Steps Forward

For about six weeks now, I've been walking. Minor walking.  Just up and down my drive way.  For the first four weeks, I just did this once.  For the last two, I've done it twice. . . . on most days. I thought this would be a pretty good time to assess how this is going for me.

To begin with, I am drinking more liquids. Whenever one is in the process of regaining health, staying hydrated is always a priority. Walking makes me more aware of my thirst and helps me get through all that liquid I have to drink with ease. I'm not making myself drink it. I want and need to drink it. When you drink more liquid, you feel less hunger. Kind of a win/win/win.

I have less pain in my hips and back. I think a lot of the general stiffness and soreness I was living with on a day to day basis is subsiding. I've noticed this even more since walking twice a day.  Walking earlier in the morning is doing good things to relax my lower back, especially after many hours of sleep.  Back pain is something I've lived with for so long, I think I just resigned myself to it never going away.  It's not completely gone, but it's less than it was.  I'm happy about that.

On the other hand, the pain in my back and hips has been replaced by pains in my legs. I tore something in one knee that is taking forever to heal and one of my feet is constantly throbbing. The outside of the thigh on the other leg aches a lot now and I have no idea why that is happening.  To be fair, I've been more active all the way around, so I can't say with full confidence that it is the walking that has caused all of this leg pain. I can only say that all of this leg pain makes me dread walking.

Dread, but not stop.

See, I think the most important difference since I started walking is a mental one. For the first time in my life, when I think about physical fitness, I am prioritizing my legs.   I'm not sure how it is for other fat people, but for me, whenever I would start exercising again, it would always be about my abdomen. I'm guessing because it was the biggest part and looked like the most daunting thing to handle.

I'm still working on my torso.  I do sit ups on my fitness ball and some core work. I do things for my arms and upper body, things for my back and neck.  But all of this is stuff I've done in the past as well. Working on my legs has always been an afterthought. Just something I did whenever the other parts of my body were resting.

Now though, I'm placing a high priority on my legs. The walking is important. Other leg work is important. Stronger legs mean stronger me. Stronger legs mean more independent me. Stronger legs mean safer me. More graceful me. Less apt to fall me. More able to participate me. This is not an afterthought. This is a very serious and important thing.

And I am happy about that. I am happy for this change in me.  I want it to be a change that continues.