Barbie Perkins-Cooper, Author

Yesterday, I went to my Weight Watchers meeting, furious with myself that I gained 1.4 pounds. Since early August, I have been yo-yo-ing and I am furious with myself. Yes, I’ve had several press trips to travel to, making it difficult to track and choose the right foods. Nevertheless, I dragged myself to the meeting, recognizing that if I continue missing the meetings, I will not continue losing weight.

Our discussion was “The 8-Week Countdown Challenge.” In 8 weeks, Thanksgiving will be here. My goal for this date is to lose 8 pounds. I admit, I haven’t been as active as I should. Making excuses, procrastinating and just being downright lazy has been my lifestyle. I need to make a change. I volunteered how I would achieve my challenge. “I want to walk the bridge, and tomorrow, I plan to do it!”

When I got home, I started thinking about my challenges. My goals. My desires to lose weight and I decided, “Today is the day. I’m walking the bridge.”

I gathered my camera, car keys and off I went. In less than five minutes I parked the car, gathered my things and started the approach. The time was 11:46am. I must mention, I have an arthritic knee and asthma. Walking isn’t an issue for me since I do walk, but lately, it hasn’t been a regular activity.

The walk felt great, as I approached the steep incline of the bridge. Trust me, when walking the bridge, it is a LOT longer than driving it, and the steep incline appears to be a small mountain. My legs were energized. My heart was pumping and I felt great! My goal was to reach the top of the twin towers of the bridge, and then, I would turn and go down. Guess what! When I reached the towers, I sat down on one of the concrete benches to rest and take more photographs. I was euphoric! I was doing the bridge walk. It didn’t matter that I was a bit slower than some of the people passing me. I didn’t care! This was my first time and I was determined not to give in.

I hopped up and continued the approach — all the way down! Traffic bothered me at first, but I told myself not to focus on the cars rushing by. I was hit by a car when I was nine-years-old, so traffic always frightens me. I stopped looking at the traffic, focusing on my goal — to walk the bridge and make it back without anyone assisting me.

I am proud to say, I made it — a 4.8 mile walk, up a steep bridge — all the way, on my first journey!

Thank you, Weight Watchers. I am on to my challenge now. This I do — for ME!