Homemaking on the Homestead

When I turned 50 I decided it was time... it was time to get more fit. I decided it was time to focus on my health more than I had been doing. The easiest thing to do was to start walking. Of course that is when I realized how very out of shape I was! :) I did not let that stop me. I've been a big fan of walking because it can be done without equipment, no membership needed, and it can even be done in the home. I don't think there is anything wrong with equipment or gym memberships, I'm not knocking them, but they can also be obstacles when starting a journey to fitness. Something you have to wait for, or wait until you can afford it, etc. Walking can be done right now. One thing I would recommend is a good pair of shoes. If you start walking and enjoy it you'll put a lot of miles on and good shoes are a must. The other item I purchased to help motivate me to walk was a FitBit. I love the motivation it gives me. You don't need t...

Wednesday Snap Shot will have a little different look for awhile. When I'm back up and running again, I'll return to the previous format. ************* Good Afternoon! My WSS is up later then typical. I woke up this morning and the first thing on my mind, other then a cup of hot coffee :) was my to do list. The sun is shining and I'm feeling motivated. I had a long list that I started yesterday and did not get finished. So I started working on that. Then got a phone call from my daughter in California and we chatted over and hour, which was wonderful. I love catching up with her busy life when she has a moment to chat. My week has been going very well. I am up and out the door as often as the weather cooperates for my walks and getting other household chores taken care of. I've been in a cleaning and purging mode lately. I went through a tote of clothes and started pulling out summer clothes and putting the winter sweaters awa...

I'm a year and a half into my goal of getting fit. My goal was not to lose weight.. it was to get fit.. I did not care about the weight loss. How much stupid wasted time have I spent on focusing on weight loss only to gain it all back. Only when I stopped focusing on weight loss and started focusing on getting fit did I finally see some changes. Last year I decided to start walking. I wanted to just move. I wanted to be more active. One mile about killed me.. LOL.. today I walk 4, 5 or 6 miles and have no problem with it. I've even started doing a little running during my walks. I go easy.. because.. well.. I'm 52.. my knee joints don't like it when I stress them out.. the joys of getting older. But, step by step.. walking or jogging.. I am getting fit. I have a FitBit.. and I LOVE this thing. Daily my goal is 10,000 steps or more. More has been my goal this year. In January (my one year anniversary to making the choice to get up off the couch and j...

I have never viewed myself as a physically active person. As a child I detested P.E., I never enjoyed softball, soccer, or any other type of sport. I loved to read, go camping with my family, swim a bit and ride my bike. As I got older my dad started running and I would join him occasionally, but usually because he was asking me to. I did find I did not mind running but it was not something I was really drawn to at the time. As a young mom of 2 kids I took up running again. My dad, in an effort to encourage me, would come over to my house several times a week and watch the kids so I could run. I enjoyed that. As the years went by and I had more children the opportunities to get out and run were no more and I felt raising children was activity enough. I still never saw myself as a person who enjoyed getting out and being physical. I would make efforts now and again to try and get some exercise. I would take a class, or pop in a workout VHS tape off and on. But it was...

Well we are half way into January and I decided it was time to share an update on my fitness progress. One year ago I decided it was time to get up off the couch and start moving. I desired to be in shape. I was out of shape, and still am.. but the improvements I've seen in one year have been amazing. I posted my journey last year and added updates as the year went along. I am now one year into my fitness journey. So I wanted to update and give you a little bit more about my year. In January my main goal was to just .. move.. I did not like where I was at. I wanted to be more active. I began by walking. I still walk. And I love it. It costs me nothing, I don't need special equipment (other than a good pair of shoes!), I don't need a membership anywhere and I can do it in various ways any time and anywhere. My first goal was to walk a mile. When I step out my door, walk to the end of my driveway, down the road to where it meets the next road, turn ar...

I'm still walking!! And still making a point to get out and move every day. It has been great. I feel better than ever. My daughter Hannah and I have been getting together weekly to walk and hike in various places with the grand kids. Our goal is to get them able to walk more and more distance. Last week we walked over 3 miles.. and they did great. We had the stroller for the baby.. he has little legs that are not ready to walk that distance. I am so in love with walking. A friend said to me... you have to find your “soul mate” exercise. The one thing that you look forward to, not feel dread about. I have to say walking is that for me. Walking is amazing. It is free, it is easy, it does not cost anything. It is a fantastic way to take in God's creation. It is my think time, it is my prayer time, it is my sanctuary.. I walk.. any issues in life that were bothering me 3 miles ago.. no longer seem so bad. I feel energized. When I first started I'd walk a...

Just a few tidbits to share. Life with fewer kids at home is different!! But there is so much that I'm enjoying. Almost like rediscovering life in a new way. I've enjoyed the peace and quiet of the mornings. I'm enjoying the slower pace. I'm enjoying being able to have the time to focus on things like walking and striving to be more physically active and healthy. But one thing I'm really enjoying is spending more time with my daughter Hannah and my grandchildren. It has been a huge blessing to me. Last week we had our first 80 degree day and Hannah and I were very eager to get out and walk, enjoy the sunshine and work out the wiggles with the kids. We live near a small river (well, small compared to the Columbia River that we also live near) and at one part of the river there is a beautiful walking trail. It's a little over 2 miles. We took the kids and Hannah's new puppy and set out for an afternoon of fun. The kids loved it, Hannah and I lo...

I'm still walking. Last week I walked 10 miles in total. May not seem like a lot to some but for me it has been a great thing. Normally I walk in my 'neighborhood'.. But for the past couple of weeks my daughter Hannah and I have been getting together to walk, with the grandkids, once a week. As long as the weather continues to hold out we plan to make this a regular occurrence. It has been so fun to get together with her and the kids and be outdoors and active. She brings a stroller for the younger ones, but her oldest daughter has no problems with 2+ mile walk. And since I'm not into “power walking” .. that distance has been great for all of us. We live in a beautiful area and the walking trails are everywhere. So we plan to pick a new area each week and check it out. Walking is amazing and easy to do, it is free, and fun. I truly believe that just getting outdoors and moving makes a person feel so good. The outdoors is wonderful therapy for everyone....