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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 | Aug 10, 2020
In reply to @jenniferhunter "@becsbuddy @rosemarya I've been seeing your posts and wishing I could walk. I have been sidelined..." + (show)
@jenniferhunter

@becsbuddy @rosemarya I've been seeing your posts and wishing I could walk. I have been sidelined for about the last 3 months because of a broken ankle, and I can tell you now that I am starting to walk again. Yippee! It's baby steps and I kind of walk like a little one who is trying to stay in balance. The sprain that happened along with the dislocation and fracture is still healing and painful, so I tend to walk flat on my foot and don't push off normally. I am supposed to be able to walk unassisted at my next followup appointment for my surgeon, so I am working on it. It's still tiring, and my foot still swells and gets painful, but it gets a little better each day. I did a lot of baking today, mostly seated on a stool by the counter and just having my foot in a down normal position makes it swell, and I did takes some steps to use the sink, but it feels good to do something normal for a change and I have some peach pies to show for my efforts. I also did some canning of peaches, and made blue berry muffins and Coconut macaroons and all gluten free.

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@jenniferhunter, What great news that you are beginning to walk more now! Baby Steps count big time and any success is definitely worth a celebration. That said (and meant, very big grin!), How about sending over some of that delicious peach pie with a few blue berry muffins thrown in with a couple of macaroons for desert???? Wow! Is this what normal feels like for you??? Amazing Gracie! A new destination for walkers: Jennifer's house!!!

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jude07 | @jude07 | Aug 10, 2020
In reply to @fiesty76 "Me, too, @rosemarya and @jude07! This group of enterprising walker/talkers would have shared some incredibly fun..." + (show)
@fiesty76

Me, too, @rosemarya and @jude07! This group of enterprising walker/talkers would have shared some incredibly fun times together as kids...and even as adults-in-person, too! We girls also played jacks together but never remember any of the neighborhood boys joining in on that. Another favorite was pick-up-sticks. Both were good for developing hand dexterity but of course that never entered our minds; we just liked to play. I couldn't find a set of jacks to buy so ordered a set and taught my grand to play when they came to visit. Later bought a bean bag toss that both grands and I enjoyed in the yard. Anyone else for either of those? How cute that older sisters had to "remind you", Jude that only one bounce was allowed! Smiles to all

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Another that I had forgotten about “pick up sticks” a definite yes. We also played “gobble gobble” with a few or a fist full of marbles. I still have the marbles that were my mothers and plan to teach my grandson, virtually, since I have shared some with him in Baltimore.
I picked a cattail on my walk the other day, then I looked it up on google to see what I could tell my grandson and learned so much myself about what the seeds, pillowy white stuff and reeds were all used for by the American Indians. He loved the virtual lesson.
Now, on my walks I try to come up with other ideas. Planning a trip to Wabasha, Mn this week to see if I can video some eagles.

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Aug 10, 2020

@jude07 Here's an idea (I was walking a DNR trail in Northern MN this morning) - those big round burrs make great natural "legos." Tomorrow I will grab a bagful to take home for playing with my grandsons. When I was a kid, we made dolls, clowns, towers and lots of things from them with my Grandma. The spines on them cling to each other, but don't really poke fingers. We also collected milkweed pods to dry & blow the seeds away. Just be careful of the poison ivy - it is everywhere this year - even found some in our local city park and had to call maintenance because it was near the disc golf basket.

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Aug 10, 2020

My morning walk was a symphony for the senses today - walked a DNR trail between two lakes and say dozens of varieties of wildflowers, a little wildlife and other early-bird walkers. I heard the birds, squirrels, frogs, cicadas, water rushing over rocks between lakes, even a loon. And the smells - flowers, pine trees, the water, even the somewhat funky smell of the mud at water's edge.
I came "home" with a great sense of peace and well-being. This little trip "to the lake" is indeed a blessing.
Sue

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3 replies
jude07 | @jude07 | Aug 10, 2020
In reply to @sueinmn "@jude07 Here's an idea (I was walking a DNR trail in Northern MN this morning) -..." + (show)
@sueinmn

@jude07 Here's an idea (I was walking a DNR trail in Northern MN this morning) - those big round burrs make great natural "legos." Tomorrow I will grab a bagful to take home for playing with my grandsons. When I was a kid, we made dolls, clowns, towers and lots of things from them with my Grandma. The spines on them cling to each other, but don't really poke fingers. We also collected milkweed pods to dry & blow the seeds away. Just be careful of the poison ivy - it is everywhere this year - even found some in our local city park and had to call maintenance because it was near the disc golf basket.

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Thanks Sue, I would have never thought of the burrs to make something out of. I just remember picking them off my clothing like they were a nuisance. I would say you made lemonade out of lemons.

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1 reply
ellens | @ellens | Aug 10, 2020
In reply to @sueinmn "My morning walk was a symphony for the senses today - walked a DNR trail between..." + (show)
@sueinmn

My morning walk was a symphony for the senses today - walked a DNR trail between two lakes and say dozens of varieties of wildflowers, a little wildlife and other early-bird walkers. I heard the birds, squirrels, frogs, cicadas, water rushing over rocks between lakes, even a loon. And the smells - flowers, pine trees, the water, even the somewhat funky smell of the mud at water's edge.
I came "home" with a great sense of peace and well-being. This little trip "to the lake" is indeed a blessing.
Sue

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Last evening I went to walk along the creek in the woods to do some "forest bathing" and my walk sounds very much like yours. Are you in Northern MN? I am. I used to live in the Rockies and that creek, when it's full after several downpours, can match any creek I've seen in the mountains. Fortunately, the RA doesn't keep me from such walks.

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1 reply
ellens | @ellens | Aug 10, 2020
In reply to @sueinmn "My morning walk was a symphony for the senses today - walked a DNR trail between..." + (show)
@sueinmn

My morning walk was a symphony for the senses today - walked a DNR trail between two lakes and say dozens of varieties of wildflowers, a little wildlife and other early-bird walkers. I heard the birds, squirrels, frogs, cicadas, water rushing over rocks between lakes, even a loon. And the smells - flowers, pine trees, the water, even the somewhat funky smell of the mud at water's edge.
I came "home" with a great sense of peace and well-being. This little trip "to the lake" is indeed a blessing.
Sue

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I just read another of your posts and see that you ARE in Northern MN. I'm in Duluth 1-1/2 blocks from Chester Creek. I need to remember my mask since the trails along there are very popular.

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lilypaws | @lilypaws | Aug 10, 2020
In reply to @jude07 "We lived on a farm and used to take a hammer and pound them on the..." + (show)
@jude07

We lived on a farm and used to take a hammer and pound them on the cement to get them to spark and make the noise. It didn’t take much to entertain us.

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@jude07 I lived on a farm too, not now though. I never thought of pounding them on the cement. One funny thing I did though was took a BB gun and went behind the hen house and tried to shoot the sparrows. I don't think it shot straight, never got one.

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2 replies
ellens | @ellens | Aug 10, 2020
In reply to @lilypaws "@jude07 I lived on a farm too, not now though. I never thought of pounding them..." + (show)
@lilypaws

@jude07 I lived on a farm too, not now though. I never thought of pounding them on the cement. One funny thing I did though was took a BB gun and went behind the hen house and tried to shoot the sparrows. I don't think it shot straight, never got one.

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I'm glad you didn't manage to shoot a sparrow although sparrows are very mean to bluebirds, I've heard.

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1 reply
mayofeb2020 | @mayofeb2020 | Aug 10, 2020
In reply to @lilypaws "@jude07 I lived on a farm too, not now though. I never thought of pounding them..." + (show)
@lilypaws

@jude07 I lived on a farm too, not now though. I never thought of pounding them on the cement. One funny thing I did though was took a BB gun and went behind the hen house and tried to shoot the sparrows. I don't think it shot straight, never got one.

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@lilypaws. I have been reading about all the childhood games and toys you all wrote about, sure miss the good old days when life was so simple, kids were happy just climbing trees and kicking balls. I remember playing marbles, cap guns were boy's toy. My brother had one. I have the paper dolls and cut out dresses. Not sure if anyone remember that.

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