Walking on the Moon

From the moment I was asked to blog about my experience as part of the Covenant Health Biggest Winner Weightloss Challenge, I found it difficult trying to decide on a name. There are so many great ones out there and I was not prepared to put my oh-so-limited imagination to the test to come up with something that would be memorable. So, I cheated.


  I spent a few seconds doing some soul searching (I was on a work deadline after all) and with a helpful co-worker leaning over my shoulder, I decided to choose a name that played off the infamous words spoken by Neil Armstrong after stepping onto the surface of the moon: "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind".  

Those words have always inspired me. They still do. 

I look at this as a journey that I've never before taken. I'm not landing on the moon, I'm landing on my feet.

These small steps I'm taking: eating healthier (okay, I need to do MUCH better on that), exercising regularly and learning to appreciate myself more are all baby steps towards taking a giant leap into a healthier lifestyle.  It's a journey that a great deal of us need to take. So here's to taking those steps and to finding a life that's "out of this world".

 On to other business.

This has not been my most stellar week. I have been on vacation, which is great, but I was not the best on my diet. I didn't "blow the diet altogether", but I did have a few things that I should probably have stayed away from (Why must EVERYTHING be made of coconut at Christmas? It's my favorite).

I have done pretty good on my exercising. I was in West Tennessee and used the time to go for evening walks and looking at Christmas lights. It's one of my favorite things to do this time of year, so it was really fun getting to see them up close and personal.

 On Saturday, it was time to walk. We met at the Runner's Market in Bearden (near the Fresh Market). This time, we walked 5 miles around another Greenway that I, again, didn't know was there.  It was really beautiful. Amanda and Darla were my walking buddies. We tried to keep up with Melody but she's become so darn fast, I just saw her little pink hat get smaller in the distance ;) It's also fun to get encouragement from the Knoxville Track Club. I sometimes feel a little silly talking about my heel hurting or my leg cramping when they're running faster and longer than I'm even walking. Coach Kane told us to increase our pace for a certain distance until we get winded. I was winded from the get-go but Amanda and I tried our best. We even jogged up the hills along the trail so that was past my comfort zone, trust me.

  During our walk, one of my team mates and I made a "Band of Brothers" pledge to never leave a man behind...so come he** or high water, I plan on walking the 1/2 marathon on April 1 (no foolin').

 This week is still kind of up in the air as I have company staying with me and still more Christmas shopping to do and there never seems to be enough time. Next week, it should be business as usual..just in time to join the rest of the world in their resolve to lose weight.


Just remember..small steps lead to giant leaps.