Up to the Sign and Back

A quarter mile into the walk, I was already huffing and puffing.  Then I saw a hill out in the distance and totally thought about turning back.  But I ignored the easy choice and decided….I’ll just go up that hill, see what’s next, maybe go further, maybe not.  Once on top of the hill, I looked down the winding road and it was flat.  So I decided to go a little longer.  As I continued to walk, I saw a sign far off in the distance, and again made a decision….I’m just going to go up to the sign and back.  Breathing heavily, and sweating the whole way, I went up to the sign turned around and went back (secretly excited I would be going down the hill this time instead of up).  This was years ago, on family vacation up in Deer River….walking 1 mile up the road.

Today, I revisited that route.  Boy, was it different.  No longer out of breath.  Sweating a little, but actually enjoyable.  And once I got to the sign, I thought….wow, that was a really short distance, and began to recall how difficult it was that last time.

Whether you are overweight yourself, or know someone that is, there’s something to keep in mind.  Walking is a simple thing we do each day.  But for those that are extremely overweight, it can be a difficult and dreadful task – even 1 mile, or even a couple blocks.  But over time, walking gets easier.  At first it’s one sore step in front of the other, breathing heavily the whole way.  But the more you do it, the more your body (and your mind) gets used to it - which makes the next time easier, and the next time after that. 

Forget the stress of knowing it should be done regularly - just doing it more than you would have done before, can be the best choice you make. Build enough of those choices up over time…you and your body are ready for more.  You decide to go up that hill. You decide to be brave enough to walk with another person (even if you can’t quite carry on a full conversation yet). Your mind starts getting used to those new choices.  And then you get to the point that you begin to look beyond what you are able to do now.  You stop at a sign/landmark that was once a big deal.  And then you look around the curve to see what’s next.