The Agony of "De Feet"

  We realize the importance of exercise in our plan to get healthy and TAKE OVER THE WORLD, or at least lose some weight and look better. Our first week found some of us (Jeff) being "All In" to smashing the walking goal of 10,000 steps a day. I am beyond amazed at what he is able to accomplish when he puts his mind to anything. He walked 4 out of 7 days, covering over 20 miles. But there is a high price to pay for all that enthusiasm. The angry blisters on the bottom of both of Jeff's feet, not to mention the pain in his legs, will probably keep him off the streets for a few days.
  I went on two of the four walks with Jeff, covering over 9 miles. As some of you may know, I suffer from joint pain that stems from an old injury and other undiagnosed and unexplainable causes. Since Sunday, I have been experiencing some discomfort in my shins and calves.
  I will resume walking tomorrow with Katie and hopefully Jeff will be able to join us tomorrow or Thursday.
  A little history on our physical activity (no, not THAT kind): I was a pretty active kid. I didn't play on any sports teams, but growing up in Bremerton in the 70's and 80's, I walked everywhere, rode bikes, climbed trees, played outside, roller-skated. In my twenties and early thirties my primary exercise came from chasing my kids around, dancing on weekends (when I had a sitter-thanks MOM!) and working in daycares chasing other people's children around. In my mid-thirties I joined the YMCA to lose some weight and injured my knee during a workout. Some days I can exert a lot of physical activity with no issues, but not always.
  Katie has always been active in sports, dance and performing in musicals. She participated in soccer, basketball, swimming lessons, ballet and tap, T-Ball and karate. This year (her freshman year of high school) she was on the swim team. Now, with the season being over and entering second semester with no P.E. class, she will have to find other ways to get that exercise in. There is some dancing in her rehearsals after school (she will perform in "Bye Bye Birdie" at BHS the first weekend in March), but maybe she'll join me for a walk now and again.
  Jeff grew up same as me-pretty active kid stuff right here in Bremerton. His early adulthood found him in jobs where he was delivering very large and heavy things that caused him to exert quite a bit of energy and build that upper-body strength (Hubba Hubba!). Now, his work sometimes finds him walking job sites and getting in some physical activity, but some days are spent mostly driving his car and working at his desk. He is also nearing completion of his B.A. in Computer Animation, which finds him sitting in the "Geek Center" for long stretches doing homework and expressing frustrations in unique and colorful bursts. He did help found Team FBOMB (Fat Boys On Mountain Bikes) in 2011 with a few good friends, but he hasn't ridden with them for a while now. Check them out at http://teamfbomb.com/ 

  So the goal is to walk at least every other day and keep it to a more reasonable (and less injurious) 3-4 miles a day.
  In other news: Katie has begun recording and posting videos on YouTube. Her dream is to be a singer and I am so proud of her for being brave enough to let the world hear her voice. Check out her first video here: