I Restarted My Walking Regimen
My body needs a reboot!
Before I arrived at the Writer’s Colony, I was thinking, among other things, about my weight. My doctor informed me that my A1C was high, close to the diabetic level. Surprised, I began to think about my eating habits.
I’ll admit — I love sweets, especially chocolate. Whether it’s chomping on a 3 Musketeer Bar, diving into a piece of cake, or eating an ice cream sundae, sweets are my weakness. I love the taste of sweets and want them every chance I get.
I’m not totally unhealthy. I like fruit and vegetables, too. I’ve cut way down on fried foods and red meat. I like baked or grilled chicken, fish, and turkey. Every other Friday, I go to a market called Lamberts. It has a little bit of everything, including a salad bar. There I can fill my container with cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and other veggies. To make it more filling, I add rice and beans, and baked chicken or turkey.
Rice is one of the foods my doctor wants me to cut back on. While I don’t eat much white rice, I do like any other kind of rice. The problem is rice has a lot of carbs. For most of this year, when I went to Lamberts, rice was piled into the container.
So, I started going to Lamberts less and eating 100% whole wheat bread and peanut butter. I cut back on processed drinks and soda. I drink organic orange juice. I cut back on my childhood favorite, bologna, and just went with deli cheese. But I was still eating my other childhood favorite, plain brown donuts. I generally eat two a day with a big glass of milk.
But my diet needs to improve. I have to cut back and I have to increase my movement. Fortunately, I’ve been pretty active over the summer. If I’m not working my summer gig, I’m spending time with family — going to the movies, pool, and other activities. All of which involve varying amounts of walking. For me, walking is the only form of exercise I can do consistently.
However, I needed to increase my daily walking. I was too inconsistent. I’d rather nap than do a lap around the block. I’m lazy and procrastinate — a lot. So when I arrived at the Writer’s Colony, the opportunity to increase my walking presented itself.
The Writer’s Colony is not near downtown Eureka Springs. But it’s not too far of a walk. Since arriving over a week ago, I have spent almost every day walking to and from downtown. There is a trolley, but I’ve only ridden it a couple of times.
In addition to walking to the downtown area, I’ve also walked uphill. The colony is at the bottom of a steep hill which leads to the Crescent Moon Hotel. Supposedly the hotel is haunted. But my focus was on the pool and hot tub. So, almost every day, I’ve made the climb up the hill, stopping every few yards to catch my breath.
As my residency comes to an end in a couple of days, the trek to downtown Eureka Springs has gotten easier as has the trek uphill to the Crescent Moon Hotel. I still need to stop every few yards to catch my breath, but I don’t stop as long as I use to. My body has adjusted to the climb.
With only a couple of days left, I want to make sure I get another walk done before returning home. I do enjoy the walks. The area is full of plants and wildlife. I’ve seen deer and flying squirrels. There are flowers on the road and fancy homes on the hills. It is very picturesque.
When I return home, I want to continue walking. Even if it’s just a few times around the block. I also need to work harder on my eating habits. I must cut back on sugary sweets and food. I need to drink more water and less juice. It’s gonna be hard, but I need to do this for my health.
God, help me!
