aspenelijah-blog

[aspenelijah-blog]

Today is another crappy day, so I will not be walking outside. I'm walking a day early! Well, just blogging a day early. I walk everyday, just don't blog my walk every day. This is very unfortunate, seems how it is my last blog :(. Oh well, it is what it is and I'm not going to risk falling down on the ice and hurting myself. This is my first day off in a long time, and I have so much to get done today. For starters, I have to write a 12 page research paper for my class. I am not too excited about that. I'm a horrible writer! What am I going to write about for 12 pages?!?! I actually have a decent topic, though. I decided to research evidence based therapy for children with autism. Autism has always been a huge interest of mine. My mother had a son before I was born and he was born with down syndrome. Unfortunately, he also had severe heart troubles. My mother named him Elijah. The day after he was born, he passed away. Anyway, I don't want to get too far off topic here.

I'm hopping on the treadmill, and Riley's hopping on the bed. As some of you have suggested, I will talk a little about my weight loss journey. I have always been wanting a treadmill in my house. My parents used to have one at their house, and even though I didn't use it too terribly often, I loved it. Treadmills can be super expensive, though. One day, I was browsing my facebook, and a treadmill popped up for a decent price. I told Kyle about it, and he agreed we should hop on this quick. So, next thing I knew we were moving a treadmill into the house. Later that day, Kyle and I decided that we were going to use the treadmill daily and change out eating habits. We thought of different meal plans to help us along this journey. Our favorite so far has just been as simple as a piece of grilled chicken and a salad. We quickly learned that this gets boring after a while. We decided to broaden our menu, and add things like hamburger. We didn't really need to completely cut out junk food, just lower the amount we were taking in.

We still occasionally make a quick trip to subway or McDonald's, usually when were both exhausted after work. I love McDonalds salads too. That's a quick meal, but it does get expensive. I started a new job about 3 weeks ago, so I have been exhausted after work. We have kind of lost track, but we will hop back on soon. We're not giving up yet! I will still continue to get on the treadmill daily and work on getting back on my healthy eating. So far, I am down 14 pounds, and Kyle is down 18. Grrrrr, men lose weigh so much easier then women!!!!

[aspenelijah-blog]

Guys! We had a icy mess yesterday, but last night we had a beautiful snow fall. With that being said, the trees are extremely pretty. I am going to walk outside today, but I'm just going to have to be extra cautious while walking. Riley has been naughty lately, so I'm hoping this walk will calm her down a bit. Unfortunately, Kyle will not be joining us today.

I have had so much Christmas spirit lately. I've already watched a ton of Christmas movies and done some Christmas shopping. I'm kind of sad because Kyle isn't ready to put up the Christmas tree yet, so we have to wait until after I get back from vacation. Being away on vacation, I will be very happy, but also kind of sad about my family being here while I'm gone. My cousins who I never see are coming up for Thanksgiving and my grandmother is staying for the holidays for the first time in 15 years! Isn't that crazy? So, I'm pretty upset that I can't spend Thanksgiving with my cousins and my grandmother, but I would also feel bad if my brother didn't have any family to spend Thanksgiving with.

Have you guys started planning your Thanksgiving dinner yet? Isn't it horrible that I'm thinking about Thanksgiving food while I'm walking trying to lose weight? Haha! I don't care, at least it gets my mind off the walking part. I think about food all the time. I always feel bad that dogs like Riley can't eat the delicious food for Thanksgiving that we get to eat.

We decided to take the route that goes across the bridge today. We're going to swing around by the schools and see whats going on up there today. Last time, the kids were all inside their classrooms. My mother is a first grade teacher, so I like to stop in and say hello sometimes. I feel as though it gives her some sort of break from teaching. First graders can be a lot to handle, as some of you may already know. Imagine having 18 in a room daily and trying to keep them focused to learn. They're so cute though. Riley loves getting attention from several children at a time.

OOP! One of the kids pulled her tail, and she didn't like that very much! Luckily, she didn't snip at him at all. She just kind of gave him a warning bark. Dogs can be snippy if they need to be. And Riley definitely knows how stand up for herself. She spent almost the first year of her life scared, having to fend for herself against the other dogs in the shelter. It makes me super sad thinking about her past and how people used to treat her.

We leave the school and head back home. I'm hoping this walk will make Riley tired enough that she takes a nap when we get home so I can do some homework.

We finish our walk, grab a cold drink of water, and lay on the couch. Riley is now asleep, and I can do my homework in peace.

[aspenelijah-blog]

Guys! I was so excited because I thought I would be able to write one of my blogs while I was in North Carolina, but our last blog post is this Friday, and I'm leaving on Sunday. I was excited to explain some new imagery to you guys, and be able to walk in warmer weather. Although I will still be walking in North Carolina, I won't be blogging it.

Anyway, I am going to be walking in the cold town of Houlton, Maine. The roads are still clear, so I will be walking outside, and Riley will be tagging along with me. I think I'm going to be walking the nature trail instead of the other route I usually walk. We gear up and get ready to walk. It is about 20 degress out today, so I am dressed pretty heavily. The hardest thing for me to decide is what shoes to wear. My sneakers are probably the best option for walking, so I chose to wear my comfy sneakers. Poor Riley, she doesn't have anything. What is your guys' opinion on dogs wearing coats and boots? Do you think that is silly? Do you think it helps them? I don't think Riley would like the feeling of boots on her paws, but she might like a jacket. Kyle is totally against this. "She's a husky, she likes the cold."

Anyway, we begin by walking down our street, and as usual, we go straight instead of taking a right. The trees are beautiful; fresh, white snow on their limbs. The trail is still visible, but only because of recent people's footsteps. I'm afraid that Rileys paws are going to become painfully cold halfway through the trail. To describe the trail to you, the trail is a big circle that loops up around the interstate so there isn't really a safe place to exit the trail halfway.

Looking down, I see several different footsteps; kind of mesmerizing. I see a few animal footsteps, but I can't tell what kind of animal it is. Who knows? It may just be another dog walking down the trail. Riley loves all the scents that are floating around in the air. Riley could sit outside all day and be happy because she just loves the action. It is great for her to be alone sometimes. With her separation anxiety, it is hard, but it needs to happen sometimes. If she gets used to being with someone all the time, her anxiety will get even worse if we do leave her.

Riley is loving this! This is not how I expected it to go! I thought she would be more of a wimp in this cold. Maybe Kyle was right, maybe she does like being out in the cold. I would feel so bad if she was left out in the cold for too long, though. Atleast I am with her and can call somone if it does go downhill from here. Finally, we make it around the loop and back home. Needless to say, Riley and I are now cuddled up in bed and watching netflix.

[aspenelijah-blog]

Even though it is still freezing outside, Riley and I are still going to be walking outside today. The roads don't have much snow or ice on them at all, so we will be able to walk safely outside today. Checking the weather app, it is only 15 degrees out. It was beautiful out during the day, but I had to work all day, so I wasn't able to start my walk until 5:45 today. Due to the time change, it is already super dark and scary. But, I was finally able to convince my fiance to walk with us tonight!!! Yay!!! So Kyle and I gear up, and get ready to go for a walk. While gearing up, I mention getting Riley a little coat. Ha ha. Kyle did not approve.

So we begin our walk and you can already tell that Riley is super excited to have Kyle join us today. We both have been walking and eating healthy most of the days for the past two months. We both work long, hard days, so some days are definitely harder than others to be motivated to keep going. On the days that we are both exhausted after work, we sometimes have a small cheat day. But thats okay, right?

We begin our walk and talk a little bit about our time together, and go over our wedding plans. For those of you who don't know (which is basically all of you), Kyle and I met in July of 2016. When we first met, we didn't intend on falling in love, it just happened. He was just so much fun, and full of life. In the last 3 years, we have had many fun memories, as well as many not so fun memories.

Our wedding is going to be in August of 2021. There are lots of things that still need to be worked out, but Kyle and I have arranged plans for most of our wedding. We are both super excited, as well as nervous. We have been living together for over a year, and things have been great. It is kind of nice getting out on on your own and gaining responsibility. Being on my own, I have to maintain a steady job in order to pay for my bills.

The winter time can be kind of rough, having to pay for heat and all. But in the summer, we are able to save up some money and do some fun things. Kyle's family has had 2 weddings the past two summers, and traveling to those with him have been a blast. We have been lucky enough to spend a couple weekends away and have a little time to be with eachother and not have to worry about working for a couple days.

That reminds me, something that came up on our walk: I am going away in a week! I will be going to Raleigh, North Carolina to spend the week of thanksgiving with my brother and his girlfriend!

We finish our walk together, and end the night with a salad and a Christmas movie. I. AM. CONTENT.

[aspenelijah-blog]

Uggghhhh. Today is way too cold and slippery to walk outside. The good thing is, I bought a treadmill late summer so that I could walk on the treadmill all winter. As you may know, walking on a treadmill can be very boring. That being said, it is super hard to motivate myself to get on the treadmill everyday. But, I think about how good I feel after walking on the treadmill, and use that as motivation. Another bummer about walking on the treadmill is that Riley isn't able to join me for a walk.

So picture this: my treadmill is in a spare bedroom downstairs crammed next to a bed. So, when I walk on the treadmill, Riley usually lays on the bed and chews her bone. I know that she is definitely bummed as well that she isn't able to walk with me. Usually when I walk on the treadmill, I set up my computer so that I can watch netflix to keep me busy. When I watch netflix, I don't even realize that I am walking. When I walk outside, the trees keep my mind off walking, and when I'm inside, netflix keeps my mind off walking. So, it's really not a bad thing that I am inside walking.

So I hop on the treadmill, and Riley hops on the bed, and I begin walking. I like to set my pace to a pace that makes me have to walk at a decent speed. I usually don't set the incline unless I want to slow the pace down. Since it will be hard for me to describe walking on the treadmill, I will tell you a bit about myself and my exercise history.

So, I am 20 years old and in my second year of college. I am getting my bachelors degree in psychology, as well as an associates degree in criminal justice. When I graduate, I would like to become a Border Patrol or Customs officer. So, as you can probably conclude, I need to stay in shape. Throughout high school, I played soccer, basketball, and softball. I was super busy with sports throughout the year, so I didn't have to worry about getting any extra exercise in besides my practices and games. After graduating, I wasn't able to join any sports teams to keep up the exercise. In order to stay healthy and in shape, I need to motivate myself to walk daily.

That being said, about 2 months ago, my fiance and I decided to change our lifestyle together. We decided we were going to eat healthy and walk daily. As you may know, changing to this kind of lifestyle can be difficult. I don't think I would have been successful if my fiance didn't do it with me. It would have been hard for me to eat healthy if he were to be eating junk everyday. We have done pretty well at this lifestyle, but we also give ourselves days where we can eat something a little more unhealthy.

[aspenelijah-blog]

Me again! So unfortunately, there is very cold white stuff on the ground now :(. But, this isn't going to stop me from reaching my goal, although it may slow my pace down. Don't want to fall and break a hip, right? I am a little worried about Riley's paws getting cold on our walk, so I am hoping she is too concerned with her surroundings to be thinking about how cold she is. Same goes for me, actually. This time, I have to dress in a winter jacket, gloves, and a hat! Brrrr. I'm in for a long one today.

So we begin our walk a little timid due to the ice on the driveway. Already, I'm thinking, "Oh boy, what did I get myself into when blogging about walking?" I guess I could blog about walking on a treadmill, but that wouldn't be as easy to describe.

Holy cow, I wish I could explain to you exactly what I am seeing. It's beautiful. It's like a winter wonderland out here! I know most of you probably don't enjoy the snow as much as I do, but it is just so pretty! I find the winter kind of cozy. I know, I know, the snow is not comfy, but just the thought of the snow, and the thought of Christmas season brings me joy. The trees are covered just enough in snow so that the whole tree is white. The roads are just enough driven on so that the road is now bare. It's perfect, really.

Okay so, we decided to go on the same walk as the first day minus picking up my grandmother. I feel as though it is too cold for her to come out and walk. You know, she hasn't experienced a maine winter in 15 years! Lucky, huh? Although for her, she is excited to be spending the holidays with the family.

Riley is loving this! She is so filled with joy, smelling the fresh, crisp air! She loves to smell each and every telephone pole that we pass by. Yes, it is annoying to have to stop, but I am enjoying the view, so I am not bothered by this at all today. See? Winter snow brings me joy! You know the only part that I don't like about winter walks? Picking up Riley's poop! Ahhhhh! Its so cold! Half of my bag is filled with snow, and I was only able to pick up half her mess! Oh, lovely day, I remind myself. You know that feeling when you think everyone is looking at you? That's how I feel when I have to pick up her mess while cars are driving by. Anyway, I made it through the walk without falling, and that's a success in my book!

[aspenelijah-blog]

Hi guys! So day 2, and Riley and I are geared up and ready for this walk! It is a little on the chilly side today, so we made sure to bundle up! We are going to change up our path today. We decided to walk a nature trail right close to our house. It is around 3 miles, so that's how far we intend on going.

Being busy with work, I haven't been home with Riley as much as she is used to. See, Riley was a shelter dog before we got her. She was in the shelter due to abuse/ neglect. As some of you may know already, shelter dogs may come with unexpected issues. With Riley, her issue is separation anxiety. She HATES to be left home alone. But, my fiancé and I both have to go to work to make money, so that leaves Riley home. Well, the good thing is that she LOVES the outdoors. With that being said, we try to leave her on her run outside when the weather is nice enough. On the days where the weather isn't the nicest, we have to leave her inside and she doesn't do too well inside. Usually when we come home, there is a few messses for us to clean up. After a long day of work, this can be super frustrating. But, we love her, so we deal with it.

Ok, beginning our walk now. We begin our walk from the house, head down our creepy street, and instead of taking the turn onto the bridge, we decide to go straight. Going straight, we start on a rock trail along the river. Beautiful. As we walk down the trail, it begins to turn into woods. We meet up with tons of people heading out, it must be a group or club of some sort. Riley is loving the attention she is getting! I sort of get a little scared the further we go in. On the way in, I notice there is a single person tent set up on the side of the trail. SKETCHY! What was I thinking walking this alone. Well, I'm not really alone because I have Riley with me, but I have no one to talk to in order to get my mind off the creepiness of the woods. Well, I decide to just look at the trees and think about what it would be like to have a house in the woods. Peaceful, right? Holy! Already turning at the end! Wow, I guess I didn't really realize how far I had walked already. Walking back now, and I meet up with one of my friends, so now I am not as scared. On the way back, we have a great conversation about how our lives are going and what our plans are for our future. All of the sudden, we hear something running through the leaves. Naturally, I stop walking and my heart drops. Come to find out, it is just a squirel! HAHA! We're at the end of the trail now, and my friend gets in her car and drives away, but all I have to do is walk up a little ways to get home. We walk up my creepy street, and make it home safely. I got home and did my jumping jacks while Riley had a drink of water. We feel great!

[aspenelijah-blog]

Today I began my walk right from my house. I have made the decision that I will be taking my dog along with me on these walks. That way, it is good for me and for Riley (my dog). I live in a neighborhood that is sort of sketchy, so I begin my walk a little timid each time.

So I set off for my walk, determined to make it 4 miles. Walking down my street, I look around to try and take in what is in my neighborhood. No one is outside and maybe this is because it is during normal work hours. I take a turn, and end up on a beautiful bridge. Here it is November, and I am still able to walk outside. All of the trees have turned, and some have even gone bare. I need to take in this moment, it's perfect. Walking with my dog, and overlooking a beautiful river. Where I live, people are out and about during the day. We come to a busier street, and meet up with an older lady. She was startled when we walked up behind her, but she said "Oh, what a precious dog you have there" and began petting Riley. We begin walking again and I let Riley know that she is a good girl for letting someone pet her without getting wound up. Given that she is only 2, I wouldn't have been surprised if she got a little excited.

We start back up our walk, passing by a gas station. We hit our 1 mile walk, and I am feeling good about it. Whenever I exercise, I tend to feel better about myself. I love to be able to get out for some fresh air. Oh no, Riley's pooping on someone's lawn. Being a decent person, I brought a plastic shopping bag in case this happened. Even though I hate to do this, I wouldn't be happy if someone didn't pick theirs up on my lawn.

Okay, now we got that over, we should be good for the rest of our walk, right? We walk towards the middle school and see tons of cars and school buses leaving school grounds. My favorite time of the day to walk is right after school because I love to watch the activity. Some kids are walking home from school, and some even riding bikes. I turn down a hill and walk towards my grandmothers house. Now we reached 2 miles. I'm walking around my grandmothers peaceful neighborhood and round the corner where she lives. I look in her window, but don't see her sitting in her chair. My grandmother has recently been diagnosed with cancer, so I try to include her on my walks as much as possible.

As I am walking by, I hear a knocking on the window. She decides to join us for our walk today. In her condition, I don't want her to push herself further than she should. We ended up walking a mile together. These times with her are very important to me, and I feel they're important to her too. I drop her off, and make my way home. On my way home, all I can think about is the good times I have had with her. These memories overtake my mind, and before I know it, I am back on my street. At this point, my watch is telling me I've gone 3.96 miles. Perfect! I walk to my house, take my shoes off, and complete 25 squats. I'm tired, but feeling good.