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.

@sueinmn

My "walk" yesterday was 5 miles - and I never left my own yard!
Here we are in March, in Minnesota, and it was 60F and sunny. I raked the leaves off 4 gardens, trimmed a half dozen shrubs, picked up hundreds of sticks, cleared away garden debris, swept up the shells from 150 lbs of birdseed and bagged everything for the compost site because my own bins are full.
I finished the afternoon with a stroll through the yard, planning what I want to do differently this year - starting with adding a 3' X 18' straw bale garden to a sunny side yard for raising more veggies. (I already have a 21' bale garden for my tomatoes there.)
Thought I would be stiff and sore today, but I'm doing well enough to contemplate tackling another large garden bed, where I have all the standing wildflowers I leave for the birds - the seeds are picked clean, so the sticks can go.
Oops - never finished before I headed out the door. On an ice cream bar break to give me enough energy to finish filling the last 2 bags before the rain comes tonight & tomorrow. Got the pond garden cleared of leaves and old plants, and cut down everything in the big back garden, but I'm out of steam - the raking there will have to wait. Only got 3 miles in today, but did enough squeezing of various pruners to count for a week of hand therapy. And lots of bending & hauling - gardening is great exercise.
Next up - our yard has become deer central this winter, and the backyard is totally covered with their droppings, but too soft to rake - how do I get rid of them - maybe the rain will wash them down to the ground to fertilize....

Rewarding myself with an adult beverage in the sun on my garden bench.
Sue

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Looks like ambition full steam ahead and feeling accomplished, as you should. Soundless thumbs up. Sounds like a busy summer with attention given to new veggie beds. Keep it up!!
My corner of Minnesota had nice temps yesterday as well, however today overcast and once again windy. By tomorrow morning I expect my ground will be covered with winter white once again.
I did get my walk in and my floor exercises completed so all good!

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@artist01

@becsbuddy I got all bundled up to go walking this morning and went to step outside in what I knew was a bit of a rainy day. It was snowing! Aaarrgh! I've only done 40 steps on my pedometer. Maybe tomorrow, if the snow melts. Lol

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Good intentions, bless you for those, better days ahead.

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No walks today! Only have 14” snow instead of 3’. Yea!! But I’m keeping busy! Maybe tomorrow

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@becsbuddy

No walks today! Only have 14” snow instead of 3’. Yea!! But I’m keeping busy! Maybe tomorrow

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Strange to hear “only” 14 inches, however I understand when 3’ was
predicted. Be careful tomorrow.

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@sueinmn

My "walk" yesterday was 5 miles - and I never left my own yard!
Here we are in March, in Minnesota, and it was 60F and sunny. I raked the leaves off 4 gardens, trimmed a half dozen shrubs, picked up hundreds of sticks, cleared away garden debris, swept up the shells from 150 lbs of birdseed and bagged everything for the compost site because my own bins are full.
I finished the afternoon with a stroll through the yard, planning what I want to do differently this year - starting with adding a 3' X 18' straw bale garden to a sunny side yard for raising more veggies. (I already have a 21' bale garden for my tomatoes there.)
Thought I would be stiff and sore today, but I'm doing well enough to contemplate tackling another large garden bed, where I have all the standing wildflowers I leave for the birds - the seeds are picked clean, so the sticks can go.
Oops - never finished before I headed out the door. On an ice cream bar break to give me enough energy to finish filling the last 2 bags before the rain comes tonight & tomorrow. Got the pond garden cleared of leaves and old plants, and cut down everything in the big back garden, but I'm out of steam - the raking there will have to wait. Only got 3 miles in today, but did enough squeezing of various pruners to count for a week of hand therapy. And lots of bending & hauling - gardening is great exercise.
Next up - our yard has become deer central this winter, and the backyard is totally covered with their droppings, but too soft to rake - how do I get rid of them - maybe the rain will wash them down to the ground to fertilize....

Rewarding myself with an adult beverage in the sun on my garden bench.
Sue

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@sueinmn
8 miles and all that work too.
Man alive I am worn to a frazzle just thinking about it.
Rest time now,
Jake

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@becsbuddy

No walks today! Only have 14” snow instead of 3’. Yea!! But I’m keeping busy! Maybe tomorrow

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@becsbuddy Becky, did you mean to type "only 1.4 inches of snow" instead of "only 14 inches of snow"?

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@imallears

@jakedduck1
How adorable! You will be happy to know I don’t care for duck that much...not too many places know how to prepare it properly.
I do see some wild turkeys on my walks....hmmmmmm. But I would hate to break up the family and they sometimes come to visit in our subdivision. We do have a lot of snakes around.....and yes I have had grilled snake in the past. You can sit done now, I know you are getting queasy. Have to get out earlier now that the weather is getting warmer and then I can see more deer. No I am not having a Bambi Burger but yes I have had deer meat. Leaving now...2.5 miles is the usual and it’s 61 here this morning going up to 81.

FL Mary

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@imallears, I'm game for trying just about any new food but called a halt at snake! lol A nearby community hosts an annual rattlesnake round-up and people travel miles to participate in both the round up and snake feast that follows. The thought has me shivering!

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@artist01

@imallears Eeeeuw. Snake? You are some Wild Woman in the Culinary Adventure Department. My family virtually lived on venison (deer, for the uninitiated) one bleak winter, with turnips. I can't even look at venison anymore, but I love turnips to this day. I tried swordfish years ago in NYC. Not my favorite. Is it a protected species nowadays? I had Mallard l'orange in Paris on (one of) my honeymoon(s). Lol

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Oh, dear, I hope this doesn't change our friendship, @artist01 but the one food I resist above all is boiled turnips. Seemed like my mom served them weekly and the smell alone lasted for days. Turnip greens are another matter entirely...so is the friendship back on??? Smiles

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@sueinmn

Good morning walkers, it looks like Spring in some of the northland. We lost our snowcover in a huge cleansing rainfall earlier this week, so now I can see exactly where the deer spent their winter in my back yard. Need to rake and scoop! My lilac and dogwood buds are beginning to swell, and the sun is shining today. I see a nice walk in my future today - perhaps to see the nesting eagles.
Sue

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@sueinmn, It sounds like absolute bliss to possibly see eagles on a walk! Several years ago, my daughter and I took a boat trip near Fredricksburg to catch a glimpse of nesting eagles. What an amazing sight!

Glad it is beginning to warm in your area and the snowcover is melting with the help of a "cleansing rainfall".

On a neighborhood walk Sat, I'd just gone about 2 blocks when a sudden cloud burst drenched me! Once home again, my yard and drive were as dry as a bone. Incredible how fickle "mother rain" can be. Doesn't she know how much a good soaky rain would be for our overly dry area????

Smiles to all as more can begin more regular walks now that warmer days are ahead.

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@becsbuddy

Hi, everyone! Our massive snow storm didn’t start until after lunch so I got a nice walk in. But it was cold and rainy. Poppy didn’t like it—he wanted brunch. This afternoon, as I was watching the snow start, my sister sent photos of the azaleas in full bloom in her yard. Dang! But I did get my walk in! Maybe I can go sledding tomorrow 🤗

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Sledding? Now that's the spirit, @becsbuddy! Smiles

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