Get Going....for real this time.

Central NY
June 19-23 2017

I have been saying this for a while now....(like 30 years!!!) I've got to loose some weight and get back to my active routine...BUT everything is about FOOD!!!

The weekends are always difficult. The cabinets call out..."open me, come on, you know there is something yummy and totally unhealthy in here", "How about a little snack while you watch tv?"calls the fridge......add that lunch or dinner on a weekend is a norm for us...at least during the work week, I'll have some built in safety measures....although someone always has a birthday, or a new baby, retirement, or some luncheon. Being on the road most of the day also opens the opportunity to pick up fast food in a pinch, and by the time the days ends..Dinner is always easier when its made over the phone....GEEZE!!!

This week I had vowed (again) to get back to healthy...Sunday was to be my very last (LOL) cheat day....Father's day "Dunch" ( termed by the Beale men dinner and lunch). Mark's choice,.... so we had DUNCH at The Cracker Barrel....

Not a new place, but a place I have not gone to often and usually for breakfast when I have,
Being my "Last Meal." I ordered (no not a burger this time) but the Sunday special of boneless fried chicken and all those yummy sides.

(not one single thing on my plate was near healthy.)
IT WAS ALL SOOOOO YUMMY!!! Although I did try I was unable to lick my plate clean...and we left completely satisfied.

Later...I devised my back to healthy plan. A. gym in the morning, B. healthy food choices, C. walking daily (I've got to get my back strength up to hike.) D. Incorporate swimming/biking or some activity into my afternoons and E. Evening Dog walks.

Monday.....I had a scheduled of to do's with all of the above fit nicely into my day...(I had read somewhere, if you write it down your more likely to do it. HA!)
Mark and I had a good routine of 4am gym which was pretty consistent for awhile. (this was several months ago). I haven't gone since before my trip to Florida with the girls. (WOW...there is membership money flushed down the toilet.)

Ready to GET BACK to routine...I OVERSLEPT!!!! Day 1 First Fail!!!
That is OKAY...I still have multiple activities to do on my schedule and I will absolutely stick to my food journal. (Of course I could ALWAYS go to the gym later.)

That was of course until I got a text from my co-workers reminding me that we were meeting for breakfast at Stella Diner for Monday morning meeting.,....WHAT!!!! Do I even have enough willpower to say NO to diner foods???
I could have risked my impulse to really stuff it in and opt out of a meal at the diner and have a grapefruit before I left for the day. (Which was my original intent.) or I could face the reality that there is ALWAYS going to be FOOD in my face. Instead I choose to eat sensibly at the diner.
My next "plan" for the day was to walk during my lunch break. As my job allows I am often out in the community near a local park during break time. I had decided that I would find a park/trail or simply walk in the areas I would be around at lunch time.
I had an appointment in Liverpool at 1pm..so I figured I would walk Onondaga Lake Park for my lunch break and head to my 1pm appointment. Well my 1pm canceled...then he called and wanted to talk for 45 minutes....I never left my desk....So there goes that idea.
Okay,,,I can still take a dip in the pool or ride my bike (which has been used in the total of three maybe even four years of ownership been used 5xs.) when I get home this afternoon.  I got home after work and it was RAINING!!!
I GIVE UP!!! I had homemade mac and cheese for dinner...

The next day gave me another reason to fail. Overslept...missed the gym, rain....had to get groceries...there always seems to be something...I sat in the parking lot of one of Syracuse's inner city park prepared to walk but was a little spooked when I saw a group of teens hanging around (am I really afraid of a bunch of teens?...well no, but anything could happen.) ,,,,I did not however come home and ruin things with a totally unhealthy fatty dinner. Better then the day before I guess...

By Wednesday I was determined....Opps! Oversleep,,,,missed the gym...appointment canceled...only a little rain,...I decided that I needed to STOP making excuses and JUST DO IT!!! I WILL TAKE MY LUNCH WALK!!!
My afternoon appointment had confirmed, I ate a healthy lunch at my desk while fielding phone calls and doing notes...and saved my lunch break for a walk before my afternoon appointment.
I drove myself to Onondaga Lake Creek walk and started DAY 1 of my walking back to fitness.  I began with one section of the trail.

 The length of the entire trail is about 21/2 miles. I wasn't sure how much time or how much walking I could do, or just how far in each direction the trail went from my starting point, So I simply started walking. I gave myself a turn around about 15 minutes into my walk to give me time to get back to my car and head to my appointment.

 The trail leads to the mouth of Onondaga Lake. The day was great for a brisk walk and for the most part I had the trail to myself.

 I walked at a gentle pace, enjoying the weather and the sounds of the creek flowing next to me. I would hear the tell tail signs that this trail is directly in the city. Trains, cars and even a loud speaker barked someone to come to the loading dock. A very small distraction to the enjoyment this walk was providing however.

 The trail is nicely paved and even at least to the point where this end of the trail lead me.

 At the end of the trail....Onondaga Lake.

 A plaque provided a little information about Onondaga Lake.

 At this ending point there was a few benches for sitting and admiring one of NY's once most polluted lakes. They are working hard to clean it up. Its still pretty. I did not stay long...had to get back to work and thought maybe I would take the trail a little father on the other side if time allowed.

 Walking back was just as peaceful.

Once back at my car I found I had a bit more time then I expected. I Considered walking a bit more on the trail but instead headed towards my appointment and stopped at another area park. I sat in my car and returned a few phone calls, did a noted and noticed this fella come up to my car.

 Well Hi!!! He came to the car as if he was saying hello...whats up? I informed him that I was dieting and I had NO snacks...sorry. By the look on his face you can tell he is just a little disappointed.

Somehow the rest of the day seemed better....I made it to my appointment, finished up my work and headed home for my husbands birthday!
Dinner made (still sticking to a healthier approach.) Bike up from the basement and primed for riding, pool actually looking like someone would swim in it..I took both dogs for a walk to complete the successful day.

I found an app on my phone to track my walking, completed my food journal in My fitness pal and gave myself a small piece of Birthday cake.

I realize that all of my first few day mishaps were....quite HONESTLY....EXCUSES!!!  I could have found time to go to the gym even if it wasn't at our 4am decided time. I have an umbrella and I have never melted in the rain. Perhaps I couldn't swim or bike while it was raining...BUT it wasn't ALWAYS raining. I could have walked while I was talking to my client who had canceled...I could have faced my fear of teens...(This had to be the biggest excuse.) and walk like I had planned.

I think I simply put to many expectations on my plate...having a plan is great..but having a plan to gym, walk...bike/swim...then walk the dogs all on my very first day back to getting fit is setting myself up to fail.
Moving forward...I am sticking to making time to walk...be it a lunch stroll, walking the dogs or on the treadmill...If it is all three and more...then its a bonus.

Thursday was suppose to be an easy day at work. I had one appointment in the morning...planned my walk then two in the afternoon. I also planned to address the endless amount of paperwork I had to do. I thought this would NOT be a problem. \As it so happened I somehow got behind, never did all the work I planned to do, BUT I did get my walk in (even though it was rushed and I started my new app 1/2 into my walk...I still did it and according to the mapMywalk app I burned 139 calories, if I started the map at about 1/2 in that would be about 270 calories. I'm liking this tracking thing and I went to a new place....

 I went to the Erie Canal Park in Camillus NY!

I had been here at some point in my life. I cannot recall when, maybe when I was a kid. I do remember once going to an Erie Canal park where we actually went on a boat and the boat was pulled by mules. I did not see anything like this here, but maybe it was.

Not only was there a trail to walk right along the canal, but there was a general store and several artifacts to look at. I only had my 1/2 lunch break, so I didn't explore much. Below is what the inside of the lock station would have looked like when the canal was actually in use.

I thought this was a beautiful scene.

What  a boat house may have looked like back in the day,.

Although I am not sure just how many miles this area of the canal goes, I started my brisk walk right along the graveled canal path.

It was certainly pretty, This seemed to be a popular place to walk, there is also a bike trail, I saw many people walking their dogs, power walking and even people fishing. There was even a pre-k class taking a lunch outing.
But...for the most part I was walking alone...except for these little fishies...

Not sure how far down I would go and aggressively keeping taps on my time, I decided to take the next bend and head back .I could see a trail winding next to me along the canal trail and hoped that this would somewhere intersect. As nice as the canal trail was...it did begin to get boring. I like wooded areas much more. YEAH!!! It did intersect,. My now quick paced walk would return along a shaded woods trail.

It was super pretty,

I was getting closer to my 12:30 time crunch...so I found myself walking faster. I was even working up a sweat. I stopped for only a moment to take a phone shot as I walked along.

The trail offered many signs describing the plant life next to it. I just wasn't sure what the sign was referencing too. Many were also flowers and there were no blooms insight. Perhaps I would have been more successful had I taken this walk in the spring.

As I was ending the trail I came upon the pre-k group and watched as they passed by with their young wondering eyes. Just for a moment....a VERY brief moment I wished my kids were little.....Whew...glad that thought passed quickly...

I was so close to 12:30...but made a pit stop at the General store. Angered that there were inside restrooms after I had just used the outhouse....EWWWE! I took the quick 2cent tour found that this park is a National Park and quickly stamped on a piece of paper for my pass book. WOOT WOOT!

To bad I didn't realize that it had the wrong date until after I left. Opps! 

I can't wait to see where my next stop will take me. 

I intend to keep going....Friday was a flop with regards to my lunchtime trail walk. Time constraints got in my way and I never even got a break. 

Weekend looks busy with Graduations and Birthdays...I will try to stay on my good eating plan....but until then TTFN!