More On Feeling Better

My last article focused on ways to motivate and reward yourself for walking - even if you have pain.  And, I mentioned some ways to perhaps alleviate some of that pain.

Let me write a bit more about pain.  Joint pain is painful.  Corns and calluses, blisters and bunions all hurt and can persuade us to remain on the sofa rather than exercise.  Fatigue is a constant problem for some and an occasional problem for everyone.  Age, weight, and other medical conditions can prevent us from walking pain free.

Yep.  All that is true.  For some, pain is just a constant part of life and there's not getting around it.  If you are able to use pain relievers, you'll get a better workout and have less pain on the other side too.

Despite all of that, walking will eventually lessen pain.  But, that might not happen for a while.  And, how does that happen anyway?  I've written before about the changes in brain chemistry that occur with exercise.  The more you exercise (within reason), the better you'll feel because more positive changes in brain chemistry have occurred.  It can, yes it can, become addictive.  Don't worry about that.  That potential is a long way off.

Before that, before you even get to a mindset where you will incorporate walking as exercise into your daily or weekly routine, you'll feel better because of the exercise.  Even if the walking itself is painful, you'll feel better.  Some of this you just have to take on faith and try it.  What would be my motive for lying about this?  I make no money from this blog or from any of the other exercises I do!  I am strongly motivated to help others understand what I have come to understand in my own life.  Exercise is liberating, harmony inducing, positive.  No downside there!

If you have pain, try to walk on anyway.  Don't attempt a mile or a marathon.  Start out slow and build up in small increments til you attain your goals - a healthier life and a more positive attitude.  Life will improve and so will you!






*************************** 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.

Why Don't I Feel Better?

I keep telling you that if you walk regularly, you'll feel better.  What if that doesn't happen?

Well, it might not happen right away.  It may take a while.  You may well feel a sense of accomplishment if you get off the sofa and walk those 80 minutes a week that I've encouraged you to do, but you might have some pain (even a temporary increase in pain) or maybe feel no other positive effect.

IT WILL COME!  This I promise.  See my 100% Guarantee at the bottom of each of my posts.  I don't promise that you will feel instant results.  I don't promise that you'll be instantly free of pain.  I don't promise that it will be easy.

I do promise that from day one - after you've walked even 5 minutes and you mark that on your calendar as I've encouraged you to do - you'll feel better about yourself even if you ache a bit.

So, lets review the basics.
*Start slow.  Take a pain reliever about an hour before your walk if you have pain, anticipate pain, and have analgesics (pain relievers) available to you.  Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Aspirin, and prescription pain relievers are suggested if you need them.  Just ask your doctor, explaining why you'd like a little medicinal help to get this new program going.

*Track your progress by marking each walk on your calendar.  Decide what reward you'll give yourself when you meet your first goal (keep reading...).

*Reward yourself with each milestone:
****The first week you walk 4 out of 7 days (no matter how many or few minutes)
*****The first month you walk 4 of 7 days each week (no matter how many or few minutes)
****The very first time you walk two days back to back (don't count minutes yet)
*****Start counting minutes now.  The first week you increase the length of your walk by one minute each time you walk.
****The first week you walk 10 minutes each time..
*****The first week you walk 15 minutes each time.
****The first week you increase you walk to 20 minutes each time.

After that, the walk itself will be your reward!  Trust me on this!  Your rewards can be anything except sweets.  Increase your rewards as you increase your walks.  Be very sure to give yourself those rewards!  You are worth it - and everyone around you will come to see that - and to see the benefits of your walks.

Here are some suggested rewards:
*a cute pair of socks
*a bag of your favorite nuts
*a manicure
*and a pedicure
*$5 to spend however your like
*Put a dime in a piggy bank for every minute you walk.  Boy, does it add up quick!  Before long, you'll have enough money to buy yourself that new bag or blouse you've had your eye on.

Ok, so you get the idea.  Once you've incorporated walking into your routine, you'll come to look forward to those walks.  And, if you have a motivational buddy, you'll find yourself seeing the walks themselves as part of your social life and rewarding.

I really miss it when I don't walk.  My 89 year old mother feels guilty on the occasional day she doesn't walk.  Here's the only downside to her walking lifestyle:  she's outliving everyone in the retirement apartment complex where she lives - and she's outliving them in good health and with no pain!  If that doesn't show you the value of walking, I don't know what will!



*************************** 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.

Put On Your Dancing Shoes!

 I didn't walk today - but, boy did I dance!  I went at it almost the full two hours.  I so enjoy the dances.  The teacher is very good, breaking down each new dance into the basics of groups of steps, so that we can all learn it.  Sometimes, it takes a while for the brain to communicate with the feet!  The group I dance with on Tuesday nights is all ages, mostly women, and predominately African-American.  They are a friendly bunch and everyone seems to have a great time.

Tonight, as I was taking off my dance shoes to head for home, they called out a dance I love, so I laced the shoes back up and off I danced.  I was actually able to help a few people with the particular 'slide' as I have it well memorized.  After that, when I got my shoes and socks off, ready to put my feet into my Birkenstocks, they announced one of my favorites - and one that has proved difficult for a lot of the dancers.  So, I danced it barefoot, calling off the steps to assist the people around me.  This one is called 'Heritage' and is a very fast paced song with a very primal drum beat.  There's a reason those drum rhythms have survived for millenia.  They speak to all of us -and for me, make it almost impossible NOT to get up and dance.

After that one, it was 110 minutes into the 120 minutes of dance.  I was exhausted - in a good way.  Dripping with sweat, my soles hurting from rug burn from that barefoot dance, and in dire need of ice water - but happy.  It's just impossible to spend that much time dancing and be in a crabby mood.  Everything is better if we dance!  Try it for yourself.


*************************** 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.

Gravity Sucks and So Does Asthma

 As we get older, no matter how hard we try, we suffer the outrageous slings and arrows of gravity - wrinkles, sagging skin, spider veins.  No way around most of this - unless you've chosen your parents a lot better than I chose mine.  In addition to all the above, I got the very early white hair gene.  I fought it with hair dye for many years, but some time back, decided I was old enough for white hair.  This is a good thought since I have a full head of white hair!

Asthma also sucks!  Don't know which parent bequeathed this gene to me.  However, my husband and all three kids suffer from asthma.  I think St. Louis is the Asthma Capitol of the universe as some 70-80% of all children suffer from it.  Some outgrow it.  Some (my kids) don't.

Walking definitely helps with the asthma.  As with most physical ailments, the body uses all the exercise and good air exchange which occur during aerobic activities like walking to good advantage.

Does walking help with the other sucking reality, gravity?  I have very fair skin and light eyes - a preordained canvas for the images of aging - first sunburns then sagging skin and wrinkles.  No one knew 50 years ago just how bad those sunburns could be for us.  I've already had one skin cancer removed from my face.  The wrinkles, I fear, are there to stay - and undoubtedly worsen.

We need Vitamin D and the easiest way to get it is from the sun.  Sun rays cause our bodies to manufacture their own supply of Vitamin D.  Sunscreen blocks the sun's rays (well, it's supposed to if properly used and frequently reapplied).  My compromise is to use a very high SPF sunscreen on my skin and take my chances with the rest of my exposed skin.

Sunscreen or not, Vitamin D or not, wrinkles, skin cancers, and sunburns aside - I'm still gonna walk.  I'm not stupid about it, but I will walk as long as my legs work.  The benefits far outweigh the disadvantages to me.  And, after all, it just feels good to be out in the sun even if the pollen count is sky high and it triggers my asthma.

And, it's way cheaper than psychotherapy!


*************************** 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.

Shoes and Socks

New Balance Shoes are my favorites for walking.  Other than that, I wear Birkenstocks.  With very few exceptions, these two brands are the only shoes that touch my feet.  Why?  Comfort, support, foot health, endurance.  I spend a lot of money on shoes.  My feet walk many, many miles each week.  I stopped wearing a pedometer because even on my less busy days, I always exceed 6,000 steps.  No need to continue to monitor my steps when I know that my typical day exceeds 10,000 steps.  All of those steps occur on ONLY my feet.  Same for you!  My father was in the shoe business, so I learned early the value of good shoes.  Of course, not everyone can afford a hundred dollar pair of walking shoes.  That is not necessary.  The main thing is to wear a pair of shoes that is comfortable for you, causes no rubbing, blisters, corns, or calluses.  Well, good luck with that!  I already have the calluses and a couple of corns that I baby.

Next to the shoes is a good pair of properly fitting socks.  People seldom think about socks.  They buy them in the 12 packs for utility or buy fancier ones to match a holiday.  Not me.  I have a sock fetish!  I have close to 100 pairs of socks!  No kidding.  My favored walking sock is a seamless Gold Toe. Since I have a fairly narrow (but long) foot (size 10), I often need to pad my feet with those good Gold Toe crew socks so the New Balance shoes fit just right.  Lately, I have discovered that the NB shoes are not as high as they used to be and I need thinner socks.  So, off I went to buy six pairs that allow the shoe to fit perfectly.  Those are Gold Toes too!

The standard of knowledge used to be that good socks needed to be 100% cotton or wool.  We now know that there are some synthetics which actually do a better job of wicking away moisture, allowing the foot to breathe more, diminishing the risk of fungal infections and smelly feet.  I'm fortunate to not have 'sweaty' feet so any good cotton or wool sock will work for me.  But, Gold Toes fit the best and wear like steel.  I still have the six pairs of Gold Toe crew socks that I purchased almost 30 years ago to wear for racquetball.  They are the ones that have the insides that look like terry cloth.  I've retired these socks recently since they are a bit 'beat down'.  My husband now wears them.  Not a hole in one of those socks - and they were worn at least one day a week for about 20 years!

I've had good luck finding some fantastic socks, especially wool socks, at thrift stores.  I'd much rather pay 25 cents for a pair of socks than $25 dollars - and I've got several pairs that cost at least that much new.  Great finds for me.  Wool socks are especially nice for walking out side in the winter.  You all know that I do that!  And, I wear wool socks with my Birkenstock felt clogs and inside one pair of my Birkenstock sandals - year round.

What are your favorite shoes and socks?  Where do you buy them?  I sincerely wish that Etonic still sold their Trans Walking shoes.  They were wonderful.  My orthopedist approved those or the New Balance Shoes.  He's done well by me so far (two knee replacements and a variety of lesser joint issues), so I'm willing to take his word for it and pay the price for the best shoes I can afford.

Goldtoe 6-Pk. Low-Cut Sport Socks


New Balance 606 Walking Shoes
*************************** 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.

Why Don't They Get It?

I see about 15 patients a day in my husband's office.  I speak on the phone to lots more than that.  Many of their health problems - no, most of them - are related to lack of physical conditioning and a poor diet.  I'm not dismissing their legitimate physical ailments.  Things like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease, M.S., Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, etc are all potentially debilitating diseases.  They hurt, cost a lot of money and time to treat, and can dispirit those who suffer from only one of those diagnoses.  I'm happy to be free of these diseases.

That said, there is not a single one of those physical ailments that cannot be improved, at least in part, by regular exercise.  Really!  Walking, water aerobics, biking (on the street or stationary), ellipticals, and more are all great low impact exercise techniques that are not very expensive and can be done to a greater or lesser degree by most people.

Almost every day, I speak to at least one patient about walking.  Often, my husband will call me away from my desk and regular duties to speak to a patient about walking or water aerobics.  His mantra has become mine - and you've read it here before.  It hurts whether you do it or not, so go do it!  If you have joint pain, you have joint pain.  No one can argue with that.  But, walking can make it better!

Almost every day, I speak to at least one patient about walking in front of a television.  Since a 60 minute show is now down to about 38 minutes of content and 26 minutes of commercials, if one walks in place ONLY during commercials, the daily goal of a 20 minute walk is easily met!

No need for special shoes.  No need to sweat.  No need to risk bad weather or spend the gas to go to the mall.  No excuses!

It's so simple.  Why don't they get it?  It's not rocket science - but it is good science!  Give yourself a boost and walk that 20 or so minutes 4 days a week - JUST FOUR DAYS.  That's a grand total of 80 minutes a week.  Doing just that little bit will improve heart health, increase your healthy life span, and make you 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.

Why It's Called Walk And Talk

If you've ever wondered how I came up with the name for this blog, I'll tell you.  Think I wrote about it once upon a time - but it bears repeating.  One of the best ways to get and remain motivated to walk - or do most anything that requires a change in behavior - is to have a buddy.  For me, having someone to talk with while I walk has been key to my consistency.  Other things help - like having a dog who yearns for her daily walk - but having a buddy to talk with while walking is wonderful.

I met Kris about a year ago.  It was one of those things where we hit it off instantly.  You know?  We are fortunate when that happens.  Pretty quickly, I discovered that she was a biker but was interested in walking too.  She suffers from a chronic illness, but does not let it rule her life.  She lives near me and is also an empty-nester.  She works full time (and then some) while I work less than full time but also have my mom's needs to tend to.

Kris and I started walking together once a week. Due to the way we interact and that we are both flexible in our walking availability, we have progressed to a typical pattern of walking together three days a week.  I had lost my regular Sunday morning walking partner, so Kris has stepped in there.  We also try to walk on Friday and Monday evenings after work.  Because Spring and Summer offer us so many more daytime hours, we are more motivated to walk.  Otherwise we must go to the mall or the hardware store or wherever to be safe and not turn into frozen winter Popsicles.

Last week, I had a long difficult week at work, working more than full time, and by Friday I was just tired.  I texted Kris to tell her that I wouldn't walk unless someone held a gun to my head.  Her response was words to the effect that she was loading her gun!  I got a laugh out of that - and some motivation.  It was clear that I'd be letting her down if I didn't walk with her.  There are two of us in this 'game'.  That's extremely motivational.

While not everyone has neighbors or has a friend available to walk with them, I had the plan that we'd be able to connect via cell phone while we walked - the the 'e' part of walk and talk buddies.  That hasn't really worked out - but I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from readers of the blog that I consider it a success.  I've gotten a few people off the sofa and into a regular routine of walking.  No one has told me this was a bad idea!  Even those who haven't been motivated to walk have sent some kind emails.  This motivates me probably even more than I've motivated anyone else.  So, thanks - and get 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.