My "green" day

Yesterday I managed to succeed in going green on all my fitbit goals. I love when that happens and it doesn't occur every day. I might get the steps, but not the miles or calories (not sure how, but it happens). I might not have been so active if one of our dogs hadn't tangled with a skunk, which required a good deal more chasing him around, cleaning up his barf, running out to the store to get the supplies to make the dog wash that my husband discovered on the internet, doing yet another load of laundry since I used up so many towels and my own clothes got soaked (and smelly), and so on.

This morning my youngest had hockey at 8:00 a.m. and it was SO COLD as we drove to the rink. The frost on the ground had just started to melt with the rising sun and I almost ran over three squirrels and a chipmunk -- who were probably elated that it was light and the ground was warming up -- on the way.

We were late because my son wanted a sit-down breakfast rather than pancakes to go in the car, and then assured me he didn't need to change en route. I told him, "Fine, you can change on the bench, because I am not going into that locker room." First of all, some of the kids strip down to their underwear and sure, they're only 10 and 11, but I don't need to see that. Second, it's frequently crowded in there with everyone and their giant hockey bags. Third, smelly. I have, in fact, discovered something that smells worse than football. I don't usually help my son dress, but whereas he was running late, we took the tag team approach (I do the skates after he gets the bottom half on and he does the top half while I tie). My hands were so cold I had trouble with the waxed laces, but I hustled my son onto the ice at 8:03 and he wasn't even the last one on.

I left the rink and hung around in the vestibule where it's much warmer for a few minutes with some of the other moms, stomping my feet with my shoulders hunched. They all had coffee, I noticed. I chatted briefly and then left. I imagine they think I am antisocial, and I guess I am. Usually during practices I walk. If it's dark out, I'll often walk around the rink, but I have been known to walk around the parking lot. Last year, I walked a lot and went nowhere. It wasn't until I changed my diet that I actually made a change in my fitness. I've heard that losing weight is really more about what you eat than the exercise, i.e., you'll really never work off the donuts or the Big Mac.

This morning I took off all by myself.

[caption id="attachment_615" align="alignnone" width="169"] Just me and my shadow[/caption]

I wished I had a hoodie because my head was cold. I looked at my phone and saw it was 26 degrees. Still below freezing. It was windy and because I was the only one in the woods, it seemed to me that the sound of every falling leaf and scampering critter was magnified. Usually there are a crap ton of dogs running around loose in these woods (which is why I do not bring my dogs here). Today it was just me for nearly an entire hour: the security guard didn't even show up (which he often does as I am approaching the water treatment area just prior to the boathouse, which in turn makes me wonder where exactly the cameras in the woods are).

As much as I really didn't want to go out this morning, I was glad I did. I got to see this:




And I got more than halfway to my step goal before 9:00 a.m. and at the time I am writing this, I am just about concluding another green day, with a step count over 13,000. I am happy about that even though sometimes taking care of myself makes me unpopular with other people (typed as I have my back to the football game that everyone else in the house is watching).