beautiful day yesterday (for autumn at least) and I felt really great to know I was healthy enough to make that walk with no issues.  It took me 55 minutes.  The car shop told me they wouldn't have it done yet until today sometime, and I was debating whether to walk or take a cab, but the weather was nice so I went for it.  My son's bus came at 7:18 and I am supposed to punch in by 8:10, so I knew I'd have to make better time than yesterday.  I made it in 50 minutes!! I am a little stiff and sore, but I TOTALLY OWNED THAT!!  It feels good to be so awake at work!  And because once I made the decision to walk, it turned into something that I couldn't back out of, the goal was to get to work on time, the bonus was that I was also getting a major workout in!  As fun as it was to prove to myself I could rise to the challenge, I won't do it tomorrow no matter what my car situation is.  I think I'll be too sore!  I can't believe I used to run that far!  

Another thing that drove me to walk is my new Pebble.  It is still a novelty to me.  Last night when I got home from work it showed I had taken more than 26,000 steps since activatingv it Saturday morning.  That equates to 13 miles logged, plus today will be another 3 miles +.  If we log 100,00 steps in a month, we $20 refund from our company.  I think I'll have no problem getting there, but I may have to implement a little treadmill action.  I like a challenge, and I'm so happy my iron issue is resolved so I can challenge myself again.  

I learned over the weekend that my dad recently had a stent put in his heart for several blocked arteries.  I knew he had high cholesterol, but he was a pretty healthy guy, only 60 and still very active.  It is scary to think what could have happened had he not had warning signs.  One of his arteries was 90% blocked.  I'm really grateful he's ok.  I knew cancer runs in his side of the family and my mom confirmed that heart disease does too.  That means it is prevelant on both sides of my family.  It is not something I want to mess around with.  It has been a bit of a wake up call, and has made staying on track easier for me.  I look better, I feel better and my mood is better than when I was just eating whatever my heart desired.  I need to pay more attention to that next time I want to binge on junk.  

I am open to hearing the lessons my body has been trying to tell me but were ignored because my mind was screaming overtop of the message.  Time to fix what's broken.  Time to heal and rock on!