Thursday, February 19, 2009

Taking A Walk

While at my quarterly checkup with the oncologist, I was urged to add walking to my exercise regime. Even though I do the elliptical, it is not considered a weight bearing exercise. Weight bearing exercise is vital to the prevention of osteoporosis. Not only is age a factor in this matter, but I take a pill to reduce the chances of cancer reoccurring. The pill hinders the body's ability to uptake calcium which is why weight bearing exercise is a must.

I was well aware of the benefits of weight bearing exercise since we owned a gym in Austin for 16 years; however, being human, I had to hear it again and again from a knowledgeable source before committing to do it. In fact, for sixteen-plus years I put people on workout programs, taught aerobics, did fitness testing, etc. You would think I would have no problem applying all that knowledge and experience to myself. Hubby works out three times a week and is totally self-disciplined. I lack a little self-discipline in the fitness arena. :D I also have stubborn streak.

Hubby walks the dogs twice a day. I am now part of the group at least for one of the two walks. We do about a mile; but it is not the distance, I simply start thinking of other things I want to do instead of walking. I'm working on a change of attitude, and it is truly fun to watch the dogs sniff and hunt. We carry treats in our pockets to keep the dogs fairly close so they do not get too far out of sight. I do a "whoop whoop," and they come running at full speed to get a treat. We use puppy-sized treats, broken in half, in an effort to keep the Lab, Luc, from gaining weight. Maggie, his lady friend, has no problem with her weight; she does not care if she eats or not. Luc, though, thinks we have him on concentration camp rations, and we still have to be extremely careful how much we feed him to keep his weight down.

This morning was beautiful -- cool, crisp, and sunny. The dogs were full of energy. Our mile walk equals about two or three miles for them. Luc and Maggie know the schedule; and if we do not take them on the walks, Luc tries to herd me to the door, grabs and parades shoes or pillows around the house until he gets his walk. lol He is a bit of a brat.

Until next time, God bless.

5 comments:

Mary-Austin said...

Lynne, Glad you're getting out and walking! It's good for you. I completely understand not wanting to do it yet knowing it's good for you. I need to be out there walking as well just can't get the motivation!! I'll say some prayers for you for motivation - who knows, maybe it'll motivate me too!!

Lynn said...

Thank you, Mary-Austin. I'll include you in my prayers for your motivation. :D

Meh said...

Hello, Ms. Lynn. I'd like to add something. Aside from walking, I think it's also important to drink milk to prevent osteoporosis, and take calcium supplement, or other sources of calcium, like tofu. And walking an extra mile every week or every other week won't hurt. God bless you always. :)

Lynn said...

Thanks, Judie-May, for the reminder. I do drink skim milk as well as eat yogurt and take calcium supplements.

We, ladies, really have to work harder than men to keep our bones healthy it seems! :D

Meh said...

Yes, it's true. It is because of our hormone - estrogen, which depletes when we get older and make us prone to osteoporosis. :)