Married people took those vows, or something similar to it.  I know the Husband and I did.  It was a mixture of standard vows provided by the minister and some we wrote ourselves on that long drive to Las Vegas.  And we all think we are going to stick to those vows when we say them.  But what happens when they actually come into play?  When it is actually time to adhere to those vows?

Now before you start worrying too much, I will tell you the main cause of concern: High Blood Pressure.  At the tender young age of 29, the Husband is one point away from hypertension.  I, on the other hand, am sitting at a calming 102/60.  Have I ever mentioned that we are total and complete opposites?  Well we are and this is just another area where we are not alike.

What is a wife to do when she finds out that her youthful spouse is creeping up on a serious problem?  She takes action!  That is right.  She doesn’t sit still and watch life pass her and her husband’s eyes.  She moves into attack mode.

So today starts our foray into a semi-vegetarian lifestyle.  That means two out of every three meals, and sometimes all three meals, will be vegetarian.  It is a way to get the Husband to eat more fruits and vegetable while cutting out the fatty proteins and high sodium sandwich meats he loves so much.  Of course, there will also be a reduction in salt at all meals.

Besides changes in diet, I have also started teaching the Husband the practice of meditation.  Meditation is something I have been practicing for over a year now, but I admit that I am not always consistent with it.  It is a relaxation tool that will help the Husband control his stress level.  We began with 5 minutes of mindful breathing once a day and will increase the time and also the frequency to twice a day as he becomes more comfortable with the process.

Diet, mediation, and finally exercise.  Normally both the Husband and I are good about exercising.  Winter weather throws us for a curve.  We do not belong to a gym so our exercise is done mainly outside.  With signs of snow flurries today, you can understand how we might prefer to hibernate during these cold months.  But not this winter.  This winter we exercise!  Thirty to sixty minutes a day, five days a week.  So stop reading this post and get moving!

Welcome to the first two days of The Great Walking Experiment! As I mentioned in my Goal Setting for April post, I am trying out a 30-day walking experiment as originally discussed by Steph over at Back in Skinny Jeans. The goal is to walk 30 minutes a day for 30 days and see what comes of it! Although I am not sure how many walks I will post, I figured I can give you my first two days to see what this experiment entails.

Day 1 - April 2, 2008

On April 2, 2008, the first day of TGWE, I walked about 42 minutes and a total of 2.7 miles. I have plotted my route on Gmaps Pedometer, if you want to see more details on this specific route.

I want to begin by telling you that I live in a bad neighborhood. It is called the Tenderloin, or more affectionately, the ‘Loin. No matter what you call it, it is not the place you want to wonder into at night. There are shootings and muggings and stabbings, drugs and prostitution. During the day time this is kept at a minimum, but is still apparent. Now that I have painted that lovely picture of my neighborhood, I also want to tell you that there are beautiful neighborhoods all around me. For the Day 1 walk, I chose to head to Nob Hill and Russian Hill. Not the most beautiful neighborhood in San Francisco, but much better than the ‘Loin. The greatest thing about this area are the views. You can see Alcatraz and Coit Tower. On top of it, the “Crookedest Street in the World” is found in the area. I stopped my walk about a block short of the Crooked Street, as I knew I would not be able to take the stairs up and down Crooked Street after tackling all the hills from the ‘Loin to Nob and Russian Hill.

The highlight of my day was actually seeing a father and son playing some badminton on the sidewalk. I always take joy in seeing family members having fun with each other.

Overall, this was a great sweaty and heart-pounding walk. The massive hills that I had to climb left my buns, thighs and calves sore the next day. The views from the tops of those hills were also worth the walk. The only con: having to deal with ignorant men’s catcalls and remarks while in the ‘Loin. Once I got out of the ‘Loin such rudeness was non-existent.

Day 2 - April 3, 2008

Today I decided to treat myself to some Blue Bottle Coffee in Hayes Valley. This walk was a bit longer at 2.78 miles and 50 minutes, mainly because I slowed down at more points to take pictures and I had the coffee stop. There seems to always be a line whenever I go to Blue Bottle Coffee. I have also tracked this walk on Gmaps Pedometer, in case you were interested.

I started my walk in an almost opposite direction so that I could get s few hills in and make sure I had at least 2.5 miles in my walk. That meant walking through the ‘Loin, but more specifically the Little Saigon area of the ‘Loin. This is not as bad as the area right by my house. Then I wandered over to Jefferson Square, which is a little park in the area. I walked through it park a bit, but there was a lot of broken glass, so I hopped out of there and on to get my coffee.

Finally arrive at Blue Bottle Coffee, I ordered my Cafe au Lait and heading back past Citizen Cake and the Performing Arts Parking Garage, back up the hill and over to my starting point. It was a beautiful morning!

This has been a very busy month.  I went apartment hunting in Tennessee, competed in a Mediation competition in Chicago, had two sets of out-of-town guests and the Husband left for the Netherlands.  Now that I have set up the background I can tell you that I fell off the wagon.  I started off staying on track with my eating and exercising.  However, the last week and a half sent me into a downhill spiral of not working out and eat foods that are not the best for me.

April is a new month, which means I can start fresh!  I do want to let you know how I did with my March goals:

1. Read a Motivational Book: Consider that done!  I finished A Complaint Free World which is a great book (and corresponding wrist band) that helps you live a complaint-free life.  Love the idea, got the band, and we will see how long I can go without complaining.
2. Reach March Goal Weight:  I know I have not done this one.  I was down to 155 by the end of Spring Break.  But then Chicago came (with Garret’s Popcorn) and the house guests (lot’s of eating out) so I am sure I did not drop the last 2.  I probably actually gained a bit.  I won’t know until tomorrow when I weigh in again.
3. Exercise Outside:  This was definitly accomplished.  I have been out hiking twice this past month and took one of my workouts outside.
4. Move Faster:  I have previously posted that I can now jog 3.5 miles non-stop.  My best time right now is 44 minutes.

So 3 out of 4 is not bad.  I am proud that I was able to accomplish so much.  By the end of the week, I will be posting my April goals, so stay tuned!