Well, I've created a monster.....a walking monster.....and the monster is ME! Since I can now walk without pain, I'm actually making excuses to leave the house every day so I can get a walk in.

Last week I walked 4 and 2/10 miles.

Monday I was going to go to the employment office (missed my bus due to an IBS attack but that is neither here nor there!). I walked to the second bus stop down (Riviera) which is 6/10 of a mile from my house (my bus stop is only 1/10 of a mile from my house). It's 1/10 of a mile from the bus transfer station to Safeway (and another 1/10 of a mile back). Then I walked back from my bus stop to my house (1/10 of a mile)

Total mileage for Monday: 9/10 of a mile

Yesterday my street was closed for chip sealing and I needed to go to the grocery store. So I walked 2/10 of a mile to the Bend Senior Center and caught a bus at the bus stop there. 2/10 mile to Safeway from transfer station and back again, and another 2/10 of a mile walk from Senior Center back to my house.

Total mileage for Tuesday: 6/10 of a mile

Today I needed to go to Safeway and St Vincent De Paul (for a food box). My street was open, so 6/10 of a mile (in 20 minutes) to the Riviera bus stop, 1/10 of a mile to SVDP from the bus stop (and another 1/10 of a mile from SVDP to the next bus stop). 2/10 of a mile from transfer station to Safeway and back again, and 1/10 of a mile from my bus stop to my house (once I left SVDP I was pushing a metal 4-wheeled cart partially full of food as well). I also rode my exercise bike for 5 minutes this evening.

Total mileage for Wednesday: 1 1/10 miles (walking) 2/10 mile biking

Tonight I realized that I forgot to buy toilet paper today. So now I have an excuse to go to Safeway tomorrow. I plan on walking to Riveria again and then getting off at the stop before the bus transfer station (walking 3/10 of a mile to Safeway). Goal for the day is 1 1/10 miles walking and 10 minutes (4/10 mile) on the exercise bike.

My goal overall is 1 mile per day (or more) whether its on the bike or walking. I will throw some weights (dumbbells ranging from 3 pounds to 7 pounds each) in there just to mix it up.

And since February of this year I have lost 22 pounds (maybe more, I don't have a scale at home, so I was weighed a week ago at my doctors office). I've lost 16 of those 22 pounds since the end of June by cutting way back on diet Coke and replacing it with water.

I have an additional goal and that is to buy a 10-speed bike. Biking is easier than walking, and also there are a lot of places the bus just doesn't go. I can take my bike on the bus (our buses are equipped with front-end bike carriers that hold 2 bikes, and they will even let you bring the bike on the bus if the carriers are full). I also plan to get saddlebags for the rear of the bike

www.mkcovers.com/catalog
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I've already bought a bike helmet and bike lock on Amazon. I figure 1) when I get my bike I won't be tempted to ride without a helmet and 2) If i put into the universe that I expect to get a bike, the universe may surprise me. Right now I only have $30.00 saved towards my bike (have seen used ones for 60.00, and a really nice used hybrid one for $325.00) but I have picked up a few more writing jobs lately so things are looking up.