Just walk. Again.

I did something for the first time this morning that I hadn't done in a long while: I walked to one of my appointments instead of hopping in the van for the short trek up the hill.

For those of you with long-term memories who actually follow my rantings, you may remember several years back that my evening walks and exercise was my therapy after the death of my father and having a second child. Unfortunately I fell out of those good habits. Stress and extra attention needed at work, plus my newborn growing into a trouble-making toddler zapped most of my "me" time. And it shows: the amazing weight loss I had in '07-'08 came back with a vengeance.

Trying to get back into that mode is easier said than done. But with a little encouragement from the new doctor at MCHS, Dr. Sophie Dojaques, it feels almost attainable.

"I don't even want you to think about weight loss," she said. (Always a relief to hear when you know you're tipping the scales). "Just walk 30 minutes a day; outside, on the treadmill, make it a habit. If you want to make changes to your diet, do it gradually. I'd be happy to see you lose only one pound a month!" She then went on and gave me one food product I should try to cut out. Just one, even though it's featured in lots of my favorite (and bad) foods.

So far it's been baby steps: Since the new year, I gave up one of my favorite snacks - White Cheddar Cheez-Its - and replaced them with almonds. It's a small step, but at least one healthy change. Most of the Christmas goodies are now gone and have been replaced with nuts and dried fruits. And I can honestly say I have no hidden stash right now. (The real test will come in a few weeks when the Girl Scouts start selling cookies again!)

And today I took my first walk. It was only five minutes to get up the hill (since I do have to sprint across the busy street) but with the nicer weather it was actually refreshing! I usually drive because crossing that busy street, I feel like I'm the frog in Frogger, and the yellow line only dictates which car is going to chase me to the curb! Granted, I still have 25 more minutes to make it a goal for the day, but it's a start. As the old saying goes, "Every great journey begins with a single step."