A Change In Exercise

With the pending "Disney @ 50" trip Paula and I have decided that we should learn from our past mistakes. In 2004 when we went to "the world" for the first time we didn't prepare ourselves for the amount of walking required. This really effected our enjoyment of the vacation. Paula to this day refers to it as "The Disney Death March". We were tired and sore most of the time we were there.

But this time we're going to "train" ourselves to be able to walk longer distances. The "unofficial guide to Walt Disney World (a book I highly recommend to those of you planning a trip to see "the Mouse") states that the average visitor to Disney walks 4-6 miles a day.

To prepare for those extra steps, over the last 2 weeks we have increased our average daily walking distance. We are now walking about 3 miles a day. This is not only to prepare us for our Florida trip but to increase our metabolism and help us with our weight loss as well.

After more than a year since our surgery, our rate of weight loss has slowed considerably. We are now in a place where we really have to "work" at losing weight. This means increasing our activity and or walking.

Increased exercise in the mid July's heat is a strategic endeavour. The first adjustment we've made has to do with the distance we walk our dogs. While both our pups enjoy walking with us; they are still very sensitive to the high temperatures. After about a mile of walking they start showing the wear of being exposed to the heat. Therefore we only walk them about a mile or 2 each day. This walk is usually around the cemetery near our house.

After dropping the dogs off at our house Paula and I continue our walk through our quiet little town. We go another 2 miles round trip. Ironically, the place we turn around is right in front of a Wendy's restaurant.

So that's the change in exercise we've made. We've done it with a 2 fold purpose. First, to increase our metabolism and restart our weight loss efforts. Second, to condition us for walking long distances like we will in Disney World.

Hopefully the efforts will have positive results in both cases.