This Pool Is Made For Walking - And That's Just What I'll Do

I used to be very active.  Then reasonably active.  Then mildly active.  When it turned out that most exercise hurt me, I became very inactive - and hated it.  Doctors and friends have suggested swimming.  Great - I don't know how to swim.  That's right - I can't swim a length, let alone enough to be considered real exercise.  But I wanted to see if I can walk in the water and apparently I can.  On Sunday afternoon I began a 1-week trial at Lifetime Fitness.   If this works out, I'll join and keep going.  Day 1 I walked 15 minutes in the water.  (Amazing to me, because I can't walk 5 minutes on a sidewalk.) Day 2 I took a water aerobics class.  I took it easy and was able to complete the class.  It felt great in so many ways.  And my knee isn't screaming at me.  I'll leave in a couple hours to walk for another 15 minutes.  And I'll swim my almost 1/2 length.  I hope that in a few weeks I'll be able to complete a length - then a lap, then a couple laps.  If I can do that maybe I'll even work on flip turns. :)

So, here's my question.  If I like raw foods so much and walking/exercising in the water feels so good, why are these habits so hard to maintain?  Both make me feel good physically and positive mentally.  I know that with winter coming, it will be easy to skip jumping (well, stepping) into a pool.  And after an especially lousy day, a pizza will look awfully good.  And a really great mac and cheese (with crust on top) will be a devilish temptation hard to pass up.  I'll let you know if and when I encounter one of these challenges and how I handle it.

As for food, I'm trying to have an inventory of foods ready for the start of this program.  I've been dehydrating so much kale.  And it disappears around here so quickly.  I'm glad to see the kids are enjoying them.   And yesterday, I made zucchini chips for the first time.  Some chips were a bit too salty, but they'll be a fabulous alternative to potato chips, etc.  And I think they'll be a good replacement for popcorn at the movies.  This week I'll try flax crackers for the first time.  Can't wait.

5 days to go.