DAMN SWEET GUM BALLS

I HATE sweet gum balls. I had a beautiful tree full of them growing in my front yard and I had the tree cut down - a healthy tree at that. That was hard for me to do. I love trees (even as I hate raking their ever-falling leaves). I love trees but those balls they drop.

Last week, when I was about as far away from home on a walk in the neighborhood as I can get, in broad daylight, I stepped on one of the darn things and twisted my ankle. I gingerly stepped forward and everything seemed alright. Thought I had gotten lucky. Walked on home - a little over a mile - without difficulty.

The next morning, I discovered I had not been so lucky. The first step out of bed proved extremely painful. What I think is the Medial Collateral Ligament hurts like crazy. This is the same area that hurt for about a year after my knee replacement. At that time, I figured it was because the knee prosthesis had been implanted a bit off the alignment originally given me by nature. I had always toed-in. Now, I toe-out a slight bit. So, it took a year for that ligament to stop protesting. Now, it's protesting like crazy.

I didn't dance Thursday as I usually do. I had walked that morning, so I had my exercise for the day. And, the Cardinals were playing in town, so the traffic flow was especially heavy in the direction I would have been traveling. Instead, I sat and iced my knee.

This afternoon, I walked a bit, but it hurt. So, I headed home. It got worse as I walked the half mile or so home. By the time I arrived home, my knee was squealing! So, more ice. It's calmed down a bit, but the first two to three steps every time I get up are killers.

Will try again tomorrow. But, first, I'll bust out a new pair of shoes. The ones I'm wearing have a bunch of miles on them so I'll see if a new pair offers any relief. Usually, I know when to replace my shoes because an old pair of shoes will result in low back pain for me. Switching to a new pair of shoes eliminates that. Since I know that my New Balance shoes are the right size and style and require no 'breaking in', I should be able to tell if they'll help my knee.

BTW - never buy a pair of shoes that requires 'breaking in'. They are not the right shoes for you if they need to be stretched or loosened. The right shoes will feel right from the very first step.



***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

I LIKE THIS ARTICLE

I just ran across this article.

Good read.

Check it out!

http://optimisticpsychologist.com/walking/



***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

MORE GOOD NEWS!

I read a couple articles recently that reinforce how good walking is for us.

First was a study of exercise, especially walking, in patients with osteoarthritis and obesity. Obesity is defined in different ways by different people, but we all know who we are. We're not talking about those people who continue to struggle to lose that 'last 5 pounds'. Typically, an obese person is defined as anyone who is 20 or more pounds above his/her ideal weight. That's most of us, especially if we suffer from osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the 'wear and tear' variety without the positive Rheumatoid Factor. We're fortunate to not suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis. Wear and tear arthritis is what most people over the age of 40 suffer from. For those people, men and women, moderate exercise actually lessens joint pain!

Have you been reading my blog for a while? If you have, you already know my stance on this. Yep! It hasn't changed. Walking will make you feel better - in every case, all the time, no matter what your diagnosis is. Now, we have more scientific proof that this is true. So there! Keep walking - or START walking if you haven't been. Start slow, go steady, increase as you can.

The second article discussed the role of exercise in increasing wellness. Duh! Read the above paragraphs and get moving!

No, really. This is not to dismiss those with serious medical conditions, people in wheelchairs, those so debilitated by physical or mental conditions that they are unable to walk. Those people will improve their physical and mental wellbeing by other forms of physical exercise - chair aerobics, swimming, passive physical therapy, or other activities prescribed by their medical professionals.

For the rest of us, when we're not feeling 100%, when we have a 'blue' day, when we know what we have and that it's not likely to improve over time (like arthritis, for instance), walking and other forms of non- or low-impact exercise will improve things. Every time, all the time, in every case. Check my guarantee below. Remember, it's gonna hurt anyway, right? So, ignore the immediate pain (or take Tylenol or whatever pain meds are prescribed for you) and get your walk on!




Case in point: I've been suffering from migrating facial pain. Sinuses? Dental infection? Migraine? I've had the teeth checked out. No infection, cavities, or other dental issues. That leaves sinuses and migraines - unless we want to think about scarier things. Since I've suffered from migraines since age 9, it's the opinion of two physicians and one dentist that this is likely a migraine variant. There are medications for this sort of thing - and I've taken them in the past for more debilitating episodes. I'd like to avoid that now.

Yesterday, it occurred to me that I hadn't had my usual amount of liquids at work. My face hurt. So, when I got home from work, I chugged 16 ounces of water, put on my walking shoes, and hit the trail. Not a magic bullet - but my pain lessened greatly and I was able to continue with my normal activities without taking migraine meds. Remember - its' gonna hurt anyway. Today, pretty much the same. I'm taking care of myself in the way that works best for me.

I'll see how long this condition continues and how I tolerate the pain. So far, I'm treating myself with Tylenol, water, and walking and getting by.

Note: A headache is the FIRST sign of dehydration. While I'm not a physician and can't (and won't) offer medical advice, I strongly suggest that, if you have a headache, increase your fluid intake (with water or another uncaffeinated beverage) before you reach for another treatment.




***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

KATHY'S GOOD IDEA

Check this out! My friend and walking buddy, Kathy, has written a nice article about a recent walk she took. An idea I probably wouldn't have come up with.

http://kathys-second-half.blogspot.com/2011/09/mall-walking-with-twist.html



***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

LONG VIEW FARM

I've decided that Long Meadow Farm is my new favorite place to walk. It takes me just under an hour to walk the exterior trail (sidewalk along the streets that border the park) and the interior trail (a beautiful paved trail through beautiful trees that funnel to a lovely pool).

This former estate was gifted to the area for use as a park. On the property is the original house which is now a museum (I haven't been inside), a play ground, a couple tennis courts, and a barn that houses up to 5 horses I believe. The horse paddock is still there and a stand for mounting the horses that can be used by special needs kids.

Last week when the crisp, clear, sunny Fall day drew me outside, I put Lizzie on her leash, jumped in the car and drove the 15 minutes to Long Meadow Farm. When I was first there, my husband was with me and he didn't want to walk the outer trail. I wondered how long it was and how long it would take me. So, off I went.

There were several other walkers and joggers about, other dogs on leashes, and quite a few kids in the playground. Still, the small parking lot was not full. Few people have discovered this fairly new park. Lizzie and I walked the exterior, 90% of which is street-side sidewalk back to the parking lot, then trudged over to the head of the interior trail. I was really looking forward to seeing the small pond again. The sound of running water (so long as it's not in my house!) is music to my ears.

This is almost a perfect spot to walk. It's not too far from home. It's shady on the hottest of days. It is not overrun with people (altho' that may well change), it's free, and it's beautiful.

I'll be walking there again soon. Find a place you love to walk and use it to motivate you on a day when you'd just as soon stay glued to the sofa. I promise you'll feel better!




***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.

CHECK THIS OUT!

For some higher-tech walking information, you might want to check out this walking site that originates in New Zealand. New Zealand is a country of walkers. There are actually rural paths that are what we in the U.S. would call Public Access that cross private property. I believe in most countries of the U.K, this is the case. Their concept of private property is a bit different than ours. Their notion is that fields, whether agricultural or dormant, will not be harmed by having people walk across them.

I know people here who are passionately opposed to anyone walking on their front lawn! I have never understood that. I like my privacy as well as the next American, but if lawns are not for walking on and are just for appearance, someone has his/her priorities mixed up. Further, my privacy is seldom affected by the neighbor kid playing a game of tag that includes my front lawn. Now, if you've seen my front lawn, you know it's not a high priority in my life. LOL. It's pretty but it's not manicured nor will it ever be. If the stuff growing there is green, I'm happy even if it's Lamb's Quarters instead of fescue.

But, back to the site I mentioned above. There is a lot of good information there. I hope that you'll have already read most of it here over the articles I've written in the past. If you are new to this blog, please go back and read the first year's articles in order. I do have a point to make. I try to make it in every article I write. You may feel like I'm a record stuck on the same track! That's okay. My goal here is to keep you walking, to garner interest in walking and other easy and accessible physical activities, and to hear inspirational stories from my readers. And, I do. I'm so happy when people email me to let me know of a small or large success. How cool is that!?!

So, check out the other website. And, keep moving.



***************************Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude. You can trust the information you find here. It's from a dedicated walker. Trust me and your life will get better! I promise.