Food, Walking Weight Loss Continues

Walking is a great way to lose weight, get to know your community, reduce pollution, and meet your neighbours. When I published "Food, Walking and Weight Loss"* on the Suite in September 2004 I had just realized that I had lost 35 pounds. Today, 13 months later, my total weight loss is 62 pounds. Then I was walking for an hour 3 days a week. Now that has increased to five and frequently to six times per week. Walking has become a passion.

The best way to lose weight is to burn off more calories than you consume. The most effective way to do this is to eat healthy**, avoid high fat and sugary foods. The infrequent chocolate fix is ok but do not get into the treat habit. That means do not eat some chocolate, after you exercise or eat a salad, in order to reward yourself for exercising or eating the salad.

My walks usually take place either around my home, also known as my neighbourhood. I live in Thunder Bay North. This is a hilly area and the climb provides extra exercise. Throughout the Summer, I enjoy watching my neighbours' gardens grow. Now and then, when someone is out front gardening, we say hi and sometimes I stop for a short plant chat.

I have become a familiar sight in the area and people often wave or say hi. The sense of place and of community, which evolves from this repeated exchange, increases my feeling of being at home even when I am on the street.

Other days I walk downtown. We live within five minutes of the downtown of Thunder Bay North. Fortunately, there are a number of different ways to get there and back so a short ten minute round trip walk is easily stretched into an hour. While I am walking I can see, smell and hear the changes that are taking place.

I regularly meet people that I know. Sometimes we stop and chat, other times we wave, say hello and keep on our separate paths. Coming home is all uphill.

There are a number of green spaces around Thunder Bay. Each one provides a wonderful walking venue, all year round. One of my favourites is Boulevard Lake. The construction of a dam near the mouth of the Current River in 1901 resulted in a head pond flooding the area now developed as Boulevard Lake Municipal Park, the first in a series of parklands along the rivers shores.

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