This morning I woke up early-ish with just enough time to take a quick walk around my parents neighborhood. I remember my mom doing this same walk many early mornings before she drove to school. I started off, instantly regretting my belief that it would be too warm to need a jacket. Wearing my short sleeved shirt and gray pajama pants I walked down the street trying to keep the pace moderate. I get to the corner and turn right, ahead of me is a man dressed like he was about to go ice fishing in Alaska. No joke this was his ensemble: a beanie, earmuff headband, scarf, huge snow jacket and gloves. He was walking faster than me but I got a full view as he turned at the end of the block to head back in my direction. I whispered a quiet good morning and he said the same, both our breaths condensing into steam. I wonder if he thought I was a member of the polar bear club or maybe I was from back east. Either way I turned the corner and started up the slight incline to the top of the block. It's not a big hill, my car doesn't even switch gears when I drive up it but this morning it seemed a little daunting. I used my favorite coping tool as I tried to keep an even pace, "it could be worse, I could be pushing the stroller. The thought of adding 50 pounds of kid plus 19 pounds of stroller weight to the hill made me go a little faster. Another thing that added to my quick footedness was the fact that kids were walking to school. The wafting of Justin Beiber perfume as I passed a particularly fragrant pair was enough to move me along faster than any mental motivation. I crest the top of this hill and was greeted by the warm, blinding rays of sunshine. I turn and head across the top of this scenic little block. On the opposite side of the street there are two gentlemen who looked like old versions of the kids from the movie Newsies. They wave from across the street and I couldn't be sure but one may have told me to get a jacket, by that point my ears were frozen. Now it's important to note that at this point in the walk I realize that I have no watch, phone or any time telling device with the exception of the sun which would burn my retinas if I even glance in its direction. Why is this important you ask? The dentist appointment was at 9, which meant we should leave by 8. I left the house at 7:10 and at the rate my heart was pounding I could guess it had been about 15 minutes. Not trusting my math I hurried a little more. Making my way down the hill I thought about running but decided that I didn't want to look foolish on a major street and I would save that sort of jiggling for the treadmill in my garage. Turning the final corner I began to quicken my pace, completely convinced at this point that it was almost 8 and I would have to go into this dental appointment without a shower. I rushed into the house only to see the dental appointee still lounging in her robe on the couch like a bon bon eating housewife. Looking at the clock I saw that it was only 7:42 and that I had plenty of time to get ready. As I shampooed my hair in the shower I realized that I had actually walked for 30 minutes, which meant one of two things. One, the path around the neighborhood was a lot longer than I thought or two, my quick pace was anything but. Either way I got my exercise for the day.
Food wise today was a little tough. Breakfast was easy, an over easy egg and a cup of coffee. Lunch was at Island's where they have a nice selection of tasty lower calorie food. On the way home I stopped at Del Taco because I was hungry or bored, it's really hard to say because those feelings are tied deeply together for me. I got two chicken soft tacos and made myself take my time eating them. They lasted a good twenty miles. I also got a bottle of water with them, so I had the illusion that they were healthier because they weren't being washed down with soda. Dinner was a breeze, I made lemon pepper panko chicken, baked in the oven with rice pilaf and veggies. I made it through the day with 2 points to spare.
Day 3, good.
No comments:
Post a Comment