Shoop-Shoop-Shoop-Do-Wa

I've been walking on the track at the Y every day now for three weeks.  I've been getting up at 6:00 am every morning so I can fit it into my day.  Getting up early is sometimes a struggle, but I do it anyway because nobody can do this for me.  I've lost a little weight, not much, but a little.  More importantly, though, I feel stronger and have more energy and feel much less stressed than I did before I started. Going there has become pretty much routine in the mornings for me now which is what I hoped for.  I'd much rather be outside walking in the park, but the snow and ice and cold have been relentless this winter, making indoor walking necessary.


I don't walk very fast.  In fact, I apparently walk even slower than I realized, or so it seems by all the people who keep whizzing by me as I plod along!  Yes, the twenty somethings and thirty somethings, both male and female zip past me, some walking and some running, as if I am standing still.  This doesn't bother me nearly as much, though, as the sixty somethings and seventy somethings that go power walking past me and my turtle-like "slow and steady is the pace" ways chirping, "Good Morning," to me as they go by.  I have to keep reminding myself that I am not competing with any of those other people there.  I am there to improve my health not win a race against anyone.  This is a good thing because if I was there to be in a race, I'd definitely not be coming in first place! 


One day there was a man doing all sorts of strange walking on the track.  It amused me, but I managed to not laugh as I went past him.  Yes, I went past him, rather than the other way around, but only because of the way he was walking.  Part of the time he walked sideways.  Part of the time he walked backwards.  Some times he did a kind of funny little half lunge step around the track and some times he did a high knee step around the track.  It was quite funny to watch.  I know the theory behind doing this is to exercise different muscles and get a more complete workout, but I don't think I could bring myself to go around that track the way he did it.  I'm sure people would laugh if I did.  I couldn't help but be reminded of Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks while watching him.  In case you've never seen it, here's the clip.

Twelve laps around the track equals one mile.  The first week I walked fifteen laps each day.  The second week I walked eighteen laps each day, and this week I've been walking twenty-one laps each day.  Next week I will bump it up three more laps so that I will be getting two miles of walking in each day.  


One thing that makes my walks at the Y much more pleasant is listening to music on my mp3 player as I walk. In fact, the few times when I have forgotten to take my player with me, the laps around and around the track seemed to take much longer than when I had music to keep me company.  This song is one on my player that is fun to walk to because it keeps me moving along and puts a spring in my step too.  Not everyone likes Lou Bega's music, and I realize it isn't for everyone, but it makes me smile.  That makes sense, I suppose, since the title of this song  is, "Baby, Keep Smiling."  


It's Friday night and I haven't given you any Friday night music to dance to for a while.  So since we're out of practice, I'll go easy on you and let you walk along to this music with me, or if you really want to dance, be my guest.  I'm sure you could do a slower swaying back and forth kind of dance to this if you'd like to, even if you  do it from the chair where you are sitting in front of your computer.  Have a good weekend everyone, and I want you to remember two things: 1.  "Slow and steady is the pace," and  2.  "Baby, Keep Smiling."