I’ve been trying to motivate myself to exercise. I need it so bad. I have no energy, my back and legs hurt if I stand for a long period. I was so sore and stiff from my flight back from Arkansas. Then there is the ever expanding waistline. I find it so difficult to get out and move after work. I work a 10 hour day. Add on an hour and half for the commute in and back and there went 12 hours.

My I-pod has been helping. I download a few new tunes and create new a songlist. New tunes always gets me out. And the weather is improving. The temperatures are starting to get above 60 and I don’t seem to mind getting out if I don’t have to bundle up.

But the best motivator so far has been a new route. I like to walk or jog and my neighborhood route has gotten really boring. We don’t have sidewalks in my neighborhood so I walk on the street or the gravel roadsides. The streets are not real busy but you do have to be aware. I have been enjoying the progression of spring blooms in the yards but I live in the suburbs and there is just so much you can get excited about suburban yards.

A couple of weeks ago, I tried a new route. It is about a 5 minute drive from my house to the ferry dock and the shoreline of the Puget Sound. One street north of the ferry runs about a 1/4 mile with a gorgeous view out over to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Whidbey Island and even Mount Baker. I love the expansive horizon. The seagulls drift overhead. The gardens are a bit more adventurous also.

I’ve enjoyed this walk for years but what I did differently was to head south and past the ferry dock. It turns out that I can walk along the sound for a good mile to Marina Park. It starts at Brackett’s Landing and if I’m lucky and the tide is out, I can walk in the sand for a bit. At the fishing pier, it becomes a wooden walkway along the marina and then over a small bridge and into the park. There is such diversity and activity – it keeps me interested. I love it.