Beyond the Norm

So a week or so ago I told you about my new goal. I have been working towards my 50 by 50 goal and to be honest losing this last 20 pounds has been a challenge. So I decided to set another goal - something that I could work towards that would also lead to better health and help with my 50 by 50 goal as well.

So last week I was able to get a walk in on Monday and Tuesday  - each of those around 2 - 2 1/2 miles each. Wednesday morning as I was walking with the challenge to walk at least 3 miles - I begin to think of the fact that I have a garden that is in desperate need of being weeded. Last week we got ALOT of rain and so my garden has been too wet to get into so I have put that job off. I realized that I will need to get that job done sometime soon. And decided that I needed to start that job on Thursday morning so as I approached 3 miles of walking I decided to just go for my goal. So I continued to walk. I decided to listen to an awesome song that I knew would help me along the way. If you would like to listen to this song click Here to hear Every Praise this link will take you to the post that I shared a link to this song a week or so ago. This is an awesome song!! When I finished listening to this song - I went to the songs on my phone and pulled up Mandisa's Overcomer.  This seemed like a very fitting song to listen to on this special morning that I was challenging myself to reach a goal I had set for myself. Four years ago this month I was finishing up 6 rounds of chemo - and Overcomer was a song that I listened to many times. As I walked on this Wednesday morning I felt a bit emotional as I thought back to that time period and how I would have never thought at that point that I would be walking 5 miles at a time! What an accomplishment.

An older lady I know who is a nurse said it isn't very often that a person who has been pulled down with health issues is able to get back to the state of health before what ever health issues caused the downhill trend to happen - but it was even more rare for a person to improve on the health/fitness they had prior either. I am working hard at challenging that theory. It can be done - it just takes perseverance and determination.

Anyway I am VERY happy to report that I did indeed walk 5 miles!! I was SO proud of myself! I am going to continue to challenge myself maybe once a week to walk the 5 miles so I can keep up this health/fitness level. Oh by the way - it took me just under 1 hour and 40 minute to walk 5 miles. I am thinking the next time I challenge myself - I will have a sermon to listen to - and then I can go to my helpful songs towards the end when it is beginning to be a bit more challenging.

You will never know what you are capable of until you challenge yourself beyond the norm. :O)