Doing What's Best For Us?

Yes, I've been MIA - but I have been in A (action).  Holidays are difficult when you work, have a house, have an adult kid (student) still living at home and making messes like a kid does, have a 90 year old mom who needs help with many things, is a rotten housekeeper (me, not mom), and tries to walk every day.  Who has time for holidays, I ask you??

Well, we have time for what's important to us!  And, since walking is important to me, I do it.

This brings me to a recent article I read on this very subject.  If we KNOW something is good for us, that it will bring only good things - healthy things - why do we NOT do it?  The subject of the article was exercise.  Years of data has clearly demonstrated that regular exercise - defined by those experts as 150 minutes of exercise each week - yet less than 15 % of the population below age 60 and only 2 % of those above age 60 do this simple activity that gives them only positive benefits.

So, why do we NOT walk?  Too busy?  Don't enjoy it?  It hurts?  It messes up my hair?  It costs too much money?  It's just not for me?

Question marks after each of those is for a reason.  Not one of those reasons is a GOOD reason for not doing something for only about 20 minutes a day when we know it will benefit us.  Heck, it takes me that long to brush my teeth and take a shower every day.  Would I find a 'good' reason not to do that?

If you are a slacker - and yes, that means YOU if you're not doing your 20 minutes a day - then you really need to come up with better reasons.  Like, I broke my leg.  I have a terminal illness that is gonna get me next week.  My husband/wife/kids won't let me.  I hate exercise.  I hate myself.

Yep!  You'd have to hate yourself...... well, not really.  You just have to not place yourself high enough in your list of important people and things.  And, I'm totally not buying the messy hair excuse.  The only expense is some good shoes - that means comfortable, not necessarily $150 high tech gear.  Don't enjoy it?  Tough!  Do it for a few weeks and you'll begin to enjoy it.

And, what about it hurts?  This is the main reason (other than the lame I don't have time) for people, especially those over 40 years of age.  What have I told you about this?  Go back and read some of my previous articles darnit.  It hurts ANYWAY!!  Yes, it hurts if you walk or if you don't walk.

So, take some Tylenol (or your painkiller of choice) 30-60 minutes before your walk.  It will hurt less and you'll get a better walk - longer and likely a bit faster. 

The real question here (or maybe just for me since I'm a bit competitive) is - which percentage do you want to be a part of - the 85% who don't take care of themselves with exercise (if you're a youngster) or the 98% - NINETY EIGHT PERCENT - of those over age 60 who refuse to take care of themselves??  I'm a part of the 2% and I intend to stay there for as long as I have two legs and remain upright.

What about you.  Post your reasons here for NOT walking if you dare.  I double dog dare 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.

'Run Girl'

The actual title of the October 30, 2012 New York Times article is "Road's Hard, but the Music Says, 'Run Girl'"  Now, we are not here to read about running - but the article is pretty cool and, I think, will speak to many of us.  The author hates to run.  Hates it!  But, if she has music in her ears, she can do it.

Do you think she's read my blog about adding bouncy music to your routine?  If not, maybe she should.  I feel her pain - she's had surgery on knees and feet and is now limited to running on a track due to knee damage.  I've had two knee replacements and I do not long for more!  But, I must walk - just as Jan Hoffman, the author of the article, feels compelled to run.

The article is a good read.  Her background is in music.  She has been a DJ and after college she began writing reviews of the radio industry.  I have no background in music except that I really enjoy having music in the background and find that it can motivate me to walk farther and faster.

In case you missed them, you can read my previous article on this subject here and here.  I'd love to hear other music suggestions now that I've finally figured out how to upload music to my Ipod on my own!




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

Exercise May Protect Brain's Size

That's  what an article in the October 30, 2012 issue of the New York Times says.  I believe I've written about this before.  As we know, there is no downside to walking (or other low or no impact exercise).  But, there may be some unforeseen benefits of it.

This article states that remaining physically active as we age may help parts of the brain from shrinking.  Shrinking of brain tissue is a normal part of aging - but it leads to negative changes that we have come to think of as 'normal' in old people - declining memory and dementia come to mind.

No one really aims to be demented, right?  But, now we have serious evidence that we can aim away from those age-related conditions by simply including walking in our daily routine.  Simple, really.  Takes no more than 20-30 minutes a day unless you want to walk more.  Walking is an activity that we already do anyway.  Now, we just need to speed it up a bit and increase the duration of our walks.

If you are a new reader, please go back to some of my earliest posts to find out how you can make walking work for you as an exercise.  Simple, easy, normal.  Not mystical!

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

Walk TV

Here is a new option that might interest some readers and walkers.  I have not tried this new program of Leslie Sansone's, but I'm a huge fan of her walking DVD's and even VHS tapes.  This is a new system that will remove the need for purchasing discs.  You can get the walking programs delivered directly (as in streamed) to your computer, TV, or PDA.

So, if you're interested, here's the link to get more details.  I'd love to hear from any readers that sign up for this program.  Your feedback would be valuable to the rest of us.  So, please share!



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

Moving - Maybe Another Idea

Some of my readers have shared with me that they suffer from Fibromyalgia, a poorly understood but painful disorder of the muscles and tendons.  Walking is very good for sufferers of this condition - and others.  In fact, there is almost no medical disorder that will not be bettered by some form of low or no impact exercise.  Walking is perfect for that.

But, there are other, shall we say complementary, activities that might help.  I am a fan of accupuncture.  It has helped alleviate pain for me on several different occasions - on occasions when traditional Western medicine had no solutions for me that did not include heavy duty pain killers (and even those didn't help all the time).  Most of us like to avoid medicine when we can, right?

I read this article that appeared in the October 4, 2012 issue of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  The title captured my attention immediately, "New Health Movement Targets Self-Awareness".  Right up my alley, you might say.  The article featured a discussion of the Feldenkrais Method.  Have you ever heard of it?  Neither I nor my physician husband had heard of it.  So, after reading the article, I did a bit more research.  There are 1,300 practitioners in the U.S. who have been trained (about 800 hours of training over 3-4 years) in the techniques championed by its founder, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais who died in 1984.  It is practiced as part of traditional medicine by physiotherapists in parts of Europe.  Many of the people who seek this treatment suffer from chronic pain conditions as well as neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis and Cerebral Palsy.

In a nutshell - a gross oversimplification - the Movement at its core seeks to teach a person to be more aware of the way his/her body moves and in so doing learn ways to minimize pain and maximize efficiency of movement.

Fortunately for me, there is a free seminar being offered nearby.  Once I've attended that and learned more about the Movement from a certified practitioner, I'll write more about it.  I have high hopes that I can learn more ways to alleviate the pain of Fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, both of which I suffer from.  Stay tuned!



*************************** 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 Science

Once again, science has confirmed my take on exercise!  I bet you had no idea that I was so smart, did you?  Well, science is finally catching up to my remarkable intellect and wealth of knowledge.

Here's the scoop.  People who participate in moderate exercise, defined as about 30 minutes a day of walking, do better overall than two other groups - those who do no exercise and those who exercise aggressively for about 60 minutes a day (at the gym).

Actually, I added 'at the gym' cuz I hate going there.

But, you see how this pans out.  Those of us who are walking about 30 minutes a day are leading the pack in health, feeling of wellness, weight loss, and maintenance of good habits.  Why?  Well, here's what they think.  We know why the group who did no exercise didn't lose weight or feel better.  That's a no-brainer.

The other group, those that worked hard at working out, did not gain as much benefit from their extra 30 minutes of working out each day as the moderate group did.  The moderate group ate no more food either before or after their workouts, were more faithful to their exercise regimen, and had some 'spill over' effect in that they felt more energetic and were more likely to add in things like taking the stairs rather than the elevator.  The 60 minute group ate more, expressed less energy and more tiredness, and had not spill over into their daily lives.

Yes.  We win again!  We start slow, build up to 20-30 minutes a day of walking (maybe more if we have the time and want to but we aren't necessarily 'aggressive' in our exercising), and continue to walk, making it part of our daily lives.  Further, we become more aware of our physical abilities so we do things like taking the stairs, stacking wood (Hi, Patty!), parking at the farthest spot from the door.  We don't need to diet because we are feeling pretty good about who we are because we are using our body to do what it was designed to do - walk!

Let me be the last person who diminishes anyone's idea of exercise - but if I have to get into a leotard or wear rosin coated gloves or look at my form in a mirror, I'm not gonna do 'it', whatever 'it' is.  Good for those who do - but it's not me.  And, those activities don't make me feel better and they leave my muscles hurting and they wind up with a frustrated me.  So, I'll just walk my way to feeling better.  Once again, the science of it, as published in the New York Times, confirms my take on exercise.  Hope you feel the same!




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

What Will Make It Better?

The past 48 hours, I've been horizontal far more than I've been vertical.  I guess it's a virus.  Whatever it is, it has hit me pretty hard, starting at 2:30 AM Thursday morning.  I will spare you the details, although you don't need much of an imagination to figure out how sick you get at 2:30 AM.

Anyway, I was able to stay home from work (thanks, Janice!!) and baby myself a bit.  I guess that's what I did because I've pretty much slept since 7 AM Thursday.  I've had bad dreams, missed my beloved Thursday night dance class, and ignored the dog so much she's found her tail once again to chase for her exercise!

This afternoon, I got a text from my friend Kris, wanting to know if we were walking this evening.  Her text was earlier than usual in the day, but I was pretty much out of it.  I texted back that I was sick, so no walking.  Then, I slept again.  When I awoke about a half hour later and let out the aforementioned mutt, I saw what a beautiful day it was.

Hmmmm.  Maybe I could walk.  So, I called Kris to ask if she was going to get home early - and if so, I'd try to walk a bit.  She cheerfully agreed, stating that work was giving her fits and she'd leave early anyway.  So, we agreed to meet at the park - and we did.

Now, here's what was really going on in my head.  IF I DON'T WALK TODAY, I'LL HAVE LEG CRAMPS AND BE UNABLE TO SLEEP TONIGHT.  Yep!  Not only is it all about me, but it's all about being able to get a good night's sleep.

In my life, there is almost nothing that is not improved by taking a walk.  I felt good that I lasted six laps at the park which is about two miles.  That should be enough to prevent the leg cramps, and it certainly felt good to be outside.

By the time I arrived back home, my husband had returned from an extra busy day at work.  But, he was glad I had gone for a walk.  That means I'm getting better.  See?  Walking makes everything better.  Try it!



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