Why this site? I was tired of feeling tired and stressed and out of shape. I’ve tried lots of things, been enthusiastic and then quit when I got busy. Two things collided to put me on this path.
A year or so ago, I read an article in USA Today when I was traveling. It was about a man somewhere in the south who had lost a lot of weight. His strategy? Walking every day. I didn’t clip the whole article, but my memory is that he walked 45 minutes a day, had worn a track in his yard and felt great. I saved this quote and have it hanging on my wall. Sorry I can’t attribute it with a name.
“If somebody asked me ‘What percentage of the days do you feel like you want to go out there and walk?’ it would be probably 10%. But if somebody asked me what percentage of the days I am glad I walked, I would say 100%.”
All well and good, but I’d get busy with family, behind on my consulting obligations and I’d end up working early, working late and skipping any sort of physical activity. Worse, I’d sit at my desk trying to figure what to do next and would end up not doing anything.
The second thing, the one that moved me to action, was a newsletter article by Tom Venuto. He writes a blog and newsletter called “Burn the Fat”. Recently, he discussed Oprah’s weight gain. His diagnosis – if she wants to stop yo-yo-ing, she needs to be accountable. Accountable to her audience and fans in a public way, so that it is more than just herself she is disappointing if she falls off the wagon.
That hit home with me. I’d heard it in any number of places in relation to any number of things in the past. But this time, it moved me to action to walk. I can walk any time, any where. I don’t need to build in time to change clothes, take a shower afterward, drive to the gym. I live on a beautiful road and love being outdoors in all weather. This fit the bill perfectly.
How to be accountable? Well, in today’s world, being public mean’s being on-line. I have 2 other blogs I’m starting up, and I figured this would be an easy way to let others know of my commitment – to hold myself accountable – and to get practice blogging. I’ll get a spillover benefit to my other work.
My plan is that if I start moving every day, I’ll feel better and more energetic and will actually get more work done. The 20-30 minutes I take out of my day to take care of myself will be more than re-gained through better focus and more effective use of my time. As I do this more regularly, I may feel good enough to go even longer or do other activities. But for now, I’m starting with baby steps and simply committing to regular activity – walking.
So, here I am. Starting on a new path. I walk every day!