I recently set the goal to walk... and walk and walk and walk. The goal of 2 miles per day really seemed like a far-off accomplishment, but it no longer feels quite as overwhelming. I should clarify, it doesn't feel as overwhelming when split into TWO separate 1 mile walks. 2 miles all at once doesn't even seem too far-fetched... as a FUTURE goal.
Future goal, because I think I nearly died the other night when I walked 1.7 miles with my son. WHAT WAS I THINKING? I told my roommate as we left that I only planned to walk a 1/2 a mile because I was already not feeling real well (I'll go into some of my medical stuff in a minute)... Then we started and I decided we would do our 1 mile route. When we take the 1 mile route, we come up on a playground at the 0.85 mile mark. I know that it is the 0.85 mile point because I made the mistake of asking my DS if we should continue for the rest of our normal route OR if we should go the long way by going back the way we had come. Without hesitation, my DS replied "Let's go the long way so that we can spend more time together!" So we did... and I made it! I was hurting, but I made it.
I have mentioned that I have multiple health conditions related to pain. I have RSD/CRPS predominately in my left hand and arm which has led to compensation injuries to my right arm and both of my shoulders (that will be important later). I arthritis in my back along with compressed disks, degenerative disk disease, and bone spurs. I also have arthritis and nerve pain in my ankles/feet, and a cyst in my left knee. I am likely forgetting something, as if all that wasn't enough, ha! Exercising takes mental preparation and an inner dialogue that this is truly for the best. The more I move, the better I will be able to move. Walking was the logical place to start and my back no longer spasms after spending less than 5 minutes at the sink to wash dishes and my foot/ankle pain has been better each morning... then came the rain.
Anyone with chronic pain knows that rain means an increase in pain and stiffness. Plus, it isn't easy to go for a walk when you are getting 5in of rain and nearby streets are flooding as the lightning flashes. I REALLY wanted to just use the rain as an excuse to NOT get moving. It is SO easy to say "I can't walk today; it's raining." It would be easy until I go to get out of bed or do the dishes. Remember, moving hurts, but it has been lessening my overall pain.
So, we kept it moving! If you haven't seen the ReFitRevolution on YouTube, they are worth looking into. I made a playlist of 5 songs - let's be real, that is about as much as I can handle. All 5 songs are worship/praise and both the first and last songs are slower and perfect for a warm-up and a cool-down. I can mostly keep up with 2 of the songs, the 3rd is challenging for me so I just sort of fake it since I don't get all of the moves JUST right, ha! I did not let the rain slow me down.
The rain cleared, even if only temporarily, and it was time to brave the neighborhood for a walk. I sat down with a program that allows you to map out a walk and it tells you the distance. I decided to challenge myself to a 2 mile walk. Yep, the 1.7 mile walk made me feel like I was dying, but I have been determined to conquer some of my pain and other health issues by getting active. I let me DS know what the plan was, because he is great at holding me accountable, and off we went. Guess what?!?!? I did it. I walked 2 miles, and it felt AMAZING!
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