Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Motivation.

 I've begun to wake up in the night with aching hips. I can't get comfortable to save my soul. I wind up spending a lot of time tossing and turning. 

Now, I'm a person who will avoid doctors as long as humanly possible. My philosophy is that when you start seeing a doctor regularly, they are invariably going to find something wrong with you. So, I was reading up on my situation. I was guessing some amount of arthritis, and I know from an physical therapy point of view, the recommendation is to keep as active as possible to keep the joint well lubricated with the synovial fluid our own body creates. 

It has been hot here, and so walking at the beginning of the day is the sensible thing to do. The problem is that when you spend an hour or two wide awake in the middle of the night, it makes it tougher to argue yourself out of bed in the morning when it is coolest. A real conundrum. 

Of course, the less active you are, the more pounds tend to creep on. Another problem. My mother was morbidly obese and her activity so curtailed at the end of her life, that weight gain always raises the specter of me heading down the same path, a depressing thought. 

I was talking about it to Tim. I said that I really needed to have someone to hold me accountable, a reason to force myself out of bed in the morning, no matter how tired I am. "Want to walk with me in the morning?" 

He agreed. 

I'm beginning to think that the man may have been a drill sergeant in a previous life. 

34 comments:

  1. Good to see that he takes his responsibilities seriously.

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  2. I have some of the same issues with sore hips, sleeping and early morning walks.

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    1. I think the worst part is knowing that it is a slippery slope. I watched my parents both get less and less active, and it does give me a nervous feeling about my own direction.

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  3. I swear by walking Debby. Especially if you can walk a few miles and include some hills. I hurt my back years ago and walking always compensates for the pain and less need for the tablets.

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    1. I am usually able to avoid medication, but dealing with chronic pain issues really does wear on a soul.

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  4. Way to go for getting motivated -- and way to go, Tim, for helping you out!

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  5. I have a bit of a lazy bone.

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  6. I struggle to get myself out of the door. It's not something I do happily. I've never been one to leap out of the bed in the mornings and yell...oh boy! I can't wait to walk 5 miles. But I do drag myself out the door eventually and 'do the deed'. Good for you .It ain't easy for most of us, but I think well worth the effort in the long run. I hope.
    Paranormal John

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    1. Good for you, PJ. Gotta say I am not a morning person. Tim is the fellow who does jump out of bed all invigorated and ready to go. He doesn't even drink coffee. It is disgusting, really. But...turns out that I need that kick in the pants.

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  7. My hips ache too if I lay on my sides, which I prefer, but now I have to sleep on my back, mouth hanging open, snoring away and waking up with a mouth that tastes like a camel died in it.

    I keep waiting for my foot to heal. I miss walking so much, so do the dogs.

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    1. I am a side sleeper. I think we also need a new mattress. I was doing some math the other day. Yikes.

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  8. Preach. I can relate to this post in more ways than you can imagine. -Kelly

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  9. I too need to do my walks - they are on hiatus - current excuse is winter so dark until after 6 - but I have a firm preference for walking alone as I love the meditation that it offers.

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    1. Unfortunately my locus of control is not internal. It would be great to be that person. I am ashamed to admit that.

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  10. a good walk in the morning can do a lot of good things for you.

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  11. Aha! Tim is like my Art. Lately, we've been so busy we haven't been able to go out for a walk. However, you are reminding me now that we need to get some exercise going.

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    1. It does make a person feel better, doesn't it? As if things are within your control.

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  12. Finally my life is under control for the morning walk. It won't be the old walk, down the hill to the end of the road and back up = one mile. I'll go the other way, for half a mile. Yes, that's good. Motivation accepted. You've done well.

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    1. I'm always impressed by your stick-to-it-ness. You've overcome some pretty major hurtles, lady, and you've done it with a fierceness that awes me.

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  13. I hope the walking helps the soreness in your hips. I was given some stretch exercises to do when I had hip trouble. I also try to walk whenever it is nice out and ride my exercycle when it isn't nice out.
    I think you are right to "use it or lose it" as we age.
    Hope you get relief soon so you can sleep well!

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    1. It's bad tonight, that's why I'm up, but I took some PM pain relief and am about to head back to bed.

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  14. When the weather is no good for our walk, we like to go to the local hardware store and walk around there. It is huge and sometimes you find a bargain. But I guess you both know that already lol. :)

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    1. You must be psychic, Snoskred! How could you have possibly known. ;)

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  15. Where do you walk? The bike path?

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  16. I, too, have had sore hips from sleeping on my side. I bought a mattress topper from Kohl's for about $90. which made a tremendous difference on my old mattress. The very first morning was unbelievably better than I could imagine. What a difference! I was kicking myself mentally for having waited so long. I don't like to sleep "hot" so the one I bought stressed that it was a "cool" one. So even better for me.

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    1. I am really starting to think that perhaps our mattress has something to do with this. Iwas doing some math and realized that it is nearly 30 years old.

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    2. It’s time for a new mattress. Don’t wait.
      KJ

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  17. I love walking in the morning but sometimes (too often frequently!) sit around having numerous cups of coffee and doing word games.

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    1. I can't do that anymore, being married to a drill sergeant.

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  18. With no personal experience, I am hearing that CBD oil is just the ticket for some in similar circumstances. It has been suggested that it might work for me, but I haven’t tried it yet.

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