I had the best ever Christmas with a little help from my doctor! Please allow me to share it with you.

Late last fall my neighbour suggested that I have my blood pressure checked as the altitude of Cotacachi (over 8,000 feet) is quite a bit higher than I am used to.

So off I went to see my doctor. My report wasn't too drastic, but I did have a rather high cholesterol count. I was put on prescription for 20 days and told to follow two rules ... walk briskly for 1 hour a day and drink 6 glasses of water every day!

I followed his advice religiously and after 20 days, I returned to the clinic. Lo and behold my cholesterol count was back to its normal range. What a great Christmas present!

Walking at least 4-5 days a week, even in the busiest of time, really paid off for me.

Before this 'wake up call' I was very careless with my diet and didn't pay attention to my water intake. New to the area, I really went out of my way to try all the wonderful culinary delights of Ecuador. As a result I was really out of whack!

Thank goodness I kept eating loads of fresh fruits and vegetables, but did fall short when it came to eating rich deserts and calorie laden home-type cooking.

Their national potato soup Locro De Papa is loaded with cheese and avocado. Their wide variety of cheeses are wonderful. Their bakery products are delicious but loaded with butter. Llapingachos - which are potato patties stuffed with cheese and cooked on hot griddles are wonderful. Add to that their delicious pork and beef dishes and well - they were my downfall.

I have now totally cut down on such cuisine and gone back to eating more fish, chicken (totally organic and tasty) and freshly steamed or crispy raw vegetables and salads. My favourite,- tomatoes - are readily available all year long so I have absolutely no excuse for going off track again.

The Walkways Beckon!

We're really looking forward to our daily walks using our nordic walking poles really soon. They arrive this week along with our shipment of personal effects from Canada. Just as exciting is the fact that we have our new post office opening today in town (the other one was a 15 minute bus ride away along the highway - not great place to walk!). Now I will have my 1-hour walk daily without making excuses about the weather or "no time"… a favourite excuse of many.

Your Turn

Write and share with us some of obstacles that you've had to overcome to get back to a more healthy lifestyle. We all have obstacles at some time or another. You might have a solution that may help others overcome problems that they may find difficulties with.

Help someone this month. Next month you may be the one seeking help.

Let's start 2010 caring and sharing with one another!



Your walking partners,

Yoko and Geoff

PS - Hmmm. Maybe you’ve gotten a little fuzzy on why walking is so gosh darn good for you? Drop by our Benefits of Walking page again!

PPPS - Remember that we welcome your walking stories, hiking tales and tall tales too! Share yours with us, be published on your very own web page and maybe even win some neat prizes!