Perks and peeves of walking

Yesterday I took a break from walking due to joint pain and total fatigue from lack of sleep. I did, however, go outside and pull weeds for an hour. I have a large planter box in my back yard that had a ton of grass in it. Getting the grass out was tough....I practically had sod growing in there it was so dense. Needless to say, it was a great activity for me and it allowed me to take Ashton outside to play.

Today I wanted to talk about some of the perks of walking for me and some of the "peeves" or things that bother me on my walks.
Perk: Sunshine. How I love the sunshine as long as it is not too hot outside.
Peeve: Dog poop on lawns. I make it a point to take plastic bags in case Mandy does her business on someone's lawn. I pick it up and put it in the nearest garbage can.

Perk: Improved mood. I feel so good while I'm outside and so feel so accomplished that I have been dedicated to doing something good for myself.
Peeve: Lack of sleep. I get home so late from work and am often not in bed until 2am then wake up around 7-7:30 am. 5 hours is just not enough sleep for me.

Perk: Spending time with Ashton. Ashton loves to go for walks and I don't have to send him to daycare while I exercise. It sets a good example for him so he learns to love exercise and activity.
Peeve: Back and joint pain. My osteoarthritis really gets to me sometimes and makes it difficult to push myself to get out.

Mostly, walking is great. I wore my shape-ups today while I walked and noticed a difference in my back pain and joint pain. I really think they add more shock absorption when I walk. The New Balance shoes were good, but I did notice a difference today. I guess I will keep wearing them.

On my walk I see some cute and funny things. There are a few dogs who can jump high enough that you think they are going to come over the fence. I tried to get a picture of one of the cute dogs I see. This one must be standing on something to be able to put his/her paws on top of the fence and look over. I tried to get a picture but the little rascal got down before I could snap a picture. I will try to post a picture of him another time.
I also see some beautiful things on my walk.

Today I enjoyed looking at a field of wild flowers near my house. They were bright yellow and had a strong scemt which made me sneeze, but none the less, I enjoyed how bright and beautiful they were in the sunlight.
It's important to take time to enjoy the little things in life and celebrate every triumph. If you're a fluffy girl like me or not, it is O.K. to acknowledge the annoyances of getting fit but it will not make things easier. For every annoyance, make sure to focus on the positive in the situation or think about the positives to come for all of your hard work.