By the end of August, I had finally gotten fed up with witnessing the number on my scale consistently climbing. I wasn’t happy with myself, and I no longer wanted to be caught in the downward spiral. I knew that if I could put a strong effort in, for at least a few solid days, it would be enough for me to get back on track to improved fitness.
So that’s exactly what I did. I threw out the remaining 2 pints of ice cream from my freezer, and set some goals for myself. Each day I would hold the plank for as long as I could, I would do at least 25 push-ups (modified ones were acceptable), and I would see my Fitbit reach at least 12,000 steps. I even printed an exercise log to document it all.
And you know what? For the past 12 days, I’ve been doing it.
I can now hold the plank for 15 seconds longer than the first day. I can now do 30 push-ups in one minute, which is a huge improvement compared to the 25 modified ones I struggled through over 3 minutes on day one. I’m getting there!
When it comes to getting my steps, it means walking for about 2 hours each day. I’ve always enjoyed walking, as I find it relaxing to get lost in my thoughts as the world passes by slowly. Sometimes, it’s meditative, because I’ll simply count my footsteps, keeping track of the tens and hundreds on my fingers. Other times, I keep an eye out for animals and wonder what they’re thinking as they watch me walk through their neighborhood.
I see many different wild animals on my walks. There are countless lizards, which for some odd reason, decide to cross the sidewalk right in front and/or under my falling feet. They could simply stay hiding in the grass beside the cement. But no, they’re compelled to live life on the edge and risk death by smooshing.
I’ve seen a handful of rabbits in the dawn and dusk hours. I keep my distance from them, because I know I’m scary to them, and I don’t want to be feared by anyone. I’ve seen one snake, as s/he slithered through the grass under the bushes. A neighbor has a flock of chickens and 2 roosters in her yard, and it’s nice to say hello to them.
The highlight species, however, is the peacock. Did you know that a group of peacocks, more officially known as peafowl, is called a pride? Thanks, Google!
I knew this memory of counting peacocks would be one of the easier ones to make, and it would be a recurring one. Walking around my neighborhood, it’s almost impossible to not see at least one peacock, peahen, or peachick. This morning, for example, my tally reached 34!
Thankfully, as the number of peacocks I count increases, the number on the scale has dropped. I’m getting there.
My Memory List 