Day 16: The Gratitude Challenge

Since the start of the year 2010, I have been going to the gym regularly. The treadmill has been my favorite place of "me" time. When I am on it, I feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

Photo Credit: http://www.ehow.com/

This particular morning, however, I was bored at the thought of going to the gym for my daily exercise. I didn't want to skip exercise. I just wanted to do something different.

If I were in the United States right now, this wouldn't be a problem. Parks and trails are everywhere. Living in the heart of Metro Manila, however, poses a greater challenge in finding alternative ways of exercising outside of the gym.

Then an idea suddenly came to me! One of my occasional struggles in terms of quiet time is maintaining mental focus during prayer. I have days when I find myself thinking of a lot of other things (mostly to do's) when I try to pray. I thought that maybe doing a prayer walk around the Ortigas Center might be a refreshing time and do wonders for me physically and spiritually.

I immediately got into my sweatpants and running shoes and grabbed my iPod. To make the long story short, I walked from my home to Ortigas and briskly walked around the entire center. I prayed, walked and listened to beautiful songs written for the Lord.

I have no idea how big the Ortigas Center is but I easily accomplished my daily target of 10,000 aerobic steps! Not only that, my sluggish self was invigorated!

I am grateful for this wonderful discovery. I now plan to do a prayer walk/run at once a week!