When Walking to Lose Weight Always Remember…
The Pedometer has Power.
I went down to Sydney for a few days and loved seeing the bustle of the Christmas crowds. I forgot the pedometer and felt less connected to the ‘steps’ process. I found it difficult to judge the number of steps I might have walked. It seems that little counter is really an effective tool to keep walking – if the steps aren’t up where I’d like them to be, it pushes me on, or the high step counts lead to self congratulations and more activity. An alternative is to use a dvd such as Walk Away the Pounds which will keep track of the steps for you.
Priorities Count.
Last week, because I had at the time something very important to do and I thought I needed to forget everything else and make it my only priority, I found that I forgot my pedometer, forgot to order my drink on lite milk, had cream just this once, couldn’t walk because it was too hot, had wine with dinner, etc. As soon as I returned to my senses, I realised that I hadn’t improved my experience at all. Or somehow invested in a more successful event, but I had shaken my confidence in my ability to effectively lose weight over the long term. I could have continued my dual priority of walking to lose weight and the other important things in my life and I would have been happy that I had done well on both fronts. I wallowed for a while in distress at the backsliding I had achieved or at least suspected. A combination of social and other tasks had me busy driving and sitting for many hours without the choice of getting up and moving. So it was a successful week…except for the walking and weight loss process! On top of that the Christmas crowds and the Christmas attitude make it practically difficult to apply some of the regular walking to lose weight strategies. Oh and the summer heat pushes me indoors for exercise. Shopping malls normally a good standby under these circumstances, are no longer so, as the crowded malls make walking for weight loss impossible.
What to do now.
The key is to mentally substitute the shops and the beach in your mind. Shop early and late, which are also my favourite time for the beach. I really only like those long leisurely strolls in the cool of the evening or early morning, in summer. During the day walking was the obvious choice for so many reasons-parking in the shade but a long way away from the shops or having to park a long way away form the mall during the crowded part of the day. It was not my favoured way to exercise in the heat but I am able to appreciate that it did ratchet up the steps and get the Christmas shopping list done at the same time.
