…but not after midnight!  

Since last Saturday, I’ve been walking at least twice, sometimes three times a day and it feels great.  It all started last Saturday when I decided to get out and enjoy the cool morning air with a walk.  I walked two miles and it really improved my overall mood for the entire day so I did it again on Sunday morning and it had the same effect.

On Monday, I was debating on walking in the morning because after J leaves for work at 6:30am, I have an hour before I have to get ready for work.  The only problem is it’s still dark outside until closer to 7am.  I waited until 6:45am but then was rushed to eat breakfast by the time I got back. On Tuesday I decided to just give it a go at 6:30am.  And by the time I got back, I had plenty of time to eat and then jump in the shower.  The sunrise that morning (pictured above) made it all worth it!

Also on Monday, I decided to walk again in the early evening after dinner.  I did that every day this last week except for one day. A coworker friend and I also walk about a mile on lunch on most days, so some days I have been getting 5 miles in by the end of the day.  This weekend I did 2 miles in the morning and again in the afternoon.  Each walk burns about 200 to 250 calories.

There’s a great park just up the street from my house so I walk to the park which is half a mile.  Then I walk the track around the park once which is one mile. So the half mile back home makes for a nice 2 mile walk which I can do in about 35 to 40 minutes.

It’s a great family friendly park with pavilions, playground equipment, tennis courts, a skateboard/skater area, open fields for sports, a community center with pool, and there’s a pond in the middle with ducks and geese. Most importantly, I feel safe there and haven’t seen any shady people or strange activity there.

As I mentioned, it really improves my mood for the day.  Each day after my walk and breakfast, I go to work feeling ready to conquer the world! The morning walk also helps me to eat breakfast. Before, I had to make myself eat something. Now, after my walk, I crave food and have a healthy breakfast.

In the mornings, I felt so good that I decided on Monday I was going to try not to complain each day, and it really worked. I remained positive throughout the day. And after my evening walk by the time I went to bed, I was beat and found I slept more soundly and didn’t wake up through the night.

The change in mood alone is worth it. I haven’t dropped any pounds yet, but I’m sure if I keep walking I’ll shed some pounds in no time!