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.

fiesty76 | @fiesty76 | May 25, 2020

In reply to @lioness "@mayofeb2020 I,ll take the cukes. I love them send them up haha" + (show)

@becsbuddy, and @lioness, If you have any left over cukes after sharing with Linda, I'll take some too! vbg I really like to make cream cheese and finely diced cucumber on toast points...I'll make if you'll share the cukes???

Also, as I was starting on my walk Sat. next door neighbor came out and as she approached closer, I lifted up my scarf mask. She said: " You don't need that; I don't have the virus." Hmmmmm, how can she be so positive???? Also then mentioned she'd been for a haircut a couple of days before....but Hey! No worries... No idea if shampoo person or stylist was wearing a mask but if they didn't insist, I'm pretty sure this neighbor didn't have or wear one. Anyone else see the news clip about the hairdresser who exposed about 90 others as she defied re-opening orders???? That started me off disgruntled but soon was in a much better frame of mind as I watched a dad pitching a ball to his very young son. It is all about grabbing smiles wherever/whenever we can and staying safe, yes?

lioness | @lioness | May 25, 2020

In reply to @fiesty76 "@becsbuddy, and @lioness, If you have any left over cukes after sharing with Linda, I'll take..." + (show)

@fiesty76 Id be glad to love the cream cheese I put jam on top of the cheese Delicious try it you may like it as Mikey says . I did do my walk today saw a couple of neighbors was nice to get out and see someone else besides these 4 walls . Happy Memorial Day to you . Watching it on T.V. no parades this year maybe next .

fiesty76 | @fiesty76 | May 25, 2020

In reply to @contentandwell "@mayofeb2020 You mention that your new doctor wanted you to confer with your GP about the..." + (show)

@contentandwell

@mayofeb2020 You mention that your new doctor wanted you to confer with your GP about the statin. What type of doctor was the new doctor? I ask because my PCP had me check with my endocrinologist about what I should do for my cholesterol which I thought sort of odd. Why did he want the other doctor to prescribe rather than himself? He's a doctor of internal medicine. The endocrinologist is the one who prescribed the statin. Actually I was OK with that, I have more confidence in my endo than I do in my PCP, I just thought an internist would do that prescription himself.

I'm sure that pravastatin isn't "all bad", different people just have different reactions to medicines. I often seem to have unusual reactions to various medicines.

Thanks, @pollyanne I know there are some exercises, like those with weights, that they say you should not do every day and I am wondering if that applies to other exercises like squats. I was doing 3 sets of 15 squats every day. My son thought that I should not be doing that daily. He's very fit but has no education about all of that. When I was going to my health club I alternated gym days with days of pool jogging or water aerobics - actually I did the water aerobics and stayed after to jog. That worked out so well for me.

I am trying so hard to be good about what I eat but I can't lose weight at all and am gradually gaining still. I guess my home exercises are not burning as many calories as what I did when I could go to my health club. I think it's going to be a long time before I will be able to go there again, unfortunately.

@fiesty76 I have New Balance sneakers that I bought a few years ago. Twice I had to bring them back to the shoe store and have the soles reattached in places. I started out not using them much so by the time it happened, even though the sneakers were barely worn, it was beyond the time when they would take them back. My newest sneakers are ABEO from The Walking Company and so far I really like them. I had Sketchers before and they were great too, they have a memory foam insole. I actually picked them up at Marshall's for some crazy low price in the sale section and they worked out great.
JK

Jump to this post

@contentandwell, Thanks for your experience with the New Balance sneakers,JK. With my severe osteoporisis, balance and not falling are big priorities in my life. This was so unnerving that I tossed my pr. immediately. Will check out the ABEO and Sketchers when I resume instore shopping.

lioness | @lioness | May 25, 2020

In reply to @fiesty76 "@contentandwell, Thanks for your experience with the New Balance sneakers,JK. With my severe osteoporisis, balance and..." + (show)

@fiesty76 I have had New Balance walkers but now have Sketchers I think they are about the same as far as I can tell. I'm waiting for my new pair to come on the 26th

fiesty76 | @fiesty76 | May 25, 2020

In reply to @becsbuddy "Hi everyone! To day begins our last “official” week of walking! But us walkers, chocolate eaters,..." + (show)

@becsbuddy, so glad we are continuing our walks! As for rain? Thought I was too old for new surprises but ... wrong again..vbg
We had the largest hail I've ever seen Fri. night. Weatherman actually showed viewers' pics of ping-pong and Baseball sized hail stones...more like boulders!!! Incredible. Took parts of 2 days to rake up the 3-4" green carpet of shredded leaves and twigs from 2 large trees on front concrete yard. Deliberated about pulling out cumbersome electric leaf blower and very long cord next morning to clean the small remaining debris. So glad I started inventorying my shelf-stable foods instead and going for my walk. Because...we had another hail/rain storm Sat. night followed by another Sun. night. Whew, this is one time procrastinating worked on my behalf. vbg

Really appreciate the poster too! More than once, I've posted a "must read" to family only to leave off the address link....laughing.

katiejo59 | @katiejo59 | May 25, 2020

joined up kinda late(well, real late because it's 5/24 and this county in south-central Pa. is set to go into the cautionary yellow phase in ~4 days. I hope that your virtual walks on the beach in Hawaii were as lovely as they sound. I caught up w/ some of you by doing a "backward" read of posts during these last few long months. My fitness center will be opening on a limited basis on th 28th. So, I'm having dreams of swimming in the warm pool, which is so great on my arthritic knees, hips, etc. For Becky Leonard...I hope that you're feeling healthy & strong. I'm planning to keep up w/ you guys & it sounds like a fun bunch.

fiesty76 | @fiesty76 | May 25, 2020

In reply to @becsbuddy "To everyone talking about rouvastatin and other statins, please check out this discussion: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/statins-and-peripheral-neuropathy/?pg=1#comment-312571 They are..." + (show)

@becsbuddy, Becky, Thanks for posting this site: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/statins-and-peripheral-neuropathy/?pg=1#comment-312571

I have taken Lipitor for years for high cholesterol and along with diet, I’m managing to stay within normal ranges. However, my stroke added Plavix and aspirin 81 to my daily med regimen. More recently, periphereal neuropathy, pre-diabetes and kidney damage diagnoses followed. Until the last three, I never researched prescribed meds nor searched for ways to better control my issues.

It seems only natural that approaching age 80 would lead to more health issues and for me it becomes a task of weighing risks with rewards. The medical cocktail I take includes meds for chronic bronchitis/COPD and osteoporisis which can interfere with other meds. Do I want to breathe? Risk another stroke or bone break? Suffer complications of diabetes and p.n. or take them all and “takes my chances” ? vbg

Scanning further down posts, I noted this one in particular regarding statin side effects on various conditions: : https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-side-effects/art-20046013?_ga=2.32578617.685487692.1588807088-1229333082.1573340414

These stated risks apply to me: • Taking multiple medications to lower your cholesterol • Being female • Having a smaller body frame • Being (Nearly) age 80 or older • Having kidney or liver disease

Although I keep buying larger pill boxes for my daily meds, I am happy to report that I’m still movin’ and looking forward to more days of happy pleasures. I accept that each med. I take may have some negative effect on some function; however, I am thankful that they appear to be doing more good than ill. How do others here make decisions in weighing the pros and cons of new prescriptions or side effects from taking them?

JK | @contentandwell | May 25, 2020

In reply to @katiejo59 "joined up kinda late(well, real late because it's 5/24 and this county in south-central Pa. is..." + (show)

Hi @katiejo59 I see you are somewhat new to Connect so welcome!

I have no idea when my health club will reopen but I have been thinking about it a lot, the pool and the gym. I was thinking I could at least do the pool probably but then it occurred to me that I would need to use the locker/changing rooms also. I will be very interested in hearing how you manage that when you return to your fitness center. I really need to get back to mine but I'm afraid it will be a very long time until I will be able to.
JK

mayofeb2020 | @mayofeb2020 | May 25, 2020

In reply to @fiesty76 "@becsbuddy, Becky, Thanks for posting this site: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/statins-and-peripheral-neuropathy/?pg=1#comment-312571 I have taken Lipitor for years for high..." + (show)

@fiesty76... My sentiments exactly. I have never taken any meds until I went back to work after a nasty divorce and I had to go back to work in my 40s. The job was a very stressful one and I was put on hypertension drugs. I managed my cholesterol with lifestyle changes. Fast forward to beginning of this year when I had TIA, and right away, my cardiologist put me on Xeralto, I had a loop recorder to check fir afib.. So far no indication that I have that. And in addition, I was put on statin even though my lipid level is not high. I read about all the bad side effects of statin. I'm 5'3" and weigh 104 lbs, so I fall in the small body frame category. My legs have been hurting very bad and I start to wonder if it's not the statin (I've try 3 so far) but that I may have PN or even PAD. It's very frustrating. I'm sure my cardiologist thinks I am a hypochondriac. My father and brother both died of strokes at an early age, so I am very aware of it. I eat very healthy, and I walk everyday. But my leg pain makes it harder and harder. Thinking back 10 years ago, I was hiking and feeling great. Now I'm getting depressed over my health. My cardiologist would not even entertain my suggestion of lowering my cholesterol with supplements. I've done it before. He doesn't think I should risk having a stroke, the same with the blood thinner. What should I do???

JK | @contentandwell | May 25, 2020

In reply to @fiesty76 "@contentandwell, Thanks for your experience with the New Balance sneakers,JK. With my severe osteoporisis, balance and..." + (show)

@fiesty76 I went to a Walking Company store and looked at a number of different sneakers, and they had me walk over a mat that is supposed to tell them if I need an orthotic other than neutral. They found that I did, at two different stores. The sneakers that I liked were expensive (@$170) so I went home to think about it and looked at their online website. They had a style that was discontinued for significantly less money, I think it was around $105, so I ordered them with the recommended orthotic.

The orthotic really made my foot hurt, I thought I might have plantar fasciitis. By the time I called them about it, it was just beyond a month so they didn't want to replace the orthotic even though they were what had been recommended in two different of their stores and they were causing me significant foot pain. They then agreed to a discount on my purchasing them. I am not usually that "feisty" but I said I didn't want their 30% discount, I wanted a 100% discount since it was their sales associates who convinced me to purchase these. They finally agreed to that and sent out the neutral orthotics and I have been very happy with the shoes since then. If I recall, the orthotic insole is about $70, so it's not like a $15 insole.

So, get measured and walk over their sensitive pad, but if you do not feel you need an orthotic then go neutral.
JK