Tour of the Gila

This weekend's 5 mile hike ended up being a bit more of an adventure than previously planned.  I got a group together to hike Signal Peak in Pinos Altos and while the trails were open as usual, the road to the trail was closed to motorized vehicles so the walk to the trail head (reportedly 4 miles) ended up being over 6 miles one way.  Thank goodness for packed lunches and lots of water.  It was an absolutely beautiful day to be out hiking and a great example of persevering for better wellbeing.  Dealing with barriers to change is a reality when making healthful lifestyle choices.

Barriers:
Time (2 hrs drive time each way)
Weather (the May heat of the southwest)
Road Block (literally a road block not allowing cars to pass to the trail head due to the Tour of the Gila bike races)

With each barrier it would have been easy to throw in the towel and perhaps decide to go visit local businesses and have a nice lunch rather than put in the extra footwork.  Trust me, while the first six miles were great- I definitely felt the effects of the last few miles.  While some individuals even made it a round trip of 15 miles, everyone got a great day in the beautiful outdoors.  Dealing with barriers comes down to problem solving.  Be realistic about your barriers and once you've thought of all the reasons it won't work- think of at least one strategy to make it work.  Is there a time of day that works best for you?  You may find less distractions and more success by getting your activity into your routine earlier in the day.  Doing several shorter activity sessions may be another strategy.  Time is probably the most common barrier reported but it's really about determining our priorities.  How much time do you spend sedentary doing things such as watching television, sitting in front of the computer or other sedentary tasks?  Maybe it's time to stop planning and start doing.

I am happy to report 1.2 pounds additional weight loss and tomorrow will be another weight in day.