First Orange Leaves

Walk Location: Sakatah Singing Hills Trail
Time of Walk: Early morning
Temperature: 60 degrees
Skies: Overcast with sprinkles of rain
Steps: 6,000

I spotted the first orange leaves of the year this morning. I've watched as the red sumac continues its progress from verdant green to brilliant crimson; now I'm reminded that fall is certainly underway as I see nestled in the greenery of the forest the first telltale oranges that bespeak a change of season.

It is a warm, humid, overcast morning, the kind that beckons one to continued sleep, and although I slept longer than usual this morning, I forced myself to walk. When the day is clear and clean and sunny it is easier for me to push myself out the door, but I find myself becoming more and more devoted to this walk routine. Among its benefits for me are lower blood glucose levels (I am a type 2 diabetic, attempting to push back that diagnosis), better-fitting clothes and an improved sense of well-being. I find that my energy level is more consistent throughout the day and that, while I feel weary in the mid-afternoon (as has always been my pattern), it is a different kind of tired, which does not feel like the "crash" I am accustomed to. Although I am not normally one to find fulfillment from comparing statistics, it has become a challenge for me to push myself toward more than 10,000 steps (total) per day.

For someone who has been sedentary much of his life, and for someone whose vocational life requires a lot of focused, reflective desk time, I am an unlikely candidate to cheerlead on the physical fitness team. But I can see firsthand its benefits, and those coupled with the immediate positive effects are mutually reinforcing.