The sunrise this morning was amazing! About 54 miles away, majestic Mt. Hood was outlined in pink and orange. I am grateful that mountains and snow are so close. From my home near Portland, Oregon, the beach and the mountains are within two hours. There are so many fun things to do year round!
A friend recently asked if I like to snowshoe with her. Trillium Lake at the base of Mt. Hood supposedly has a beautiful loop for an easy snowshoeing trip. I’ve read about it and I’ve always wanted to go but there are a few things in my current life that make me hesitant to say “yes” to such a special invitation. Since I am trying to be more intentional with the fun stuff, I’ve been thinking about what would need to happen for me to joyfully head up to the snow. It boils down to belly, boots, and breathing.
Since I met with my doctor 2 weeks ago, I’m trying to move more and eat less so I can do more fun things with people I love. A walk in the snowy woods would be just the thing.
A beloved friend wore my snowshoes over Thanksgiving.. She had a fun time running around the property. I watched. In my layers of winter wear, I had a hard time bending to help her buckle on each shoe. Quite honestly, my belly bulge was hard to work around. With the weight I’ve added over the years, my feet hurt more often than not and I have just one pair of shoes that I’m comfortable wearing.
In order to go snowshoeing, I’d need a warm pair of boots that would support my feet in such a way that my plantar fasciitis wouldn’t be crippling. I did some research and found an article with several ideas on boots that would be supportive for me. Amazon had a pair made by a local company for just $67.
The belly bulge challenge also requires special equipment. I love wearing yoga pants but I have just one pair of high waisted pants that keeps everything secure. If the waist on a pair of pants sits too low, my pants too easily roll down. To keep warm and my fanny covered, I can layer my favorite pair of Lucy yoga pants under bib overall snow pants (Amazon $37). All of my winter socks are threadbare and compression hiking socks run about $16.
Another challenge of packing extra pounds during outdoor adventures is breathing. If I walk on level ground, I am okay. If there are hills, I need to take more frequent breaks that average sized people. If it’s especially cold, that sometimes triggers coughing if my breathing is labored. Coughing (and laughing) then sometimes causes additional challenges for women who have given birth more than once so it’s safe to say an extra outfit might be needed in case of laughter/adventure related accidents.
Since I met with my doctor two weeks ago, I’ve been trying make better choices in order to live life more abundantly. By spending more time doing fun things with people I love in a body that doesn’t complain as much, I’m certain to enjoy a higher quality of life. After I met with my doctor, I started tracking several things daily in hopes of seeing positive trends. My success indicators for this year of living abundantly includes hiking so having the right gear for a snowshoeing trip would fit my priorities.
The summary of my success for the first 2 weeks of my year of living abundantly is below.
Success Indicator Updates:
Body Mass Index: Today the scale was down. Since I started this journey, 35% of the time my scale reflects movement in a positive direction.
Blood Pressure: My blood pressure has also had positive changes 35% of the time.
Healthy Fuel: I’ve enjoyed healthy fuel about 71% of the days since starting this journey. I’ve really made an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Today we enjoyed a Hello Fresh dinner with steelhead with tomatoes, basil and lemon. For lunch I enjoyed classic Greek salad.
Quiet Time: I’ve enjoyed quiet time about 57% of the days. This one surprised me because I really need quiet time. I expected the number to be higher.
Nature Parks Explored: I enjoyed time in nature 43% of the days.
Spinach Salads: 57% of my days have included spinach
Beverage High in Antioxidants: 93% of my days included beverages high in antioxidants.
Our coffee this morning was a gift from a friend. YUM!
Walking with My Grand Dog: 28% of my days I got t spend time with dogs but not a single day was spent with my granddog. He’s in central Oregon right now and I’m certain he misses me. He is the best dog in the whole world!
Sand Castles with Cute Kids: I didn’t spend time building sand castles but 35% of days I spent some time with with kids.
Gratitude: I’ve recorded 29 things I’m grateful for over the past 14 days. These are just the things I took time to record and though I’ve only been tracking the information for 14 days, I had already forgotten some of the things so I’m glad I wrote it down.
Today I’m especially grateful for my detective husband. He found car keys I lost yesterday.
I’m grateful for my husband’s social nature as well. I’m not a people person (I’d much rather spend time alone) but he’s encouraging us to spend time with others and it’s always fun.
Experience Oregon 