Punch My Thighs

I hear myself saying that a lot these days.  Punch my thighs.  It comes in response to people telling me I’ve lost weight, and especially noticing how “skinny” (that’s a new one) my legs are.  You think they look good?  Punch them.  I don’t know how to say this without bragging, but….these things are like iron.  Seriously!  But really, what would you expect after 345 miles? And in leggings or very fitted black pants, they really do look kind of skinny.  We’re talking comparatively here. (And clothed. Unclothed, they look like they’ve sustained hail damage).

What about the rest of me?  The picture I had taken of me and Banks at the top of this blog was kind of a private joke.  Every single person who tells me I’ve lost weight is standing behind me when they say it, which tells me something.  In preparation for the summer months, I’ve started some weight work for my arms.   But my stomach….ugh, how I hate sit-ups and crunches.  The double leg lifts which really target the lower abdomen invariably result in something pinched or pulled in my lower back.  No question, the walking has made a difference, but I need to be more purposeful about this area.  Every time I walk, there are at least a couple of people doing the exaggerated, arms-at-a-90-degree-angle-swinging-across-the-chest stride (think Jane Fonda in “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”), and there is no doubt, they are the ones in the best shape of all the walkers out there. I can’t do that when I have Banks with me, and when I don’t, I tend to do it only when there aren’t many others around.  Get over yourself, Leslie.

I took today’s walk over lunch.  This time, there were bicycle cops on the trail guarding cordoned-off work areas and directing us towards the “Detour” signs.  Panicked, I asked the first one I ran across if he had any idea how easy it was for me to get lost when I vary even slightly from my regular route?  Grinning, he assured me that not only could I not get lost as long as I followed the signs, but that they had made a point of making the detour exactly the same distance we’d be walking or running if we remained on the trail.  That made me feel a little better.  That, and the fact that he was gorgeous.

I really like the feeling of doing the walk in the middle of the day, then showering.  It breaks up the day, and sends me back to work feeling re-energized.

Next time, Banksy boy.