Going for a Walk

I am out of shape, and it sucks!

Quite frankly, I blame pregnancy. Not going to a gym in a few years may play a part, but being pregnant with Grace pushed it over the edge.  The reason? Well, my asthma got so bad that I could barely walk across the street without having issues breathing, much less walking a mile.

Now that I am nearly 4 weeks postpartum, recovering from the c-section, I feel the need to be more active. But how in the world do I manage that in the middle autumn with a 19-month-old and newborn?  A special blessing of good weather I suppose. :)  Starting yesterday and for the next few days, the temperatures are supposed to be in the upper 50s and lower 60s. Yee haw!  I do LOVE winter and the temps involved don't bother me one bit; however, this warmth means I can get out of the house and go for a walk.  What a wonderful blessing!

In anticipation of this lovely weather, I had my lovely husband put together the new double stroller that we just bought.  He got it together for me, and yesterday morning, my girls and I went for a walk in our neighborhood.  My street is basically one big loop, just under a mile long.  Despite not going for long walks in a while, I decided to go for it and do that large loop.  I managed it okay.  It did take me longer than normal, but I walked the length.

Ginny & Grace ready to go. Ginny loves the new stroller!

Last night, I began regretting the decision to walk the long loop instead of a shorter walk.  My muscles ached in ways I haven't felt in a while.  I also was exhausted. I had sworn to myself that each day we had this nice weather, I would go for a walk with my girls.  Because of the aches, I was doubtful I would be able to do the daily walk.

This morning, I awoke (after little Grace started fussing because she was hungry), got dressed, and weighed my options.  I decided that I had to do this walk. It was good for me and good for the girls to get the fresh air.  Then I figured I could always go for a shorter walk instead.  At 10:15 this morning, the girls and I started on our walk. Instead of going on the shorter walk, though, I challenged myself by doing the longer walk again.  I'm not sure if that was the right choice since right now my arms and back are sore from pushing the stroller; however, I'm glad we went for our walk.  It was beautiful out and felt great to be out of the house.

My view before we started our walk this morning.

I know this nice weather will not last.  Soon we will find ourselves under the cold temperatures winter offers us.  Once that happens, I don't imagine I will be walking with the stroller around the neighborhood. It would be too cold for my girls.  As for me, I hope to start doing pilates during Ginny's naps, provided Grace "lets" me.  Come March, once Grace is 4 months old, I plan on joining a local gym with daycare offered so I can start really working on getting in shape again.  And, as the temperatures warm up, I want to start taking regular walks with my girls.  I even have a goal.  I want to walk a 5K** again.  In May, Springfield has a 5K that I have my eyes on, the Fat Ass 5K.  Hopefully, my girls and I will be able to tackle that.


**For those wondering, I do NOT run.  Never will run.  I can't run.  I can't run for two reasons:  my asthma and my drop foot.  Before I had drop foot, I attempted several times to become a runner, but my asthma kicked my butt every time. Now, because of my drop foot, I would trip and do a face plant if I even tried to run. Now there is an image for you. LOL! ;)