march 31: 6000 steps, 3.03 miles
april 2: 6842 steps, 3.45 miles
april 4: 9892 steps, 4.995 miles

n mentioned the other night that i look thinner. i think that the upper hip/lower back area where a muffin top could form has slimmed down. that's a benefit of walking that i haven't focused on, have just really been trying to work on upping the seratonin levels in my brain, and also having evening talk time with my partner.

let's see, what else do i know?

this.

when you are depressed, you think 10x as much, but write much less. i guess i should say "i" there, because that's what's true for me.

that said, i shall make more effort here, as i am working on getting some of the other things i need to tackle the chemical imbalances in me, and having a good personal writing habit will feed me too.

however, the sleep has been the most important thing.

Yesterday's steps: 4757 = 2.31 miles
Today's as of now: 5424 = 2.74 miles

Low numbers, to be sure, and both nights I didn't get our walk in. Went to Stitch n' Bitch last night and N started the walk before I got home, so I only caught up with him at the tail end... blah blah long story short, I had to take over unhappy Maeve once we arrived home and she was asleep in a few moments after diaper/clothing change.

Tonight we took Dirk out for his birthday treat -- dessert at Carrows, his choice, and Maeve was DONE by the time we got home. Naptimes are shifting with a vengeance, and she skipped the second one today, so she fell hard into dreamland tonight.

Anyhow, I want to get the numbers up, hopefully this weekend, and keep them up nearer (or over) to 10k.

Ok now back to a little work time for me. Want an early night tonight.

(I, for some reason, keep hearing PacMan sounds inserted here. Odd.)

Anyhow, I started walking in earnest again. When we were in Hawai'i, I began to feel a yen for activity. All the sunshine, the beach, the bathingsuit bleck...and I just was able to feel my body a bit more again.

When we came back, my friend Trace was off work for a week, so we started going on daily walks that were vigorous enough and long enough to make me feel like I was doing something. Then, I fell off for a week or so, as I had no partner to make me want to go. In fact, that was the beginning of my spiral last October -- when Zulu died, not only did I stop walking because she wasn't around, but because I just couldn't bear to walk our routine because I missed her too much.

Anyhow, I digress. My friend Lorena visited last week, and got me back on the horse. We did at least an hour a day. Oh, and also, when we got back from Hawai'i, I got a wild hair and picked up a pedometer.

Now N and I are going on nightly walks, and I finally got the pedometer going 4 days ago. The first day I put it on at 5 p.m., and by bedtime I'd done 5787 steps, equaling 2.91 miles. Not bad, I guess. Day two was 10,640 steps (prolly a few more around bedtime that weren't counted), equaling 5.37 miles. Yesterday I flaked on putting on the pedometer, today, I was a little late in the morning, but as of right now, I'm at 8207 steps, equaling 4.14 miles.

This counting of steps satisfies the Virgo in me greatly, and also makes me competitive feeling with myself. An unusual, but not unhappy feeling. It seems to be a motivator.

So, it's not like I'm doing sit-ups or push-ups or *real* hardcore exercise, but I'm getting my heart rate up, I'm getting the kidlet and myself out, and in the evenings, it is a good time for N and I to catch-up and talk. We need that. And, bonus is, Maeve often falls asleep for the night on our walk. Yay, us.

So, I'll mark here my progression, and see how it goes. I am looking forward to the time where I think, "wow, I have a lot more energy!" Hee. Who knows what sort of inspiration I'll get as the year progresses.

And, I got another writing assignment today. Yippee!

yesterday i walked for over an hour with another mom and kidlet at the beach. the temp was my favorite balmy 70ish with a light breeze. we ran into a bunch of peeps from patagonia (not too far away) who were giddy with the weather and working out at lunch either running, surfing or riding bikes.

everyone is grinning with the sunshine, reminds me of susan werner's "petaluma afternoon."

...buttered sunshine on your skin/full of love and vitamins.....

it's a damn good thing, this living in a gorgeous, warm place.

the maeveling and i spent some time outside today, she's fascinated with the chickens and loves the breeze on her face. damn dog wouldn't cooperate and play fetch with us, so we took our ball and went back inside. :)

we walked in the early eve -- a good, long and fast pace with N and Zulu. was the perfect crisp temp. -- adding to teh "man i love this time of year" thing. everything smells good, is NEW and fresh. my calves are sore, tho, i think from yesterday. c'est la vie! was totally worth it. i shoulda stretched. :)

maeve's been a bit grinchy the last couple days, and is still slightly congested. bleh on those two things.

tonight, we watched elling, a truly excellent film from norway. man, we both enjoyed it SO much, and it left big grins on our faces. if'n you like heartwarming, quirky and foreign, give it a spin.

and now, i fall asleep, exhausted. more sleep with maeve sleeping more has not made me less tired. heh. it will come, i know...