I’m currently cutting back on my calories and have so far dropped around ten pounds in the past two weeks. I’d let myself get comfortable and complacent after a long, lazy summer. Sure, I’ll loosen up a bit—both my calorie restrictions and my pants—for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but I’ve been doing pretty well regulating my daily intake. It had grown, quite frankly, massive.
I mentioned this latest of my various weight loss odysseys to my neighbor, the man who takes Murphy out for me and—more germane to this post—who is the Zone Captain for our Neighborhood Watch. My adventures in dropping unsightly pounds and inches inspired him to propose the Lamar Neighborhood Watch establish small walking groups, and yesterday morning, he and I met shortly after 6 AM to walk a short circuit downtown.
It’s a short walk—a little less than a mile—but it was a good way to start the day. We waited at the clock in downtown Lamar until about 6:30 AM, then made the short trip down to the library. From there we doubled back to the clock, then walked the three short blocks back to my house, with Murphy alternatively leading, falling behind, and stopping dead in her tracks for no apparent reason.
The plan is that our “group”—so far, just two men and a dog—will meet up a bit after 6 AM every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I’m hoping we’ll get started closer to 6 AM—early though it is—so I have a bit more time afterwards to get ready (yesterday was the first day in awhile that I arrived at work substantially past 7:30 AM), but it’s a very quick circuit, all considered.
On the way back from the library, we used some of the benches on Main Street to do stretches and various forms of mild calisthenics. It’s a testament to how out of shape I am that even these mild exercises—like standing push-ups—hurt my core. If we stick with it, though, I imagine I will have rippling abs and roided out triceps in a matter of weeks.
Well, or least I’ll be a bit less flabby in the arms and around the middle. I can already see a noticeable change in the expansive girth of my generous gut just from dropping ten pounds. My work pants—a couple of sturdy pairs of men’s slacks I picked up at Sam’s Club—are already straining less against my protruding belly, and I’ve made it back to the third notch on my belt.
As for the early morning stroll, it is very early to be up and about—it’s still quite dark out—but it’s also pleasant, especially with my neighbor’s company. It gives us a chance to catch up and chit-chat before the hustle and bustle of the day truly begins. It’s also interesting seeing the world at that hour. We actually came across another friend of ours taking his very early (and quite vigorous) early morning stroll. He looked like a man on a mission.
I’m sure there will be days I will not want to get up so early to walk, and I am hoping we can modify our start time slightly so I can get on back to the house and get ready. I’ve grown accustomed to arriving at school a solid thirty or forty minutes before first period, as it gives me some time to square things away for the day.
But I am looking forward to these thrice weekly perambulations in the wee morning hours. It sure does feel great to get on up and moving first thing, especially with the prospect of a hot shower and a good breakfast to follow. It’s definitely good for Murphy, who needs to get out and moving around more (we got back to the house and, after downing a bunch of water and eating a little breakfast, she immediately collapsed back into her bed—lucky dog!).
I’ll keep you posted. Should you organize a walking group, let me know! If you want to participate asynchronously with my neighbor and me, leave a comment!
Happy Trails!
—TPP