More walking than I thought I'd ever be able to do not so long ago.
Over the last four weeks I've been asked a lot of questions about my walking, so I thought I'd share what I've learned so far.
First, just a little bit of background. About 3.5 years ago I was in a very bad motorcycle accident that, among other things, broke my tail bone and my pelvis in 6 places and has resulted in fairly severe nerve damage to my right leg. I also have a 6 in. pin in my back, between my pelvic bones. As a result of the nerve damage, I have rather limited feeling in my right leg and in my foot in particular. Also, my right ankle doesn't work quite right and I am unable to go up on tiptoe on my right foot. I spent almost five months flat on my back in a nursing home and have been working on recovering ever since.
Walking at all, and walking unassisted (no walker or cane), is a miracle for me. I still have problems with stairs and uneven surfaces (my balance is a bit off), but in general I have very little to complain about.
Lessons Learned
- Walking is hard!
- It takes time to build up to being able to walk long distances consistently.
- I started several months ago by just taking the long way around when I'd go to the restroom at work.
- Ibuprofen is my friend, cold weather is not.
- Motivation and Support are Key
- About six months ago I bought a Fitbit for myself and one for my husband. I wanted to start keeping track of how much exercise we were getting and hopefully motivate myself to move more.
- Four weeks ago a friend who also has a Fitbit started issuing daily goal challenges to her Fitbit friends. I LOVE these! They let you set your own personal goal and then show you your progress throughout the day. It also shows your friend's progress so you can cheer them and then quietly compete against them :). For me, this is the nudge I need to get up and keep moving. Thank You to all my Fitbit pals, you really help me keep it going.
- Be consistent
- It is so easy to just sit at my desk all day and come up with reasons why I shouldn't go for a walk. I've found that if I set a schedule for myself it really helps. I try to walk for 15-20 min. three times a day: 8:15am, 11:15am and 3:00pm. Of course, I have to adjust this around my work schedule, but having it in my head that this is when I need to get up and walk really helps me.
- People look at you funny when they see you walking laps around the atrium of your building; but they get over it!
- Soon, people you've never met but work in the same building with, start saying "Hi!" when they see you doing laps. Sometime they even lend a word of encouragement.
- Co-workers stop to talk to you about work which can allow you to avoid calling a meeting.
- Friends and co-workers start asking you about walking and sometimes they join you.
- It gets better.
- When I started I could only do 4 laps twice a day. Now I'm up to 5 laps 3 times a day and still hit the gym some evenings.
- I am getting stronger and maybe walking the tiniest bit faster.
- I have less pain. Getting started is still hard, but once I get moving I can keep moving for longer and not be in pain later.
I don't know how long I will keep this up, I hope for a good while. I'd love to walk a 5K sometime in the next year. I'd love to not need to take a scooter to GenCon this summer. I'd really love to lose some weight. I'll get there. Slowly but surely, I'll get there as long as I have people helping me along the way!
I'm looking forward to better weather so I can take my walks outside. If you see me wandering around campus come and join me. I'm always up for getting a cup of coffee or just going along for the walk.
