Walk - Mosquito Trail Placerville - August 27, 2013

With the worst fire in Yosemite history still going strong, the winds have brought lots of smoke north into the Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains. We didn't go hiking yesterday as originally planned, but we still wanted to get out, get some exercise and enjoy nature. So, Mary Ellen and I headed up to Placerville to go for a walk along the Mosquito Trail with our friend Gail.

 This is how it looked in Cameron Park at 8:15 this morning ... 

 And, in Placerville shortly afterwards.

I promise there are mountains in the background! 

 Looks like Bigfoot stepped in paint and walked the same trail!

 No need for sunglasses this morning.

 Oh, dear ... Is Fall just around the corner?

 Common Madia

 Crazy! There are mountains back there!

 Goldenrod with a visitor ... 

 Buzzing off to the next flower. 

 Queen Anne's Lace seeds

 Blanket Flowers

 Purple Coneflowers

This is heading West on Highway 50 between El Dorado Hills and Folsom. Normally the skyline of Sacramento is crystal clear and the mountains of Napa are off in the distance. Today we were lucky to even be able to see Prairie City exit!

EXERCISE: Walking Meditation

I am reposting this entry straight from Walgreen's "Walk with Walgreen's" site. It seems to be sound advice!

Walking meditation is an active form of meditation which is done while in motion rather than while seated. It's easy to do and is a great way to find calm and relaxation anywhere you go. In walking meditation, the experience of walking becomes the main focus; becoming mindful of the experience while walking can lead to greater awareness and an overall sense of wellbeing.

Here’s How To Do A Walking Meditation:

1. Dedicate a specific time to practice walking meditation. Once you are more familiar with it, you will be able to practice meditating even during normal walking, but in the beginning it's good to set aside a time devoted to the experience.
   
2. Have no destination in mind, walk just to walk. You'll want to focus on the walk itself, not on any particular place you want to go. When you have a set destination, your mind will be preoccupied with getting to that place and the walk itself will no longer be the focus. For now, think of the journey as the destination! This new way of thinking will help you to be present in the moment rather than always thinking about the future.
   
3. Pace your breathing with your steps. Take one step as you inhale, take another step as you exhale. Don't focus your eyes or thoughts on anything in particular. When thoughts about anything other than your walking come to mind, you can acknowledge them but make it a point to let them go, and bring your mind back to the actions of your body; your steps, your breathing, etc... Keep the pace and your breathing slow and relaxed.
   
4. Try to live in the moment. Focus on what you are experiencing right now, not the past or the future. If your mind begins to wanders, let those thoughts pass, and then bring your attention back to the present, to your breath.
   
5. When you are more comfortable with it, you can begin to incorporate this practice into your daily life - taking three or four slow, mindful steps whenever you remember to. Notice how this changes the quality of your day. At first it might feel difficult or strange, but it gets easier and feels more natural with practice, and the benefits will be obvious!

EXERCISE: Walk with Walgreens

I never used to watch Donald Trump's Apprentice shows, but Conrad had always been a fan, so I decided to give them a try a few years ago ... Now I'm hooked. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago the task was to create a presentation (including a box design) for Walgreens' new promotion: Walk with Walgreens. (They have teemed up with the  Magic Johnson Foundation  on this project.) The following day the boxes would appear on the shelves at Walgreen's, so I decided to go get a couple first thing that morning.
So, I trekked out to Walgreen's, handed over $6.00 for two boxes and away I went. Inside the boxes was a nifty Walgreen's drawstring backpack and an inexpensive pedometer. Once I got home I went online and registered. it takes maybe two minutes to fill everything out and check for the verification email. Super easy!
I immediately started wearing it an have racked up almost 100,000 steps in less than two weeks! Granted, several days were high-action days while touring Switzerland, but still, it's exercise! It's easy to log on every evening and add your steps, but I wasn't able to do that while we were gone. Luckily you can back-date entries, so I didn't lose any data.
I have since bought a more sophisticated pedometer that I put on every morning. It's a habit now, so it's pretty much second nature.


Anyone up for a challenge? Go to Walgreens' get a $3.00 box and join me! Add me as a friend ... I'm PaleoMermaid!


Here's a link to their website: Walk with Walgreens