Before I get to the Route 66 part of this post I would like to share some of my day with you.
My bike has 2 flat tires and I want to start taking it for short rides in the evenings or early mornings so knowing we have tire pumps I was digging through boxes I could reach in the cellar that looked like they had tool/junk type stuff in them, Found 2 pumps, 1 was missing the hose so threw that one away. Other had all required pieces so attached it to tire and began pumping. It is one of the old kinds where you hold it with your feet and use both hands to do the pumping. Pumping, pumping,pumping. .fast so I could get it done...huff huff,,puff puff..arms getting tired...feel tire...flat. ..wth??.. .ok,,,well ...maybe it feels like some air went in...just need to do more...begin pumping like a speed demon...up,down, up,down.. .heart racing...sweat pouring off my face...whew this alone is a workout!!..finally run out of steam,,check tire...FLAT. .grrrrrr. Remove pump, put bike away,,the heck with this! This pump is no good, am getting ready to throw it away when I think...hmmm, let me check the hose....sure enough, way at the bottom next to base, the hose is SPLIT. All that work and air wasn't even going IN the tire...LOL Have since wrapped entire hose of pump with electrical tape and once my arms and heart rate have recovered will try it again!
Never did get to try and inflate the tires again today. I ended up going to the local park to walk and take pictures instead. Spent an hour walking around, mostly at the duck pond and got a lot of great shots if you would like to see some of what I saw during my time at the park just click here! This was a great way to do my walking and not even really notice.
Now about Rte 66. The AARP site has a fun way to log your exercise minutes and another to keep track of your steps for the day. Today I joined both! They are free and I don't think you need to be an AARP member to do them. Today I traveled about 40 miles on Rte 66 in my '57 red Corvette and am spending the night in Joliet, IN. This is a virtual road trip and each stop gives you a little info about where you are and a link to the website for that town. You can sign up for your own trip and get your own little cool car from a choice of 4 at GET FIT ON ROUTE 66 oh, forgot to tell you that the trip takes you from Chicago to Santa Fe.
Also available at the AARP site are hikes. As soon as I find (or buy a new) pedometer that counts steps too, I am going to begin my hike along the Appalachian Trail! Again, it is a virtual hike, you add your daily steps in and they move you along the trail. Since I haven't started yet, I am assuming they also tell you a bit about points of interest along the way. There are 4 trail options available. You can join me or choose your own trail at STEP UP TO BETTER HEALTH.
One final thing at that site, you can read all about the BENEFITS OF WALKING
From personal experience I can tell you that 9 years ago I lost 144 lbs mainly by walking. Of course I was a lot younger and in much better shape so I could walk 4 miles in 20 minutes, 7 days a week. If I tried that now it would take me all day to do 4 miles and 2 days to recuperate!
However, around the same time as I was doing all that walking, I used to see an older woman walking every day, slowly, with a cane. As time went by I noticed that she was moving a little quicker and by the end of a year she was cruising right along, no longer leaning on a cane.
So I recommend this form of exercise, you don't need any special equipment and you can go as fast or as slow as you are able too. Start off slowly and gradually increase the distance and speed of your walk. I like to listen to really upbeat music when I walk, (my preference is Latin dance music :-D ) it really does seem to help. Make sure to bring along some water and wear your comfy sneakers!
Let's see...todays calorie burner..riding a bike at 10 MPH for 30 mins burns 227 calories.
when my dad had his first heart attack and had open heart surgery, they told us to get him walking. One of the local country parks has a duck pound that's 4/10s of a mile aound it. So we started there one trip around- then 2 etcc. Soon he was doing 5 laps or 2 miles. The problem with the pond is the kids on their bikes w/o parents watching them. So we started walking on the paths that connect 4 country parks to one another- . It follows streams and other ponds- beautiful bridges....it's a beautiful walk especially in the spring and fall.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work
We have bike/walking paths here but they don't have places to rest or anything along the way and are miles long, from city to city. I would like to go during the day and walk around the duck pond where we were yesterday, but can't walk there and can't rely on her to take me all the time. My neighborhood is nice but would be a bit boring walking around the block all the time. Which is why I am thinking I might try the bike, can bike to the park, spend some time and then bike home. At least until it gets cold :-)
ReplyDeleteI am doing my best to keep going here. Some days it is hard to get motivated though...
So how is your Dad doing now?