In preparation for the Philmont trip, I set up several personal fitness goals for myself.

My first goal was to lose weight, as it would be easier on my knees and I wanted to be able to ride one of the horses at Philmont you have to be a user of 200 pounds. Though I was 210 when we went to Philmont, they let me ride and I was down from 230. I lost the weight by watching what I was eating, cutting out soda, and eating after dinner and I was taking walks and light jogs.

Another fitness goal was to be able to use the stepper machine we had at the house for 10 minutes straight at the more difficult level. I was able to achieve 8 and a half minutes, which I was actually proud of.

My next goal was for my son and me to hike 6-7 miles without being in too much pain afterward and be able to complete it with only reasonable stops for rest.

Since we all had to have physicals in order to go to Philmont, my last goal was to pass the physical, which I did with flying colors.

Next week I will talk about the training hikes.