Has anyone ever been attacked by a gaggle of geese? How about deer? When they are frolicking around and dodging cars, do they ever morph into “Deer Gone Wild?” These are just a few of the questions I ponder as I pound the pavement in and around Hillsborough, NJ, in my new attempt to get healthy and fit. I am Adele, always “Chasing Pavements,” and happy our respective bodies no longer resemble each other.
I’ll admit that my relationship with my new best friend, DVD Walking Queen Leslie Sansone (available through Amazon or wherever exercise DVDs are sold), was short-lived. Though I appreciated her ability to lead me through indoor walking and marching in inclement weather, I found her relentless cheeriness annoying, especially in contrast with the calming introspection I find while taking daily walks.
Mind you, I have lived in my house on Joshua Drive for five years now, and in all that time, I rarely had ventured off my horseshoe-shaped street by foot. Once in the fall my sister got me to walk around the block, but one lap (less than a mile) was about all I could manage.
At one time I was a regular walker, but then my knees began to ache and plantar fasciitis began to plague my feet. I started gaining weight, which only made it more difficult to walk. In 2010, my Achilles was so sore that I ended up in a cast – twice – and occasionally I was forced to rely on a cane. I lost hope of ever being able to approach any degree of fitness.
Now, however, thanks to the combination of aqua aerobics and the fact that I have 75 pounds less to schlep all over town (courtesy of Weight Watchers), my knees feel better, my Achilles doesn’t feel like it is about to snap, and I’m taking it to the streets once more. A while back it dawned on me that my weight loss would not continue merely by cutting back on my food intake and counting my Weight Watchers points, so I had to ramp up the exercise. Aqua aerobics wasn’t enough to cut it, so to speak.
So now I walk. Not with the same fervor as my sister – who I am convinced is going to leave her house one morning at 6 AM and keep walking, until she ends up in Iowa – but I am trying to do it every day. In the sweltering heat, I am out the door by 7 AM. I figure since I can’t sleep anyway, I might as well beat the heat. If I have enough energy and the weather cooperates, I often take a walk in the evening, too.
I have turned into one of the people I used to envy as I drove past them on my way to work. How nice, I thought, to have nothing better to do than take a walk in the morning. When I retire, I’ll do that, I told myself. It only took me 5 years! Now I understand that these people are walking with a purpose, working hard at getting or staying healthy and fit. It is great to get out in the morning, knowing that I’m not late for something or that I have to get work done. Stress eating, anyone? After all, desserts backwards spells stressed.
My ever-encouraging sister has come to walk with me, and I have gone to walk around her neighborhood with her. She was even good enough to drive around my area while I took notes on what roads went where and the mileage from place to place so I wouldn’t either get lost or overextend myself. She has explained to me her theory of “petiquette,” which she has decided is imperative to maintain safe streets (please keep your dogs out of her way and always scoop that poop!).
I am up to 3 miles at a time now, so during the course of a day, I can easily reach 6 miles. Armed with my trusty, official, Weight Watchers pedometer, I try to top 10,000 steps a day. All this from someone who used to drive out of the ShopRite parking lot if I couldn’t find a “good” parking space. Now I don’t care how far away from the store I park. It just adds to my daily step total.
When I am not walking, I spend my time studying Google Maps and Google Earth to plot new routes and discover new paths that don’t appear on the maps. When I drive these same routes, I am astounded that I can walk that far. Me, whose idea of exercise was getting out of the recliner and walking into the kitchen for a snack! Now I am plotting out 4-mile routes and wondering if I am strong enough to go even further.
I relish the peace and quiet of these walking sessions. There’s very little traffic, apart from the main road, so it is calming and safe to walk. I listen to the 5000+ songs on my iPod, really hearing the words for once. Who knew the lyrics to the Crystals’ “He’s a Rebel” were “he’s NOT a rebel,” and not “he’s MY rebel,” which I have been singing for years? I tend to listen to music from the last century – Broadway soundtracks, Kenny Loggins, the Eagles, anything Motown, Billy Joel and Simon & Garfunkel. The other day I heard the Turtles Greatest Hits, and another day it was Blood, Sweat and Tears. I listen to Wilson Pickett sing “Funky Broadway” and it makes me smile. When James Brown proclaims, “I feel good,” I want to dance down the street in agreement.
In the morning, it is me, the squirrels, rabbits and deer on the streets, along with the occasional runner. I marvel at the runners, their smooth, taut bodies gliding along, their feet lightly grazing the sidewalk or road, while I plod along. I notice their defined calf muscles and I am reminded of Leonardo DiVinci’s explanation of his sculptures, which he said he pictured within the blocks of granite with which he worked. I wonder, is there a tight, taut body hidden under my years of accumulated girth? Will I, too, someday be able to run? Is there a sports bra strong and bold enough to take up the challenge?
On the weekends, it is me and the lawn mowers. Now that I am exploring my neighborhood, I check out the neat and tidy lawns and notice which houses have additions and pools. I know which side of the street has the most shade at any given time of day, and I know where I have to avoid the sidewalk and the tree branches that hang too low even for me. I know where the sleeping dogs lie and I am ever so grateful for invisible fences that keep them away from me as I pass. I know to walk west in the morning and east in the evening to avoid the sun in my eyes. If I walk after 7:00 in the evening, I wear sunglasses and take my regular glasses so I can see as it gets darker. If there is even a threat of rain, I carry a small umbrella. I always wear a hat.
I have even ventured to local parks and pathways for a change of scenery and to keep the exercise fresh and interesting. Thanks to a friend from aqua aerobics, I discovered a pond hidden behind the housing development just across the main road. You can’t see it from the street, but you can follow a number of paths that lead to it and walk all the way around it. I can’t wait until fall, when the trees around it turn color and the sunrise/sunset will illuminate their leaves. I’ll be walking with a camera then. Meanwhile, I know to keep my head down and avoid the prodigious amount of poop deposited on the path by the flocks of geese that call the pond home.
One of my friends recently proposed that we walk all the trails listed on the County Park Commission website, and I jumped at the chance to start in the fall, when we can do one lap for exercise and another for me to take pictures. I’ve gone to the Grounds for Sculpture, Duke Farms, the Natirar estate, the tow path along the canal and Colonial Park in Somerset, all great places to take a walk.
I walk slowly, yet I cover nearly three miles in an hour, so I know I am getting faster. I remind myself to walk in my best homo sapien erectus manner and to avoid my usual slouching. I must fill out my full 5’ 1” frame before it gets even shorter.
For a break in the routine, one night I hauled out my bike, which I have used once since I bought it years ago. You know that expression, “It’s like riding a bike?” Well, that didn’t exactly work for me. Going straight was fine, but starting, stopping and steering were more challenging than I remembered, and I never had to tackle any uphill climbs. At least when I fell it was on grass and no one saw me, because I hurt more than my pride. But I was proud of myself for getting up, riding home, and immediately going out for a walk. I think I’ll tackle the exercise bike at the gym. I can’t fall off that – right?
My feet sometimes get blisters and my ankles and Achilles sometimes hurt, but I keep walking. I worry that I have been up and down a few streets so often that the residents must think I am casing the joint. I am sure that by fall I will be ready to take on a 5K walk for some good cause. I know it will be good for me, too. Meanwhile, I’ll just keep walking.
