Walk Along the River

Friday October 10th at 1:00??

2008-10-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Would anyone like to join me for a walk? I know this isn't much to choose from but my time is much more limited now with school.

Weds., Thurs. or Fri?

2008-09-15T21:07:00.001-07:00

I have free mornings on Weds., Thurs., and Fri. -- anyone up for a walk?

Tuesday, Sept. 9th How about 11:00?

2008-09-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

Our schedule is going to be completely out of wack for walking starting next week. I am going to have to change to afternoons. Anyone else available at that time? Say 1:30ish? Or later still- 3:30ish would be even better! Let me know!

Woodsy Walking

2008-08-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Wee wittle Kylie went for a woodsy walk with us! I think she snoozed the whole way. It was very peaceful.

Test Post

2008-08-26T11:17:00.001-07:00

This is just a test post to see if I'm still allowed to post here!

Thursday, August 28th How about 11:00?

2008-08-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

Pick ME, Pick ME! I want to go!

Tuesday, August 26th

2008-08-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a long old while since we have got together to go walking. Anyone up to going again? I make no promises about the weather, but I really need to go whether or not the weather is wet or dry. Somehow I said yes to a 1/2 marathon coming up in October, and I really am no where near where I should be fitness-wise. HELP!

Tuesday July 29th

2008-07-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Anyone else feel up to taking a walk. If Dayla hasn't had her baby we could help her get labor started! :)

Tuesday July, 8

2008-07-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Anyone up for a walk? Either from Woodinville or Redmond?

Thursday June 26th

2008-06-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Victoria gets a new "appliance" from her orthodontist right after the walk. I think she should get a matching set: washer and dryer perhaps?

Tuesday June 24th

2008-06-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

Would anyone be interested in walking at about 10:00 instead of 9?

Well, we sure got the kids on the trail!

2008-06-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

It was so refreshing to be on the trail again after a 3 week lapse. Thank you everyone. Let's do it again soon!

Thursday June 19th, 2008

2008-06-13T06:10:00.000-07:00

Well, staying home and whining about the cold....was SO last semester!! Schools out people and we must get these kids on the trail!

Tuesday, June 17

2008-06-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

From the Sonoma Diet newsletter: I know that you already know all these things but thought I would remind you that this is a worthy thing to do. And I want to see more arm swinging fun! :)

Walk This Way

You know you should exercise every day, but sometimes it just doesn't seem feasible — it's too overwhelming to sign up for individual classes, too hectic to try and work out at home, and too expensive to join a gym. On the other hand, there isn't much to prevent you from walking. It's free, easy to start, can be done almost anywhere and for any distance, and, well, you already know how to do it. Plus, the health benefits are amazing. A regular walking program can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improve cardiovascular stamina, and burn calories. Here are some tips to get you started:
Dress for success: Dress in layers that can be removed or added as needed. Even on a chilly day, walking can increase your body temperature. And wear comfortable walking shoes that support your arches and ankles.
Loosen up: Before your walk, be sure to stretch your hamstrings and calf muscles. Also, do a few neck rolls, and stretch your back and shoulders. The looser you are, the better and more invigorating your walk will be.
Start slow: If you're just beginning a walking program, take it slow at first. Maybe you'll only walk 5 or 10 minutes the first few weeks. Gradually build up to about 30 minutes a day as you feel ready.
Have fun: Swing your arms naturally while you walk and don't be too concerned with how fast you're going. And be sure to breathe normally. You should be able to have a conversation. If you feel short of breath, slow down until you return to a normal breath and heart rate.

Tuesday, June 10

2008-06-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Whatever the sky says....we must be out walking! Be brave my dear sisters, be brave!

Well, I went a walking all alone,

2008-06-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Jill and I were supposed to meet and then the basement out at the Keddies had water in it, and Jill was trying to get that figured out. So with no way to get ahold of me, she came late, and I had already started out. While walking alone I saw....(sorry you did not see these- Hee hee).....

The flowers, trees and grasses which over the last few weeks of spring? were growing and becoming lush in spite of the cold. It looks very different now from when we started.

I saw so many people with big smiles on thier faces. Did I have a booger? Another bad hair day!?

One momma goose had about 7 little goslings and they were all cuddled together on the bank. Fuzzy little feathery cute babies, awww.

One litte bunny went hopping across the path, then went and nibbled at some leaves by the side of the trail. He did not seem to think I was at all important.

I made it to our bridge, and since I am trying to challenge myself, this time I crossed the bridge! Ha. I found some shots I want to take with my camera, and the Willows Run golf course is there on the other side. Who knew?

Then my favorite sight was coming back, yes it had started to drizzle slightly but it felt pretty refreshing, was.....Jill! We had a great visit on the way back and I was so glad I had come.

See you soon, out walking!

Thursday June 5th

2008-05-30T06:14:00.001-07:00

Tuesday June 3rd

2008-05-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

JUNE??? Already?

Thursday May 28th

2008-05-27T14:39:00.001-07:00

Ooops I forgot to post for Tuesday! We got in early Tuesday morning after a couple nights up in the hills. You would not have wanted to be seen with me, but I should have made the post for the rest of you. Of course you could also get a date posted if you felt so inclined. Would anyone be interested in a different walking day? We could add one or change one!! The weather is nicer on days that we don't have scheduled. Anyone else notice this strange phenomenon?
Hope to see you all soon!!

Thursday May 22nd

2008-05-19T21:54:00.001-07:00

Tuesday May 20th

2008-05-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Oh Happy Day! Feel like walking in the Sunshine anyone? Thursday. May 15th

2008-05-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday May 13th

2008-05-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

I know I need to walk off the Mothers Day treats!!

Fit Flops!

2008-05-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Ladies...what a break through...no longer do we need to exercise and eat right! All we need to do is wear the "right kind of shoes!"

Check out http://www.flipflopstoday.com/

Oh and while you're reading...feel free to eat a piece of chocolate cake. *grin

I bet most of you already knew about these and are laughing at me right now. Either way, I will continue walking on Tuesdays and Thursdays...I actually can't stand flip flops...having something between my toes bothers me, I know it is weird but it can't be helped. Oh well....it was a nice idea! (But maybe it will work for you?!)

Thursday, May 8th

2008-05-05T05:54:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, May 6th

2008-05-05T05:53:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 1st

2008-04-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was such a beautiful day, I am sorry for myself for missing the walk! I would love to walk on thursday and one other day, anyone else have an extra day for walking?

Tuesday April 29th

2008-04-24T19:10:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, April 22

2008-04-23T08:41:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful day for a walk! The kids got a bit chilled in the wind, but I think they enjoyed it anyway! For even more pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/kmt.park/RiverwalkII

Thursday April 24th

2008-04-22T12:36:00.001-07:00

What a lovely group!

2008-04-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday April 22nd

2008-04-18T08:21:00.001-07:00

This is a very long-winded post.

2008-04-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

There are two things lately within the realm of health and fitness that have been quite helpful to me, and I've decided I'd like to share them with you, my very dear walking friends.

First, in regards to this business of eating a balanced, healthy diet (which can be so tiresome for me that sometimes I'm driven to eat an entire container of cream puffs in the span of two days...): I'm almost always concerned about whether or not I'm eating enough vegetables. Leafy green vegetables, to be exact, because I'm always reading about how they're "nutritional powerhouses," blah, blah, blah. I really like vegetables, even leafy green ones, but I get sick to death of eating salads day in and day out. Actually, if someone would make the salads for me, I wouldn't mind eating them so much, but ripping up lettuce is one of my least favorite things to do in the kitchen, so I like to avoid it as much as possible. It's quite a dilemma I have, isn't it?

Fortunately for me, however, I have a mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law who are the queens of drinking green smoothies, and with their help, I think I've found the answer to my terrible leafy green crisis. Green smoothies are just a mix of greens and fruit tossed into a blender with water. I think the recommended ratio is about 60% fruit to 40% greens, but I don't think it's super necessary to be a stickler about that. (I'm not, anyway.)

It's fun to play around with different combinations of greens and fruit, and I especially, especially like that every ingredient is a whole food. No awful processing, no fruit juice or added sugar, and not one drop of high fructose corn syrup. My favorite concoction so far is a cup of fresh pineapple, a cup of frozen mixed berries, a cup of spinach, and however much water strikes my fancy. (This makes enough for a regular-sized glass. And it's purple instead of green, but nevermind the small details.)

My sister-in-law Sara says it's a good idea to rotate the greens, and so instead of spinach, I've tried mustard greens (which I will not eat ever again, in a smoothie or otherwise!)and romaine lettuce. I didn't care for the romaine very well, either, mostly because the fruit didn't mask the flavor of the greens and it tasted like liquid lettuce. Some of the other greens Sara suggested are kale, collard & beet greens, and Swiss chard.

In terms of fruit, I've also used frozen peaches and fresh strawberries, and this week I'm going to try something with fresh mango. My mother-in-law likes to throw a lime or two into her morning smoothies, but that is a little bit too sour for me.

Besides having peace of mind about vegetable deficiency, I also seem to be less hungry throughout the day when I drink a smoothie in the morning. Sara says when she drinks them regularly, she loses a lot of cravings for other junky food (and also loses a lot of weight). There's a book called Green For Life by Victoria Boutenko that has lots of good scientific information about green smoothies (and recipes, too).

This is much longer than I thought it would be, and so I'll write later about the second thing that has been helpful to me. No one should have to read more than one blog-essay in a day, after all.

Thursday April 17th

2008-04-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Tuesday April 15th

2008-04-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

It's tax day....come walk off the stress, or get good council on how to spend your refund check!

These are great days to be out walking! Come join us!

2008-04-11T19:05:00.001-07:00

Melisa, Shirley and Elaine walked along the river on Thursday. We had a wonderful time and went all the way to 124th! I was shocked when we got there and I recognized where we were. Time flies when we are chatting and catching up, or in Shirley and I's case, getting aquainted. We figured that we walked close to 7 miles. True, it is very flat, and probably not a big deal to the marathon ladies, but to me....an accomplishment. Thanks ladies for a very nice morning.

These are great days to be out walking! Come join us!

2008-04-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

Thursday April 10th

2008-04-03T14:19:00.002-07:00

Tuesday April 8th

2008-04-03T14:19:00.001-07:00

Thursday April 3rd

2008-03-28T07:44:00.001-07:00

Tuesday April 1st

2008-03-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

March 25th Walk Pics

2008-03-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday March 27th

2008-03-24T10:12:00.001-07:00

Tuesday March 25th

2008-03-22T16:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's walk...

2008-03-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

starring the kiddos :) We started at Beth's house and made a pit stop at a fun, fun, fun play area. Next time, if everything's not soaking wet, I'm swinging on the swings!

Going the "other" way

2008-03-18T13:50:00.001-07:00

Elaine, Hilary, Joe, Marissa, Danny and myself walked today! Let me rephrase that: Elaine, Hilary and I walked today. Joe, Marissa, and Danny were pushed in strollers. Danny snuggled down and slept the entire way. Next time they can push us!!! We chose to go the opposite direction we went last time. It was noisy: leaf blowers, cars etc. Then came the pounding of feet and we turned around to see Misako running toward us. We quickly speeded up...just joking! Misako was only able to join us for a short while but we enjoyed the time that we had with her.

Hilary left her camera in the stroller so I'm posting pictures before she can!!:) I have to say it was way more fun having someone else's camera when they had "film." Deleting pictures is way to easy now.

Anyway, a good time was had by all...come join us!!!

The Before Picture

2008-03-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here's the group that walked the first day...sorry it took so long to put it on here...but then anyone who would like to babysit so I can blog...feel free! *grin

We had a great time taking up the entire path so others couldn't pass us etc. We actually had really nice weather, with it only raining when we arrived home. Lucky us! Those in this picture did make sure I was in one of the pictures taken...but the bonus of having it be my camera is I got to choose the picture to upload. I feel so powerful! *hee hee

Those of you wanting to join us, please note the dress code- Spandex is bad as well as sportin' sports bras. Let me tell you, you would be absolutely embarrassed to walk with me if I showed up wearing the above mentioned. (unless however, they were covered by other clothing, which makes it ok.) At the same time I am shocked to look back and see that no one is wearing leg warmers...it is time Ladies to get in style! Dig in those closets...you've got to have the ones you wore in the 80's in there somewhere!! And then again...who am I to discuss style?!

Hilary-maybe you need to post "walking/workout" styles so we'll have something to wear for our "after" picture!

Good wives and moms cook with Jell-O!

2008-03-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

March is National Nutrition Month, did you know? And in honor of this, allow me to share with you some delightful recipes from a book called Retro Food Fiascos, a "collection of curious concoctions" from the 1950s. Maybe after one of our walks, we should have a fiasco potluck with our families, and we can laugh like hyenas at the faces they make :)

LEMONY SALMON TOWER
Lemon Layer:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. cold water
1 c. boiling water
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp lemon juice
Few drops yellow food coloring
- Soften gelatin in cold water. Dissolve in boiling water. Add sugar, salt, lemon juice, and food coloring. Pour into 2-1/2 quart mold. Chill until set.
Salmon-salad layer
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
3/4 c. cold water
3 1/4 c. boiling water
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 c. (or 2 1-lb. cans) red salmon, drained & broken in pieces
2 c. drained, canned or cooked peas
1 1/2 c. celery, diced
1/2 c. green pepper strips
1/2 c. unpared cucumber, thinly sliced
- Soften gelatin in cold water. Dissolve in boiling water. Add vinegar, lemon juice & salt. Chill until partially set. Add salmon & vegetables; mix carefully. Pour over lemon layer. Chill until firm.

FIESTA PEACH-SPAM LOAF "Gay and delicious enough for a party, and look how easy!"
- Cut a Spam loaf in half crosswise. Between the layers, spread canned sweet potatoes, mashed and seasoned. Surround with cling peach slices. Top with 2 or 3 peach slices arranged "fan style." Bake in a moderately hot oven, 400 degrees, for 30 to 35
minutes. Blend a little syrup from the peaches with 1/2 tsp prepared mustard and use as a sauce.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP SALAD
1 can chicken noodle soup
1 (3 oz) pkg lemon Jell-O
3/4 c. boiling water
1 (6 1/2 oz) can Hormel chicken
1/2 c. green onions, finely chopped
2 Tbsp green pepper, finely chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. Cool Whip
- Cut up noodles in soup. Dissolve Jell-O with water. Add remaining ingredients except mayonnaise and whipped cream. When cool and set up a little, add mayonnaise and Cool Whip. For a topping, combine 1 can tomato soup, 1 pkg lemon Jell-O & 1 c. boiling water. Cool and spread over salad.

Friday, March 21st

2008-03-12T14:10:00.002-07:00

Thursday March 20th

2008-03-12T14:10:00.001-07:00

Tuesday March 18th

2008-03-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

Thursday March 13th: Please leave a comment if you can make it!

2008-03-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

I think that the best way to keep track of who is walking on any given day is to each leave a comment for that day. If you have a change of plans you might want to call one of the others who are signed up to walk that day.

We had a great day walking today with kids, wind and just a few sprinkles. It was awesome, and as the weather gets better it will be even more rewarding. So glad to have gone. Thanks to everyone who was able to make it and get me moving! I feel fabulous!

Since some cannot walk on T/TH we are going to add another day. This week we only have Friday left to choose from. :) Anyone can add a day at anytime. Let me know if you want to be added to our list of authors so you can add your day or anything else you want. I just need your email address.

Spark People

2008-03-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

My neice hooked me up to something that I think might be helpful for goal setting, works for either diet or excersize, and best of all is free! To check it out and see if it is something that would interest you...
www.sparkpeople.com
I signed myself up today, and so now I have another commitment to keep...yikes the responsibility! :)

Tuesday March 11th

2008-03-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Our first walk! I am hoping for clear skies, or else we will have our first coffee date! :0) Please leave your comments on the blog to let each other know if you can be there or not since it is hard for me to sort through all my emails each time and that way everyone knows who wants to know. See ya!

A Walk Along the River

2008-03-08T18:11:00.001-08:00

Here is our new blog to get in touch on a weekly basis to arrange walking and post motivational health and exercise information with each other. I really have no clue whether this is something we will use or not, or if we can find something even better. Please do not use last names or exact meeting times and spots on the blog. We can use email for that. I hope you all feel like making contributions my friends!