Nature walk

I started out my day with some Boost and my meds. That was easier and quicker than making a protein shake before I left. I just wanted to give my body something for energy before I went to walk. I didn't get up until 6:40 and I wanted to get out the door. I planned on making a protein shake when I got home.


It was a great morning for a walk. It was overcast, just enough to keep the sun from beating down on me. I started at the Grandview Overlook but there weren't any trails, they were back down the road. Since I wasn't familiar enough with them I decided to go back up to Mesa Trail. Gorgeous up there today, as usual.

I stopped to take a lot of pictures of wildflowers today, so that made my walk time longer. I'd say I walked at least an hour which probably translates into about 2+ miles.

The left side of my lower back and my left hip gave me some trouble today but I was able to get through it and keep walking. I wanted to stop even before I started today. I almost turned around at the little loop when I got there. But I kept on going. It was good to get up there an hour earlier. Lots of people on the trail with their dogs.

I felt safe with so many people and dogs up there. The dogs get to be off leash. Only one of them growled at me today but it ended up being super friendly. I think I just caught it off guard. I somehow walked on a different part of the trail than I did yesterday and the wildflowers were everywhere. They were all different colors too. My little phone camera didn't do a great job of capturing their beauty and color. Tomorrow I may bring my digital camera.

I walked a little bit slower today and stopped more than I did yesterday. I still got a good workout in. I even went up the big hill to the Mesa overlook. It was amazing. It overlooked the city as well as Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak. Simply amazing.


It was quite the incline but I was able to do it. Well worth the effort to get a view like this. I was hoping there was a clearly marked trail that would loop around from the top, but I couldn't find one. I ended up backtracking and going down the hill. The whole walk was pretty amazing. Even though it was more difficult because of the back and hip pain, I still enjoyed the walk. That's my shadow in the next picture.



I was surprised when I looked at my phone and it was almost 8:30am. I didn't realize I'd been out there that long. I felt like I had really accomplished something. Chewing a piece of gum while I walk sure does make a difference. I only had to sip on my water once or twice. I drank a lot more when I got back to the car.

When I got home I made my protein smoothie. I put in skim milk, protein powder, a splash of orange juice, some raspberries and banana. I mixed it all up in the blender. Wow! Was it delicious. My meds started kicking in and I started to feel sleepy so I went in for a nap. I slept for over an hour. I had a snack after I woke up - cashews. They were yummy and hit the spot.

Now I have to go take my shower. I see Marianne this afternoon at 3pm. Even though I only saw her a couple of days ago, it seems like it's been longer since I've done so much inbetween times. I'm excited to talk to her about my walking and eating and how they have improved. I'm not going to walk to the mailbox today since I walked so long this morning. I can definitely feel some soreness in my hips. That's a good thing though because I definitely have weight to lose there.

Time to hit the shower.