PraiseWalker's Blog (83)

Need Motivation?

You HAVE to watch this!

Read the whole story here: Cliff Young

Enjoy (and then go for a walk!)

Darlene www.PraiseWalker.com… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on November 23, 2009 at 12:39pm — No Comments

Every now and then I hit a place in my walking where I need to take about a week off. Because I've never had problems starting up again, I allow myself this grace. It happens about once or twice a year. No biggie. About a month ago, such a time had arrived. I just needed a break, s… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on November 19, 2009 at 12:38pm — No Comments

Canvassing – a GREAT excuse for a walk.

A couple of years ago I got a call from the Heart and Stroke foundation. A lovely man was on the other end, and asked quite apologetically if I would be able to canvas for them that year (in February). The routes were very small, he assured me, and I’d have two whole weeks to get it done, and my own street wa… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on November 17, 2009 at 10:59am — No Comments

The idea of "Sabbath"

To call me a "driven" person is an understatement (friends might use the term "scary"...) There's something about my makeup that doesn't allow me to tackle a day without to-do list of at least 30 items. I kid you not. There are always 27… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on November 13, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

The Power of Rest

My husband and I just got back from a week long stay at "The Montana Cabin" where we had a full week of rest, quiet, beautiful scenery, and no schedule or goals to accomplish, other than rest and reconnection. MontanaCabinView

The mornings were slow - we… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on November 9, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments

Your Ideal Body Weight

Do you know what you really should weigh? Your ideal weight is not some magic number pulled from the air, or some hopeful number that works best for your beautiful best friend. Your ideal body weight is your lean body mass plus your "ideal body fat" percentage based on your ag… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on October 30, 2009 at 10:05am — No Comments

Flu-Bug

It's in all the papers, and is the topic of choice on many newscasts. H1N1 has hit the streets! I think I might have had it last weekend. Yech. It's a doozy, and you need to know you'll be flat out for a while, even after the nasty symptoms (fever, aches, migraines, vomiting, chil… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on October 28, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Is it right? Is it Wrong? What do you think?

So, I've been AWOL from my walking since last week. I have lots of excuses, but I'm thinking mostly it's a motivational problem. I hate the cold. Probably not so legitimate. I've also got hit "quick and heavy" with the flu, and found that while the most uncomfortable symptoms passed within 36… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on October 26, 2009 at 1:27pm — 1 Comment

Funky Program!

Oh, it's been AGES since I posted - or even walked! Yikes! A combination of weather (sudden dump of snow), lack of shoes to walk in said snow (Vibram is all out of the winter version of funky feet), and an extreme bout of the flu from which I'm just now slowly recovering, has put me totally out to pasture for the past two weeks. However, I've tried not to be too idle.… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on October 22, 2009 at 12:44pm — No Comments

A struggling 10K?

I completed level 2 in my training on Saturday by participating in a 10k race for a local church here. Even without the 1˚C (33.8˚F) temperature and brisk winter wind, it was an interesting experience. I warmed up well, started out by climbing up a reasonably steep but short hill, and proceeded through what was a beautiful, not-terribly-strenuous walk to complete the first 5k loop. I found that although I wasn't breathing hard or feeling like I was exerting myself… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on October 5, 2009 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Look What I Got!

OneMillionStepsCertificate

I've been participating regularly in the "10,000 Steps" community over the past couple of mon

… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on September 18, 2009 at 12:10pm — 3 Comments

Walking for Spiritual Clarity

Yesterday I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I often get myself in trouble by offering my services to other people, and having them take me up on it! :) Part of the problem is that when I offer my services I actually have the time, but when I finally get the stuff they want me to do, I get everyone's all at once. That's kind of where I was yesterday - overwhelmed and overloaded. When I went for my walk I just gave it to God, and didn't really worry about it anymore. Thoughts flitted back and… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on September 11, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Eat Fat to Lose Fat?!!!

I've been spending a LOT of time researching nutrition. In addition to reading dozens of books from the library, I'm reading lots of magazine articles, and actually taking some nutrition courses. It's a very confusing topic! I think that part of the problem seems to be that most people who create weigh loss plans have only half the info, and build whole principles out of misunderstood facts. I also think that nourishment as God planned it, is much more complicated than we like to think. An app… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on September 7, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Cruisin'...

I just got back from a 7-day cruise to Alaska with my parents and siblings. My folks are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year, and this was part of that celebration. cruise-ships-volendam

What great fun! Lots of laughs, beautiful scenery… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on September 4, 2009 at 11:45am — No Comments

The Challenge of Priorities

I've spent months researching training programs for walking. I've spent weeks setting one up and working it into my schedule. I've spent about a month trying it out. It won't work. Currently I'm spending a large chunk of my morning in devotional time - prayer, worship, bible study, etc. Following that, I usually go for my walk. The walking schedule looks like this: Monday-Tuesday: 1.5 hour walk; Wednesday: Off; Thursday-Friday: 2 hour walk; Saturday: 3 hour walk; Sunday: 1 hour walk. I then… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on August 12, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Overtraining

On Friday I came across this excellent article that talks about the importance of balance: "Overtraining: A Good Thing Gone Bad" When I was in training for my marathon last October I learned first hand about the joys of overtraining, and it was during that time that I learned about the "Maffetone Method". This method of training pretty much guarantees you're not goin… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on August 10, 2009 at 2:50pm — No Comments

Training with a Heart Rate Monitor

As I train for this next race - a 10k in October - I began to use a Heart Rate Monitor according to the guidelines in the Maffetone Method whi… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on July 30, 2009 at 2:06pm — No Comments

Refuse to Choose!

For most of my life, the question "What are you going to do when you grow up?" has hounded me, nightmarishly. Every week it was a different answer. My earliest recollection of what I wanted to be was a nun (I liked the "long dresses"). Then I wanted to be a vet, then a surgeon. I wanted to be a teacher, a flight attendant, a tour guide, a translator, a performance coach, a singer, a teacher of early childhood education, a psychologist, a counselor, a life coach ... By the time I was 25 I'd work… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on July 28, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Live Longer and BETTER!

I'm not that fussed about extending my life only to spend more years in a total care facility unable to control any of my bodily functions. Living longer for the sake of living longer holds no attraction for me. HOWEVER! Living longer so I can take even more advantage of what this marvelous world has to offer, and to better live out the life God has called me to live - that's a totally different thing. I'd love to be 120 years old (the age God determined for mankind) with all my wits about me,… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on July 25, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

The cost of being healthy, and other financial musings...

Tom and I have been working hard on our finances lately. We'll we've been pretty intentional for about 5 years, but recently we've stepped it up as I've been learning about Biblical Finance - what God says about money and how that works today in our culture. It's been quite an adventure! As I've moved forward with my fitness/walking/nutrition explorations, I've realized it's MUCH more expensive to be healthy than sick. The gov't pays for health care ("sick care") but not preventative care. Goo… Continue

Added by PraiseWalker on July 22, 2009 at 4:55pm — No Comments