Diary of a 70-Something Who Hates Naps (Cont.)

One of my weaknesses is my excessive devotion of emotional energy in my favorite sports teams. Today, after coming back from a 3-6 start for the season to make it into the playoffs, "my" Washington Redskins lost the Wild Card game to the Seattle Seahawks 24-14 (after leading 14-0 after the first quarter). I take these setbacks hard, even though in perspective the Skins completed their best season in a decade.

One of the many wonderful things about daily walking is that you can look back with a sense of satisfaction on something good you did before turning into a couch potato. This morning, Sadie (or "Superdawg" as I call her) wasn't content with a simple neighborhood walk, She insisted on heading out onto a wooded trail that winds around two lakes. The path is narrow, and it can be harrowing in the Spring and Summer when snakes are slithering about. But on a cool or cold winter's day, there aren't many apparent hazards. And I have my trusty Indonesian walking stick to ward off intruders. (I will be posting about walking sticks another day).

One habit I need to form now that I am blogging about walking and other outdoor activities is carrying my camera for every outing. You never know when a good photo opportunity will present itself on a walk. I look forward to the return of the swans in the spring. (I am posting a picture here of a close encounter with them last fall.) The gorgeous swans seem to have gone farther south this winter. In any event, a brisk walk is almost always exhilarating regardless of the changing scenery.

 I also am pleased with my heightened attention to nutrition and diet in recent days. Last night, I had an excellent salmon dinner with rice pilaf and green beans. Today, I had cream of wheat for breakfast, a deviled ham and veggie-stuffed sandwich in a whole-wheat pita for lunch, and then shrimp and salad for dinner. Salmon is easily in the top-10 healthiest foods, but the taste doesn't appeal to me unless it is grilled perfectly, as it was last night. More about salmon another day.

I might as well be bold and make this a diet diary while I'm at it. I have always struggled with weight. When I played football as a schoolboy, it was an asset, but not not so much now. At one time before my heart surgery nearly eight years ago, I was pushing 280 pounds. Now, I am 265 but I have not seen the 250s for decades. Okay, 265 will be my starting weight in this exercise-and-diet chronicle, and seeing the 250s will be my initial goal. It is to be hoped that the discipline of posting about it here will yield further progress. For certain, I will be exerting the effort to walk Superdawg every day, although that does come with other challenges, abut which more in a future post.

© Robert G. Holland 2013