WHY DO WE HAVE FEET?

Ever wonder why we humans have feet? It's to walk! Sounds simple. It is. But, simple isn't always easy. If you want to feel better, get rid of minor aches and pains, improve your outlook, brighten up your attitude, you've come to the right blog. You and I will walk it off!

Walking requires very little investment of time or money. A comfy pair of shoes and a few minutes a day - inside or outside - will have get you moving. I wear New Balance shoes - and find them well worth the $125 they cost. They fit well, leave me with no foot pain, and are durable. But, this is not an advertisement for New Balance. This is an advertisement for WALKING!

So, even if you've never walked farther than from your sofa to your refrigerator, but you want to feel better, join me in this ongoing endeavor. We'll take it slow for beginners and beef it up for those who are occasional or regular walkers.

A bit about myself. I'm a Midwest woman who hated the very idea of having to walk every day to feel better. Hated it! I have arthritis and fibromyalgia. I have now had two knee replacements and I'm not old enough for that. About 10 years ago, I lost 65 pounds - by walking. No kidding. I changed a few eating habits - but I don't DO diets. I'm a foodaholic and my husband loves to both cook and feed me! And, I love to eat his cooking, my cooking, your cooking - anybody's cooking! Know what I mean. Since 1998, I've kept 50 of those 65 pounds off. How has this happened? Well, I walk most every day. Lately, I've added linedancing to this. I love to move. I'm now a 'normal' dress size and life is easier. It can be for you too - even if you have no weight to lose or don't want to lose weight, think you can't lose weight, or like your weight just like it is. THIS BLOG IS NOT ABOUT DIETS OR WEIGHT LOSS. It's just about moving - mostly walking.

Our bodies were designed (and we won't be discussing by whom or why) for movement. Our bodies were NOT designed for sitting around watching TV. Really! We are supposed to stand erect. We have two legs and feet to walk with, two arms to swing, a heart to send oxygen to our limbs, and a brain to release those wonderful endorphins when we get moving.

So, briefly, here's my plan. You'll read my blog and be motivated to stand up and move about (walk). If you're a sedentary person, you'll do this only during TV commercials - but you'll do it for 10 minutes a day. You'll walk in front of your TV if it's icy or rainy or too cold out for you. You'll walk to the end of your block, to the next driveway, to the next building, to the next tree or whatever today. If distance is not possible, then you'll start with time. You'll walk for one minute today. Tomorrow or next week, you'll add one more minute, one more commerical, driveway, tree, mailbox, or building. Slowly and steadily, you'll build up time and/or distance.

We'll be taking this one day at a time - one step at a time. If you don't think you can do it - you won't. If you think you can do it but are unsure, give it a try. You have nothing to lose. If you begin walking and work up to 10 minutes a day and then quit, I guarantee you a 100% refund of your sedentary lifestyle, your aches and pains, your mental fog. No kidding.

One disclaimer: If you can, plan to take a couple of Tylenol or Ibuprofen 30-60 minutes before your walk. This bit of relief of pain and inflammation will insure you a more comfortable and ultimately longer walk. Of course, consult with your physician if such over the counter medications pose a problem for you (drug interactions, other pain killers, etc). If you have stronger anti pain meds that you take when you need them, this would be the time to take them if you need them - especially once you work up to 10 or more minutes of activity each day.

My personal goal is to get everyone with feet walking. It's so helpful if you have a buddy to walk with, to chat with, to encourage you. If you don't, then consider us your buddy and post your daily walking experiences here. Did you see a new plant on your walk? Did you learn something new on Oprah today? Do you have a question about 'how to walk'? Have you made progress in your walks - walking farther or longer? PLEASE let us know. We all want to cheer each other on.

I will be launching a sister site to link walkers online so that everyone has a walking buddy if one isn't available to you locally. This will be open to anyone, of any age, of any size and weight, of any color, race, religion, ethnicity, national origin. This will be available to anyone who needs to walk at 11:00 AM or 11:00 PM - inside, outside, at the track, at the gym, in your living room, in your basement, on a treadmill, anywhere at any time. Working the third shift or every weekend is no excuse. Having 2 kids under 2 years of age is no excuse (been there, done that). Working full time is no excuse. Having a long commute is no excuse. Being on your feet all day at work is no excuse. This is not boot camp. No one is going to force you to walk. You're GONNA WANNA WALK with me!

Let's get moving! Why? Because we have feet and want to feel good!