Let’s Go Walking! Join me for a virtual walking support group

Posted by Becky, Volunteer Mentor @becsbuddy, Feb 19, 2020

Many of you living with cancer or an autoimmune disease, like me, deal with daily fatigue. You know that exercise is so important to your health, but it’s so hard. There’s always an excuse: it’s too cold or hot, it’s going to rain or it’s raining, or it’s snowy and icy, or I just don’t want to. I, too, have all these excuses, but I have a new rescue dog who wants to go out and who doesn’t care about my excuses! And I’ve got traction devices for my boots.Now I just need a walking group who will keep me accountable. People who say, ‘let’s go for a walk.'

And I thought: What about my virtual friends on MayoClinicConnect?

Mayo Clinic has an easy 12-week walking program to get us started! Here’s the link:
- Get walking with this 12-week walking schedule https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/get-walking-with-this-12-week-walking-schedule/

So let’s form a virtual walking group. We can agree to walk every day and encourage each other through Connect. We can walk outdoors, in a mall, or in the red center, or in the hallways of our apartment building.

Who’s in? Who’s going to join me?

Come on, Let’s Go Walking!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

@merpreb

@beachbum80- Yeah! Mantras are wonderful and they work! I'm like the little train that could, "I can do this!" Who else has mantras that help them!

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@merpreb I usually tell myself "you know you're going to feel better when it's all done". I like walking in the morning for several reasons. Chief among them is the fact that once it's done, it's done and I don't have to figure out how to stall or cancel it for that day LOL. Last night was a very rough night sleeping for me, and I think for the cat too, because she slept up close to me and I was restless. She's back sleeping on the bed now and I will walk a little bit later. We had snow overnight and I don't want to slip on the ground.
Ginger

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@gingerw

@merpreb I usually tell myself "you know you're going to feel better when it's all done". I like walking in the morning for several reasons. Chief among them is the fact that once it's done, it's done and I don't have to figure out how to stall or cancel it for that day LOL. Last night was a very rough night sleeping for me, and I think for the cat too, because she slept up close to me and I was restless. She's back sleeping on the bed now and I will walk a little bit later. We had snow overnight and I don't want to slip on the ground.
Ginger

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@gingerw- Yes, I feel the same way. That's a great mantra, and it's so true! I didn't have a good night last night or the night before.

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@gingerw

@contentandwell If you go to YouTube and put "Tai Chi for Beginners" in the search bar, there are several choices for you to consider.
Ginger

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Thanks @gingerw I will do that. I had hoped to go to yoga this morning. My health club has a class on Sunday mornings that I went to last week The instructor was excellent. She was very encouraging and helpful in having a person accommodate their personal restrictions. With two knee replacements, there are many things I cannot do.
I didn't go today because on top of the restrictions that I will always have, I did something to my knee this week and it really hurts. I suspect I overdid some exercise, maybe the elliptical. I am prone to overdoing things, I tend to think I am invincible. 😏 The class was Hatha yoga and there are other Hatha classes during the week but I have not been able to make them.

I too really hate heading off to the club for exercise of any type but when I am done I feel glad that I did. When I am in the gym I see certain pieces of equipment as milestones. When I get through with machines and move on to TRX and dumbells that is my last milestone before I am done.
JK

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Greetings from not so sunny California.. Last week it was in the 80s, today it was down to the 50s when I started. Was going to do a second round but felt raindrops, glad I went early. Maybe if the rain stops, I will go out again later. I had a TIA at the beginning of the year, Dr. Put me on statin even though my cholesterol is ok. Then Xeralto, a blood thinner, I found out that Xeralto can cause weakness in the legs, together with the statin, I found it hard to go the long distance. I was on the lowest dose of statin every other day, so I can't blame that on muscle pain. I hope these side effects will get better.. Anyway, I'm glad I'm in this group. I need the motivation.

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@becsbuddy

What a wonderful group we’ve got! And everyone’s ready to get started, some on their feet, some on bikes, and some doing chair exercises. Everything counts, we just have to do some kind of exercise and increase our time by 5minutes a week. We’re a varied, but determined, group of people who have cancer or autoimmune diseases or back problems or or or.... Two of our walking partners even have 4 legs and fur! Take a minute and get to know each other se we’ll be ready to go on Sunday!
Guidelines say to try to exercise 3-4 days a week and not to overdo. Keep a log of your progress and report in every Friday or Saturday and have fun!
Week 1 is March1–7 and 5 minutes of warmup, then 5 minutes of exercise, then 5 minutes of cool down. Let’s go!

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Hi Becky. This is my first experience with a group walk. Would you like us to report in, or are you just encouraging us (wonderful) to get moving? The weather today was great, a day without rain, and feeling pretty well, my walk was in the supermarket, (I hope that counts). Walked for 28 minutes, slow with stops for items, but moving none the less. Right now I’m getting my breath back to normal. Definitely needed to rest a bit. Thanks for putting the group together and the encouragement.

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@contentandwell

@retiredteacher I hope things are going well with you and your husband too, Carol. Nothing new here except our vacation has been canceled on the advice of two separate departments at MGH. Hopefully we will be able to recover some of the $$$ we have spent.
JK

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@contentandwell Im so sorry you had to cancel your vacation. I know how you where looking forward to it. I did my chair exercises today now to the gym and bike. Hope your well

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Wow most exercise I’ve gotten in awhile.
Kept putting it off and I thought nope! I’m going to get this started and not wuss out.
I need to get my strength back up and even though I feel ready for my recliner I’m going to keep moving for a bit.
Thank you for giving me the push I needed to do this.

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I walked some but not as much as was planned. We had a light snowfall overnight. And I went to breakfast with the neighbor. This was after a bad night trying to get decent rest. But the takeaway is I did walk today, and will walk again tomorrow.
Ginger

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@lioness

@contentandwell Im so sorry you had to cancel your vacation. I know how you where looking forward to it. I did my chair exercises today now to the gym and bike. Hope your well

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@lioness Thanks Linda. It really was very disappointing.

Sounds like you did a lot of exercise today, that’s great. I planned to go to the pool but the drive there and the thought of getting wet changed my mind. I did my bike instead. So far it does not seem to have bothered my bursitis.

I am pretty well. Hanging in there.
JK.

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@becsbuddy I had a good day did my chair exercises then of to the gym we have here rode the bike for awhile . Tomorrow is our class we do 45 minutes so I,LL only do 40 haha

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