KANGOO, Anyone? 

About three weeks ago I saw a lovely fit and very cool young woman come JUMPING down the walkway at Caloosa Park.

Whaaaaat?

Of course, I had to stop her. "What ARE those things you're wearing?"

She laughed, wiped the sweat off her face, and stopped a moment to explain:

"These are called Kangoo Jump Boots and they are the best exercise ever!"

I just couldn't believe the feeling of freedom I got watching her jump (HOP) down the path on those things. Seriously.

So. When I finished my walk I immediately YouTubed these curious thingies and OH MAN, I was hooked.

Yep, I ordered a pair on Amazon. I did.

Then I had a few bouts of buyer's remorse as I pictured all the terrible accidents I could have. In case you haven't noticed, I'm no spring chicken and even my own brother said, "Cathy, do you not remember how old you are?"

Long story short: My totally rad pair of red jump boots arrived and fit perfectly. My chicken-chit self did wait for Hubs to get home and hold my hand whilst I tried them out.

Just a couple days later I find myself be-bopping to 70's music, jumping all over the place. In the house, of course. No way I'll ever be brave enough to venture outside hopping like a freaking kangaroo down the street. Total embarrassment to the entire neighborhood and I'm not into shaming these days.

But I'm having fun! Oh yes, I am! They say that a half-hour in these boots more than exceeds an hour of strenuous exercise and I believe it. I get completely winded. Like, I need to REST to breathe! But nothing hurts in the wrong places, I am never even close to falling, and I call what I do "jump dancing."

Oh, that brings back a memory of yesteryear . . . . My oldest son played drums in a band during his teenage years. My brother, his wife, my Hubs and I went to one of the boy's gigs and danced our hearts out. As the band played, Three Doors Down's "When I'm Gone," we began JUMPING to the song, right along with a bunch of the younger folk. Ahem. Apparently, that is something parents do not do in front of their children. I know this now, from being richly scolded by the band's drummer immediately after they finished that set.

So now, I'll jump to my heart's content, with my trusty jump boots!

As embarrassing as this video is, at least you'll  have something to compare to - the next time I post jump dancing!

New shoes!

These are called Xero, 

and are the next best thing to walking barefoot! 

I'm in love with them.

See how they are stitched? Like a moccasin, right?

They are true to size, I wear a 6 1/2 - 7 shoe 

and these in a size 7 fit beautifully. 

I don't even wear socks with them.

My 3-mile+ daily walks are so darned comfortable.

My only sadness with these is that they are not made in the USA.

I've put 36 miles on these shoes so far and 

not one blister, no pain in my feet, shins, calves, thighs, butt, or back.

The terrain is mulch and asphalt, temperatures 95-100 degrees!

Did I mention I use this babies without socks?!

Bethesda Hospital Walk. Exactly one mile from home is the Bethesda East Hospital. There is a huge rooftop parking area that we decided to visit one day. 

It is not very peaceful walking along a busy road and over I-95, so this is a walk that won't happen often. But I'm glad we did it because we saw things we've never noticed during the drive. The walk was 3.02 miles that day, and done in 60 minutes.

 

Built in 1975

Marker for the E4 Canal that the #StrineBackYard runs into.

There aren't many hills where we live in Florida, 

so getting atop the roof is great for an expansive view.

We must come back in time for sunset.

I-95 Traffic

Marker for Interstate Route 95

After the mile walk to the hospital came 4 flights of stairs to the rooftop.

Goal Met! 

Bethesda Hospital Rooftop

We meandered our way home, walking through neighborhoods instead of busy roads.

Beautiful E4 Canal

Jackfruit in someone's front yard.

The sharp points on this plant!

We sure had a good time.

Now to get cooled down in the pool!

My choice of exercise is walking. I've tried many other ways to expend myself but I always come back to walking. I like going to the gym-  when I go. I like to ride my bicycle but man, I've never found the right seat, if you know what I mean. We have this great set of weights, buried out in the garage. I'm just a walker.

I have a distinct memory of 25 years ago walking down the very early street-light lit block where I lived.  That is my time-marker. I've been regularly walking 25 or so years with lots of time off as life dictates.

But no matter how long of a break I take, something in me yearns to get my feet back on the asphalt or the sand or the mulch, press "start" on my Fitbit, and get it done. I keep all my walk stats on a spreadsheet so that I can compete with myself and be accountable. To me.

The distance from my house to Caloosa Park is .35 mile. When I enter the park, I am suddenly drawn into a magical place where not much else exists except this inner world of Nature. I feel like it is a big secret that not many become intimate with and so I am grateful, always grateful. 

Nature seems to interfere with my speed walking goals- and that's not a complaint! I can't tell you how many times I pull the phone out of my pocket, type in the code (face ID doesn't appreciate my sunglasses), open the camera, get a shot or 15, reverse the process and try to get back up to that three mph!

The asphalt trail is 1 mile & the mulch trail is a little over a mile. 

I like to do the mulch first because it is more difficult. 

It feels like easy-street by the time I hit the asphalt trail.

A portion of the park is filled with pine trees. 

It feels and smells just like being in a forest.

👟👟