Thursday, January 22, 2015

Boot Camp, Oscar Shearer State Park

Once again I arrived in Florida for the winter wondering how I have allowed myself to slip into such miserable condition during the fall months when we allow ourselves to wallow in "the weather is so bad I can't do anything but sit in front of the TV eating bon bons" syndrome. This year I thought I had escaped that syndrome by spending a few weeks in Florida before Thanksgiving getting plenty of sunshine and exercise before the holiday gorge. Well, yes I returned to the northern tundra feeling great and well conditioned and then three weeks of no sunshine and the usual cadre of parties with baked goods and great candy readily available and I returned  to Florida in deplorable condition.


Luckily, our first major stop is always, Oscar Shearer State Park near Venice Florida. Aerobic exercise class three mornings a week, the Legacy bike trail (20 miles round trip), 12 miles of sandy hiking trails, the all trails hike each year, and of course, the beach have finally helped me overcome the state of lethargy created by too much to eat and not enough movement.  


Anyone who is my fitbit friend will note the soaring of my steps from last week to this week. My flower has been raised to the max every day and now I feel great. Non fitbit users please excuse the references which you probably don't get.



At least 50% of the trail looks like this.
giving your walk the feel of a real work out.
Did I really hike all those trails for a hot dog?
 Yes, and it was the best one I ever ate.
Our time here is up on Saturday. Over the years of coming here we have made a few friends and acquaintances. It was good to reunite with many of them. We will miss Carl's banjo and jokes, pancake breakfasts, and even the exercise classes and hope all will be the same when we return next year. This is such a great place to recoup from the excitement and fun of the holidays.





No comments:

Post a Comment