I used to run. I feel like I've typed this story a million times, lol. Running was the best thing I had ever done - other than horse-riding, which I still love. I would fasten my running shoes with that sense of excitement I have when I get up into the saddle, and sometimes running felt as light and free as galloping on a horse.
However, my knees became more and more painful and now I walk. Bah. It is nowhere near as exciting, in fact very boring, but I do average around 8 miles each day. I have a Fitbit, which I love and am addicted to. This is perhaps my third Fitbit over 3 years as they were updated and refined, and right now I have the watch. It tells me everything I need to know, and I like to set little activity tasks. For instance, I am challenged to walk 250 steps every hour. That sounds easy. At my workplace, I can walk down one long corridor and back, and I have hit the 250. However, I sometimes forget time, get busy, and then I look up and the app has little grey dots in between the red ones. It isn't good to sit for long periods of time, so now I try to keep an eye on the time, and get up at the beginning of each hour and just walk up and down the hallway once, even if that's all I do. Sometimes I will go twice. But in general I walk first thing, get up at 4am, and hit the treadmill. I do around an hour and 20 minutes at a steady pace. Then I walk at work because I arrive so early, between 15-20 minutes. I read while I walk the treadmill and hallways, lol. At lunchtime I walk for half an hour. It's too hot here now to walk outside (80+) so all of this is indoors. Oh for when we move back home and I can walk outside most of the year.
I try to keep to that brisk hourly walk the rest of the day, because in the evenings it is not so easy at home. We get watching tv, there are chores, and then I am typically asleep by 9:30pm. We also hit the gym 3-4 times a week. I do battle ropes and the medicine ball/rebounder, also strength bands (if that is what they are called). I used to love the weight machines but since I fractured my elbow a year or so ago, it will start to complain if I do too much, and changing the pin up and down annoys me. Weight bands allow for more flexibility. There is osteoporosis in my family, along with arthritis, and a few years ago I already had osteopenia.
I haven't had a DEXA since, but I'm hoping that exercise is helping hold off osteoporosis. Given that I already fractured a bone easily, perhaps I'm already there. Getting older sucks.
That was a lot.
