Another thing that made me feel good was my walk around the neighborhood. If I want to start walking to work again some day, it would benefit me to get a feel for walking around outdoors. Work is a 5-mile trek, but since I recently did 3.1 mph for 3 miles on the treadmill with variable inclines, I'm not thinking I can't do it. I just need to replace my worn out sneakers so my feet stop hurting! A faster speed won't make my journey to health any better than a slower speed, so I have no reason to hurry on this walk. 2.5 mph will be just fine, and my iPod will make the trip enjoyable. During my walk in the neighborhood this week, however, I didn't even bother turning on the iPod- it was just nice listening to the traffic and noticing the breeze and sunset. Part of the fun of walking is the greater connection I feel to the environment. When I used to walk 5 miles to work in Ohio, I noticed construction sites, chunks missing in the sidewalk, favorite haunts of squirrels, different types of trees- things I never pay attention to while driving. By walking, not only am I using my body to accomplish something necessary (rather than walking to nowhere on a treadmill), I'm becoming more familiar with the community surrounding me AND putting one less car out on the road.

So, three encouraging things have happened this week: I've made it past the 30 lb mark, my weight loss was noticed without my saying a word, and I'm one step closer to walking to work.

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