Do you walk? This includes stepping in place, treadmills, etc. I credit walking with one of the reasons I am alive today. I do at least 100 high steps with hip swings after my morning Tai Chi or more correctly my version known as Fae She. I also try to get 3 to 5 miles of rural walking since I live on the outskirts of town. Walking along the hayfield is my favorite. Lots of quiet. It was refreshing this morning. We had our first frost and it was heavy. It was 10 AM before I could get out and then I had to layer up. I did 3 miles and never removed a layer.
Yes, I walk at least 2 miles a day. I often follow a Leslie Sansone walking video and also use my mini-trampoline. I posted this in my diary thread, but I'll repost here... my Fitbit GPS mapped my 1-mile walk where I never left the 2nd floor of the house.
From the time I was little, I always loved walking. I remember walking at night with my mother, and we would often walk across town and back, with me hurrying along to keep up with her. I used to take my dog out for long walks, usually at night, up until my heart just quit working right, and then I went from walking 4-5 miles at night, to not being able to walk out to the mailbox and back. Now, my balance has also gotten really bad, and I am afraid to walk down the road. Besides, even if I could still walk, it is not a safe neighborhood. I walk back and forth in the house, and I do have a treadmill; but I hate it. I can see out the window when I use the treadmill, but it is just not the same as actually walking somewhere, and so walking back and forth through the house works better for me. We go to the fitness center 3-4 days a week, and I swim and do water exercises for an hour, and that helps me a lot. My feet and legs swell up so bad with the heart failure that I more lurch than walk, so I do not pick up my feet properly and can stumble over the littlest obstacle on the ground. In the water, it does not make any difference if I lose my balance and fall, so I feel much safer walking and doing my leg exercises in the pool. My Apple Watch keeps track of my steps every day, and I usually get around 1-2 miles , sometimes more, sometimes less.
After wife died, I spent a lot of time in recliner yeah I was sad and didn’t feel like getting up but gradually i felt something in my backside. OMG. It’s a bed sore. I recognized it as a danger because my wife was always fgetting them and I’d gave to put a cram on them. The vusiting nurse said they were developing because of inactivity. In my wife’s case inactivity was caused by pain from other issues. Long story short i got off my ass and walked more in house and gnow have restarted walking iutside.
I used to walk a lot, but after my fall, I have not been able to do much walking. I do use a treadmill in the winter when I can't get out for walking and don't mind it at all, but even that only goes for a mile or so every day. My wife retired and will now be home all winter, so I don't know how that will all work out.
It's been a couple of years since I've taken the time to go on any major walks, although I'd like to. I have been busy, and it seems like I barely have time to keep up with things. Saying this, I recognize that I could use my time more productively, which might leave some time to actually do things like that. I do make a point of getting up from behind the computer to do work in the backyard, or to walk around the block often, and sometimes to walk to a restaurant for coffee, and I use my standing desk from time to time, although not recently, largely because I moved offices and haven't found a convenient place for it here.
One of the facets of walking for life, is that it not only benefits our body, but it helps our mind and spirit and whole person . When I lived where I could just go out in the woods and walk on the trails with my dog, or even just walking down the road at night, my body walked, and my mind was just freed to wander as it pleased, too. Things that had been troubling me, I had time to dwell on them without trying, and often , answers would come as my mind worked things out on its own. My short walks back and forth in the house don’t really allow this , but when I am out working in the yard and garden , it is always refreshing. When I had my horses, going riding in the hills was even better.
Keep walking Don however you can get it in. I use to snowshoe and cross-country ski for miles when I lived in the mountains. The workout you can get from snowshoeing for 1 mile is probably equivalent to 10 walking miles or so it seemed. I can imagine after your fall, your snowshoes have been handed down or they are decorating the wall. Maybe with your wife retired and at home, you could take up dancing to old Johnny Horton tunes like North to Alaska. That might work for a two-step.
That walk around the block can be a lifesaver. Walking to coffee is certainly a healthier choice than driving. Even sitting at a desk one can do leg lifts that can make a difference. Some office folks use those under-desk peddle machines.
Exactly! I never say I will sleep on it because chances are I won't sleep at all, but I say I will walk on it and I walk till I have some resolution or just realize it really didn't matter. Because of my vision and hearing, I do nearly all rural walking. It is also quieter and I meet several ladies walking dogs and horses coming over to the fence for their morning neck and muzzle rub. The only conflict is a couple of brat goats that come over and bleat at me. I have made it clear to them that I do not like their tone. So far over the years only one live rattlesnake encounter on hayfield road. A few bull snakes and while I don't appreciate their ugly presence, I don't jump near as far as I do sighting a venomous viper. I saw one rattler this year but it had been shot by the rancher's wife. She declared war on them this year after her dog was bitten. He was ok since he had his protective shot. Her frequent gunfire also helped clear the nearby hobo camp.
If I lived in an urban area, I probably wouldn't do any public walking either. It is even scary here in certain areas. I have had many scares on crosswalks and also encounters with some strange characters. Several pedestrian hit and run annually. The ladies here that walk in certain places always are talking on their phones and are usually walking sizable dogs and usually at least 2 in the group.
Oh, I'm not afraid to walk in this area; I just don't care for the heat, mosquitoes and humidity. A walk in 95 degree heat with 95% humidity is far from "refreshing." Our neighborhood has sidewalks and a very nice park about 1/2 mile from here with a walking trail. I used to walk that route but now I just prefer to stay inside.
The showshoes and cross-country skis are still in the shed, although I haven't worn either since my accident. I was thinking about it last year when the snow was so deep, but decided I didn't want to risk it alone. Chances of falling and not being able to get up again were to great.
I used to walk quite a bit and still do my fair share, however after I slipped on gum nuts and fractured my leg and ankle ( spiral fracture ) in March 2021 I don’t have the same confidence I once had while walking outdoors on uneven surfaces and I don’t think at my age I’ll ever regain that same confidence I once had prior to slipping on those marble like gum nuts , I’d walked through them on footpaths dozens of times before that day and never slipped, so now days I take notice if where I’m stepping and at times it’s far safer to walk on the road in preference to the poorly maintained footpaths @Don Alaska
I'm 83 soon to be 84 and I've restarted walkingwhenbed sores showed up..started just walking the driveway to street have progressed some ...It get's a little longer each day...I've fallen several times before i restarted regular walking.