These boots were made for walking...

Last night I reached my first swimming goal: swim 20 laps. Any style, breathers as needed, just get 'er done. Well, my limbs all went to this quivering jelly that was still capable of movement, though it was so lacking in strength only my fat was keeping me afloat, and I certainly had little propulsion through the water.

It felt wonderful.

There are still a few un-named stepping stones until my next major goal: swim 24 laps in concession, no breaks, and under 20 minutes. We'll get there. (By "we" I mean all my body parts working in agreeance with my will...) The body is finally remembering how to coordinate all it's parts so I don't eye up the lifeguards to determine if they're skilled and strong enough to rescue me... Well, ok, I may still eye them up, but now it's not to be certain that my life will be saved should my limbs give out on me, my lungs open up for a gasp of breath while my head is still under water, and I sink to the bottom of the pool in a gurgling mess...

Today, I strapped on my new winter boots, and walked to work. And if my muscles weren't so worn out, and the top lacing needing a bit of adjusting, my feet and ankles and legs were almost disappointed I had reached work, as if more walking was not out of the question. A far cry from even a few days ago; my old winter boots had me trudging through the snow, causing so much fatigue and pain that after the third block everything below the knee was screaming in protest and whimpering for the end of their punishment.

The total walk is a whopping five blocks.

I've been doing that walk for quite a few months now, so being in shape or not has nothing to do with it. The old boots, an ill-fitting hand-me-down from my mother because I had no money to buy new boots, were killing my legs. My new ones are Salomon Nytro GTX, what looks to be a black hiking boot given a goretex layer, a winter lining and cleats that demanded - and got - total submission from ice and slippery frozen slush. Ahh....

I find it a struggle to exercise. Yes, it's a great help for those with depression, but really, some days is a struggle just to get out of bed, let alone into some ill-fitting or uncomfortable clothing and drag my butt outside, especially if it's anything other than a beautiful sun-shiny, bug free, not too cold, not too hot day. Yes, I'm picky. Tell me something I don't know.

But these new boots... They were actually a joy to walk in. I was encouraged to buy new boots as last week I found myself twice thinking it was a lovely evening for a walk, but my boots wouldn't let me get around the block without issues. And now, with Winterlude here, I'm looking forward to going out and seeing the sculptures. I particularly enjoy seeing the ice sculptures at night time with the lights shining through the ice. I've avoided going in the past due to not having warm enough clothing, or being afraid to slip in the snow or ice. (Bad knees and ankles from various injuries over the years and a concussion last year has made me cautious, perhaps a wee bit too cautious at times.)

It's a wonderful feeling to get over that slump of forcing yourself to exercise to actually enjoying adding activity to your day or week.