Walk-Run Winner
Dr. C. Gee Silberman
Move! My goodness. Where did my journey begin? In high school, I was an athlete (Voted most athletic girl in the senior class, 1965). Played basketball in college. Majored in Parks and Recreation. Worked in parks and recreation for 20 years. As I climbed the ranks, I did more sitting than moving. After serving as President of CPRS in 1983, left California to earn my doctorate. More sitting. Became a bit overweight and recognized I needed to do something about that. Joined Weights Watchers in 2013 and discovered I needed to move if I wanted to lose weight. That was tough! Walking a half mile was a challenge.
Today, I typically walk 12 to 14 miles per day. I’m retired, so I choose to spend a portion of every day (my leisure time), walking, indoors or outdoors. Lost the excess weight. Created challenges for myself like walking competitively a half marathon, walking 2,020 miles in 2020, 2,021 miles in 2021, etc., and expect to walk 2,024 miles this year by the end of May. Then, keep walking until I more than double the miles by Dec. 31. Several years ago, I read a book entitled Keep Moving by Dick VanDyke. That book was impactful on my journey. The book reminded me to use it or lose it. Here’s a life lesson for us all. Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. This concept very much applies to our state of mind and how we move through life.
How do we change? Recognize that we form our behavior starting with our thoughts. Thoughts lead to feelings…Feelings form our attitudes…Attitudes create our beliefs…Beliefs guide our behavior…Behavior drives our life…Want to change your life, change your thoughts. Develop habits that allow you to better tune into your highest most powerful self. Our thoughts, actions, reactions, choices, etc. affect our trajectory in life. We’re in a constant state of learning, adapting and growing. Keep moving. It doesn’t matter whether you walk, run, wheel, row, cycle, swim, paddle, yoga, dance, surf, hike, stair step, kickbox, Tai chi…Carpe diem!