Absolutely NOT A Diet. Honestly.

Am inspired by a post I just read on Mark’s blog (http://www.markyourtruthhere.blogspot.com "Fasting as a Way of Life") about health and fitness. Liked it so much I read it three times and will probably refer back to it from time to time to help me keep myself on track.

I have recently (too recently--I should have started doing this ages ago) begun incorporating morning walks into my daily routine and am almost (almost) at the point where if I wimp out and don't get up and go I feel lousy, like my day didn't begin properly. I already walk back and forth to work whenever possible, and have been looking into inexpensive Chicago Park District swimming classes and facilities--I would LOVE to have a daily (or even just 3-times per week) swim.

The next task for me is to seriously modify my diet. To that end I have been trying, with varying degrees of success, to end my long love affair with soda and other ultra-sugary, caffeine-laden beverages. I am pleased to report that I have cut waaay back on my coca-cola intake but admittedly am not yet cola-free. (I'll keep you posted.)

A week or so ago I saw a woman interviewed on the Today show who was once staggeringly obese. Though she is still heavy, she is in noticeably better shape than she used to be and credits her weight loss with a kind of baby-steps formula of eliminating one unhealthy food or beverage item at a time. I like that approach. Accordingly, once the soda pop is completely a thing of my self-indulgent past, I will pick something else to remove from my diet; once that item is conquered--and no, I don't yet know what that will be; I'm trying not to scare myself to death with unrealistic goals and expectations--I will add, or rather detract, something else.