habits - 247 days to go

How can I prepare my body for walking 500 miles?  In some ways it's overwhelming, but it's also thrilling to have a big goal.  Much of the reason for the trip is to establish an incentive to get in better shape.  I want to meet my 50 year old self, and I want to be proud of her.  So the voyage to Spain is the reward.  But taking good care of myself is its own reward.

I need to change my eating habits.  Last time I did it, I had just lost a lot of weight, and this time I need to lose a lot of weight again.  It doesn't feel like I want to do it for vanity's sake or because I need to look a certain way.  It's more straightforward--the less weight I carry on my bones, the easier it will be on my joints to wander along through the flowers and the meadows.  It's akin to packing less in my backpack.  I don't want to be weighed down any more than I have to be.  I'm trying to remember that every time I make a choice of what I put in my mouth, I'm making a choice about what I want to bring with me next May.  So I'm assiduously logging my food and hoping the numbers on the scale go down.  I'll probably need to get a lot more disciplined than just that, but it's a start.

I also need to figure out my physical training schedule.  I do so much better when I have a routine.  It's coming together piece by piece.  A long walk (or two) on weekends.  Body Pump at the gym two days per week.  Yoga and walking during the week.  It will help me to put that on the schedule rather than just going whenever I feel like it.  

Those plans are fine, but I feel like I need some more butt kicking, too.  Last time I finished the Camino, I had just run a 10 mile race.  Is it too crazy to imagine doing that again?  At this point, I couldn't even run a 5K.  I was also doing a boot camp at that time.  I wouldn't mind doing that again.  This morning I went to a personal training session, and although that would be a nice addition, it's just too pricey.  Maybe it's time for me to think about developing a gym routine of my own.  I have a hard time pushing myself with weights, though.  I do so much better in a group, which is funny because I am going to Spain to walk alone.  Something to think about.  How does my fitness relate to other people?