529.

Hello, hello, hello world!

Life is peaceful and I'm thankful.

Amen.

Lately I've been walking.

It started last week Thursday, when I saw my neighbor in the post office. She and I have the same shape and are roughly around the same size. Except she looked like she'd lost 15-20 pounds.

When I complimented her and asked what she'd been doing, she said she'd been walking twice a day. I mentioned that I'd been wanting to go but didn't want to go alone. She invited me to walk with her that evening.

I did.

Now I understand what runners mean when they say running is an addiction. It feels so good when I'm walking that I sometimes want to break into a run. Not that it'll happen. Unless someone is chasing me...

Running is just not my thing. For one, I know it's stressful on the knees. And two, I actually injured my knee several years ago when I began running (in short bursts) as part of a workout plan concocted by a church member whose infectious personality drew me (and another female friend from church) into his wicked plan.

In addition to my knee injury, I also hated the itchy thigh syndrome that came with extended walking. I don't know why I didn't Google it. Probably because I blamed myself for having thighs that rubbed. I also thought it had something to do with my detergent not liking my sweat.

Well, I brought up the itchy-thigh incidents to my neighbor on our walk. She said her trainer told her it was from dehydration.

Hmmmm...

As I had been consciously focusing on drinking more water (as in "more than just a glass or two every other day or so"), I am certainly better hydrated now than at any time in my life.

I had also taken water with me on our walk so no chance of drying out along the way.

And I felt like she was correct. (And I came home to research and found very little about it, which means very little to me since the information she'd given me seemed to reveal itself as truth in action.)

I did not get the itchy-thigh that evening nor have I gotten it on any walk since.

Which has been eight walks since last Thursday, averaging two walks a day but skipping Saturday and Sunday. Not specifically because it was the weekend, just because I was busy with my beau. (Stay tuned for a new post with more detail on that subject.)

I've been walking as early in the morning as I can manage and as late in the evening as I dare, taking care to avoid going out when it's too hot or too dark when I set out.

Usually, I make my greenfood smoothie in the morning before I go out. I need the energy. Besides, if I don't get it before I go, I might not be in the mood to do it upon my return.

My Carolina godmom has been trying to get me to juice. I'm not quite there but my smoothies are full of nutrients too and I'm using a blender.

My smoothie recipe (which usually varies only if I run out of an item):

• 1/2 cup water
• kale (organic, morning juice only)
• lemon juice
• slivered almonds
• coconut oil (organic, unrefined)
• 1 large organic green apple
• 1 banana (usually frozen, sometimes fresh)
• 5-6 frozen strawberries (organic)
• 1 ragged tablespoon of Health Force Nutritionals Vitamineral Green

Please know that I don't use precise measurements for most stuff.

1. Grab a hand full of kale leaves, rinse them well, then add to the water.
2. Blend until water is green and no pieces of kale are visible. This produces kale juice and pulp.
3. Strain juice, rinse blender, return strained juice to blender.
4. Peel, core, cut apple. Slice into blender. (Or onto a plate if that works better, then add to blender.)
5. Add lemon juice, slivered almonds, coconut oil (I just pour some in... probably 2 teaspoons).
6. I always add the frozen fruit next-to-last because my blender is a Bullet-type, with the inverted cup and a lid that has the blades in it. It's easier to blend frozen fruit when it's closest to the blade and the liquid falls down on to it.
7. Blend that all together. 
8. Add in the Vitamineral Green and blend just enough to mix it in.

Doesn't mean I won't ever eat stuff like this again. But everything in moderation, ya know?