Over the winter some time, my chiropractor told me, “if you don’t keep moving, you’ll end up in a wheel chair.” This bold statement spoken after looking at the arthritis on my spine. How did I handle said news? With an 8 week sabbatical from walking. Perhaps I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Let me tell you what happened after 8 weeks of not walking. (mind you, there were a few spurts of gym activity, so all was not a total loss) I gained 10 pounds and my back pain returned. When I first started walking, I could only go a few yards and my lower back would start screaming. I kept working at it and working at it until I could go some distance without pain. I always knew when I was breaking a speed record because my lower back would start hurting. I forgot. I forgot what it felt like to stand motionless on the side of the road because one twitch would send lightening bolts of pain across my back. I forgot that countless hours were spent making improvements and great strides in my physical condition. Sort of like how people ‘forget’ about 911, and soon the Boston marathon bombings. The gung-ho patriotism will fade much like my memory of the pain experienced those first months of walking.
A do-over. That is what I’m proposing to myself. I’m using a new app to track my walking. I’m digging it too – RunKeeper is a decent app. Today I went over 3.5 miles and I think I’d like to step up my game and go from my usual 3 miles to perhaps 4 miles every morning. It’ll take an hour. I’ve got the time. Today’s pain level was perhaps a 4 on a 1 to 10 scale – 10 being the worse. I paused once to stretch after the second mile. Mission number two – get a heart rate monitor. I want the belt kind that you wear close to your heart and the data is integrated into the app and factored into the overall data. I have GOT to get rid of the rest of this weight – and being the mother of the bride in my daughters August nuptials, I really need to look my best.
Good luck with all you do.
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