Jane’s hematology report was ace, except for two things: blood pressure and weight gain. So she’s supposed to walk. I volunteered to join her—I’ve got muscle pain like you wouldn’t believe, with a lot of the symptom-pattern of fibromyalgia. This is not good. They do say walking is good for that. And our neighborhood while excellent does have a few stray-ins from the not-so excellent area a little further on, so two is better. So…we walked. I felt pretty good. I even volunteered to keep walking, and then volunteered for one more really long block. And then I began getting tired, so we shortcutted a wellkept alley and headed back. Well, Jane’s complaining;Â I’m complaining, both of hip-muscle pain.
We get home and the pastor of the church across the street overtook us, just to chat; and I went indoors to collapse, while Jane undertook another tour of progress on the garden; and we gifted the pastor with another 20 lbs of iris roots—they’re raising money to do a house-build in Mexico, a church to church thing. So, well, I was exhausted, went in and collapsed.
An hour later I could hardly get out of my chair and walk. Walk Idid, to the medicine cabinet and the Advil. Those nice trainers we wear—the Reebok Easy-Tones that we use to keep our feet in shape for skating? That cushion your feet so nicely and make walking very soft and fast?
They also give your butt a heckuva workout. We are applying ice, and wondering whether we will be able to get out of bed tomorrow. Ow. Ow. Ow.
When I started walking, under Dr’s orders, I was so out of shape my legs and rear hurt while I was walking and I could only go around the block. As I improved, I would add another block and another one until I could finally walk 2 miles without being winded. My doctor was very pleased with the change in my BP and my loss of weight. I have been walking 2 blocks an evening ever since. I feel much better health wise and about life in general.
Erm – that is- two miles an evening!
Butt cramps! I’m a bit younger, but I get those too. Yoga helps, or just general stretching for the hamstrings. And staying hydrated. Hopefully you two get back to the rink soon.
I need to walk more, as well and for the same reasons. I have horrendous problems with blood pressure (spiking into the 200 range on occasion). I know I should walk. However, I really dislike walking around this neighborhood and the path down to to the river and back, which was my favorite is . . . well, underwater and will be for the rest of the summer and fall.
My real dream is to move within walking distance of my favorite zoo — Henry Doorly in Omaha. I used to go there at least once a month and often more when Russ was doing freelance work in the area. I’d spend six to eight hours wandering around with my camera. I loved it. The first few times were ‘ow, ow, ow’ but after that I didn’t mind at all. If I lived close enough to walk there, I’d be at the zoo — well, not every day, but often.
I just need to have intersting things for pictures when I walk. Otherwise I get annoyed and bored and won’t do it, despite it being what I need. Besides, the weather here has been so horrible, I doubt I’d make it around the block and back. I don’t remember a more humid, miserable summer. Maybe it has to do with all that flood water standing around. And the mosquitos! ACK!
I miss the zoo. Some of my pictures were picked up by newsletters, magazines and were often used in school projects. A few are on the University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity website.
I know that hip pain, though. And I’ll have it again myself if I can just get movitivated enough to walk.
Oh my I hope it isn’t fibro! I’ve had fibro for about 10 years now, along with scoliosis and spina biffida occulta in my back, chronic bursitis in my hip and knees, disc problems in my neck, Reynaud’s, IBS, arthritis, and a mysterious constant pins and needles feeling that they’ve never figured out. Out of all my issues, the fibro is the worst to live with as it is so unpredictable and can absolutely flatten me without warning.
Walking does help, but I must stay on flat and level ground or things flare up in nasty ways. I also have to stay well hydrated, so make sure you are drinking enough water. With fibro, I had to learn (the hard way, of course) to pace myself and listen to my body and stop the block *before* my body decides to let me know it is done for the day. Otherwise the following day is twice as bad and I can barely move. Nor can I think straight – pain does that to you. And overdoing it two days in a row… that’s enough to take me out of the game for the rest of the week.
Here’s wishing you a quick recovery from your walk, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it isn’t fibro.
Thank you, joyfulwriter. If I’ve got it, it’s very minor; sitting still hurts. Reaching hurts, and sometimes my left arm fails me. I have pain in biceps, triceps, and the upper major leg muscles, never in joints, but really nasty pain in those areas.
If it’s of any help, our chiropractor has this nifty device that’s kind of like a jackhammer for muscles: delivers a physical shockwave, and in one treatment (I’d not gone in half a year, trying to economize) I went from very limited motion in the left arm, to moderate normal. I’ll try to get the name of it. I almost envision the shockwave breaking up nasty little mineralizations in the muscles, but probably that’s imagination. At any rate, it leaves less pain than was originally, which is a good hting.
oooh, take it easy to start with!
being a dog person, and living in lovely countryside I do an hour a day – about 3 to 3 1/2 miles. the arthritis in my big toe joints complains, so I have to be careful what I wear on my feet, and try to go off-road whenever possible … but with family tendencies to osteoporosis I believe I am doing the best for my body (and for my dogs – one is 15 and in very good shape). any stiffness I combat with a daily 20 minute yoga routine. I couldn’t do without my daily slog – and nature is wonderful, there’s always something to see. but I am nothing to my assistant, who walks a marathon once a year and happily walks 18 miles on a Sunday with a group.
A dog is definitely a great walking companion. Most will see that you walk regularly and a large dog helps keep “stray-ins from the not-so excellent area” at bay (probably more so than a second human). Of course, I doubt there is any way the Ysabel would tolerate even a cat-friendly dog; so, this is no help for CJ and Jane.
I sympathise on the muscle aches. Ever since I hit my mid-thirties I’ve been prone to that. I’ve built up quite a nice list of stretching exercises now that keeps most of it at bay. It’s rarely painful but it’s annoying when you’ve done nothing the day before to cause it. I think my muscles are just inclined to stay tense and that makes it easier to strain them. On the upside it might be why I find it easy to lose weight. Even now in my mid-forties I have no difficulty in that area. Perhaps my muscles are just always working and burning off the calories.
But walking – oh yes. I do a lot of that. Not long distance hiking but every lunchtime I go for an hour’s wander. Unfortunately in June I went to Scotland and overdid something on the first day. Ever since then I’ve had twinges from the back of my calves. Despite my best attempts at stretching and using an exercise roller it just never quite goes away.
I’ve thought once or twice about Yoga as a way to encourage muscle relaxation but never really got round to it. I like the idea of sharing a room with lots of leotard-clad women but I’m a little too self-concious. One-way glass, perhaps?
🙂
my yoga class is not a leotard one. we wear comfortable cotton stretchy things, depending on size and shape – the only drawback with loose trousers is that they fall down your legs when you are upside down.
Mind you another possible factor at work in my case is the speed. I’m a fast walker and my normal cruising speed is not far off 4mph. Perhaps that’s why my calves are whinging a bit.
I dunno if this link will work but:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=206814025259116425807.0004a5d434b34dd976c24&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=15
That’s one of my lunch time works from my office. It’s rare for anyone to overtake me when I’m walking and one of my pet peeves is having to constantly walk around other people 😀
When I walked regularly it helped my BP about 20 points; I’m a real believer. Back when I first read about your starting to skate I got inspired (“Well, if she can take up ice skating, I can at least get out and WALK), and eventually was pretty much walking everywhere that was a mile and a half or less – pay the utilities, library, grocery store, even Home Depot for small stuff (till they closed that store and moved it 4 miles away, curses!)
But summer weather does put a serious cramp into it. Not walking when it’s 106°, no sir! Of course, it’s only 80° first thing in the morning, but I’m not very good at getting up and going.
I have a rowing machine set up right under the ceiling fan, and a friend with one who encourages me to keep that up. Nice low-impact exercise. But it’s too easy to get bored and get off of it — you never go anywhere, you’re right there in the living room the whole time.
Sounds a bit like me last year. I was only able to work 2 days a week for the 2 months of really bad pain. Not good since I’m not retired yet (weak grin). I ended up having a full rheumatological workup to help figure out what was going on, but none of the tests other than C reactive protein levels were useful. Most were normal. ANA titer was slightly high. C reactive protein was 21 (high normal for that lab is 7). The rheumatologist offered me an anti-malaria drug that can affect vision….I said no-no-no. With a little help from sulindac (my usual helper, naproxen, didn’t touch the pain) and vicodin for the flares that popped up when I could’t eat/take NSAIDS) for the bad bumps, I went on a serious anti-inflammatory diet and now my C reactive protein level is 1.3 and I don’t have much pain at the debilitating level. Although I had some muscle pain, most was joint-related. And now I rarely need any help to sleep or function due to bad days/nights and naproxen works again. I’m not back to pain-free but it’s way better than it was.
What this means is that I typically cannot eat at public places or family get-togethers. I bring my own food. I also identified other potential trigger foods not typically found on elimination diets by having an IgG antibody panel done. I did this via a naturopath since my allopathic doctor doesn’t ‘do’ that kind of stuff. Luckily my health plan covers naturopath visits (up to 3 per year) although I had to pay for the IgG panel out of pocket. And I lost 32 lbs (mostly by eliminating ANYTHING with added sugar).
Another low impact exercise to consider is the exercise bike. I’ve got one in front of the TV and it really motivates me to use it during programs (like the NEWS since I don’t have to follow a plot then). Since I’ve had meniscus work done on both knees, and am minus the lateral meniscus in one leg, low impact is important for me. And I have no excuse NOT to exercise when it’s raining, too cold etc etc (grin).
I’m a ‘dog person’ too and walking the dogs would be something I’d do daily if I lived in a place with road shoulders. Unfortunately, road walking isn’t safe in my neighborhood. But, I have a largish property and run around the dog yard with the dogs doing training stuff, dinking around with the plants, pruning bushes/fruit trees etc. I think the main point is MOTION (grin)!
Jane’s got one [in her room] but it mostly holds clothes and things to put away—the fate of the Bowflex (shed in a move) and our other equipment. I think if I had to choose an exercise it would be the light weights, for tone and stretch—adding a bit of mass to a swivel or weight to a lift. I kind of enjoy the Zen of those.
I got up un-sore, actually, and we took a short walk today, about half or a third the distance. So we’ll alternate that. Jane’s really happy with that idea. She really loves a morning walk. I am at least finding it pleasant.
You find what appeals to you and you can actually DO….and then the important thing is making it habit (grin). I can’t even begin to think of doing Bowflex or hand weights…too much shoulder action. Yeah yeah…gotta get the rotator cuff pain checked out (grump). I did weight training for 2 years awhile back but tend to actually USE equipment that allows me to watch TV at the same time. Whatever works! My ZEN activity tends to be mowing the quarter acre dog yard with a push mower. Basically just walking with a little push action (that my shoulders tolerate). It’s quiet, and the dogs can be out there with me. My goal is no more than one orthopedic surgery per year (wink).
Glad you are feeling better.
That’s the trouble with a desk job. It’s at a desk! Not much exercise that way.
Every so often one of my calves (leg, not livestock) will cramp when I stretch. Very annoying.
I am (still) trying to lose weight, and I think finally gaining (er, losing) on it. But I’ve learned to be careful, because I’m borderline hypoglycemic, and that sometimes sneaks up on me. So I try to do better about meals and what I eat.
DH and I have the exercise bike set up facing the TV. We TiVO a lot of stuff, so one episode of a given taped series (sans commercials) is about 45 minutes, almost perfect for 1 low-impact exercise session. My main problem is getting onto the bike before late at night because of other household duties!
Keep an eye on the wear on shoe soles- even a tiny bit off on my shoe heals throws off my knees and hips. Also – my recent bout of aches turned out to be hip bursitis- I was rotating one leg slightly. Being mindful of that and using a pillow between the legs when I lie on my side in bed straightened that out in a few days.
You’re right on that one. The idea of the Easy-Toners is you’re walking on an inflated pancake of a ball, on ball of foot and on the heel, so you’re walking on rounded surfaces that force your foot to develop the little muscles—even flat feet can begin to develop an arch with these things—but the workout travels up the leg, and you have to watch patellar tracking. They make these nice little bands for the knee, a lot like you wear for tennis elbow, that, properly applied, will keep your knees stable. I wear them occasionally if it seems my knees are back to their old tricks.
Late to the party…..
If you’re looking for walking fun, try geocaching while you walk. Basically, us geocachers hide containers (anywhere from the size of a tiny LED flasher all the way up to a shipping container. No really.) and publish the hide coordinates in GPS on an official website. The challenge is to go find it, and sign the log. Some areas are veritable hotbeds of caching activity!
Some people set their own goals: most number of finds in a day, clear an entire area, go discover all the geocoins, etc. etc. It’s limitless! And it’s hilarious fun. I’ve taken to walking with a hiking staff to help with my crappy balance, poke around in the bushes, and in a couple cases to assist climbing down into a creek.
Sounds like wonderful fun!
oooh, sympathy! I’m glad you weren’t too sore the next day. Getting fit at an older age is a tough job – I’m trying it at 52 …
If it’s any encouragement, at 61 I was starting to need a cane on rough sidewalk. Then I took up figure skating, and the cane gathers dust, while I graduated to spandex and sparkles. It’s a pretty thing, shaped like a dragon, but now it’s ornamental.