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

Here are my "walks" for this week.
Monday - Prepare and setup for our plant sale - 5+ hours walking the county fairgrounds and the 2 large pole buildings, hauling tables and directing setup.
Tuesday - Plant sale day! 13 hours in the 2 pole buildings, directing 50+ volunteers, "putting out fires" and dispensing smiles and hugs. We delivered 10,000 plants!
Wednesday - Day off! Walked around the yard figuring out where to put 10 flats of annuals and perennials. Then toured our daughter's house and yard and took her and her Realtor to dinner on our favorite restaurant patio to celebrate the purchase.
Thursday - A little outside work, then a "quick" shopping trip with my daughter, which turned into a 5 hour marathon - lots of fun to do this again!
Friday - 6 hours in the yard, dividing up the plants from the sale to 4 friends, doing a little digging and weeding.
Saturday - We'll "walk" to the lake with 2 yo grandson, and maybe visit the hardware store, while Mommy & Daddy take brother on a "big kid" outing.
Sunday - nice weather - a real walk and then some garden time
Sue

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What?????????????

Sue? Are you feeling ok? What fun....I love it all and would have loved to have shared it with you......but, this is remarkable! What a glorious week....You must be on heavy prednisone, or something!
bless you and all your goodness.elizabeth

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@ess77

What?????????????

Sue? Are you feeling ok? What fun....I love it all and would have loved to have shared it with you......but, this is remarkable! What a glorious week....You must be on heavy prednisone, or something!
bless you and all your goodness.elizabeth

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Elizabeth, yes, finishing up a course for a flare, so will probably feel worse next week. We did put some garden plans on hold for this year to make life simpler. I am blessed with the ability to push for a few days, and a husband and daughter who take up the slack when I crash. Today my little grandsons really wanted the pond uncovered and cleaned so the fountain sculpture can be installed and started up. So at 2 and 5 they helped move the rocks, roll back the tarps, move planters. I was amazed at how much they helped. Then the 5 yo got to use the hose to help clean and fill the pond what couldbebetterfora little kid?. Grandpa did the heavy lifting and it will be ready tomorrow. It usually takes me 3 days to do it all myself, so I'm beyond impressed with them. We had a glorious day together then Auntie bathed the littles and put them to bed while we took their parents out to eat for the first time in 17 months.
Tomorrow we get a visit from our best friends of nearly 40 years.
Life is blessed.
Sue

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@artist01

@becsbuddy, @jakedduck1, @loribmt , @ess77 and all you walkers out there. I've finally got back to my daily walking regime, although it's going very slow and I'm not going very far yet. I'm trying to catch up to my pre-hospital pedometer -steps though, so highly motivated to beat myself! Today I walked in the sunshine for 1956 steps, 22 minutes , which was 0.93 km or 0.578 mile, whatever that means! Lol

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Just take your time. Remember the tortoise and the hare? Our walking group isn't about how fast or how far - it's about getting up and moving according to your ability on any given day. Otherwise I would be too discouraged to even try - I used to run to, around and back from the local lake - over 4 miles in under 40 minutes. Now I hope to be able to get to 2 miles in 40 minutes this summer.
Sue

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@sueinmn

Just take your time. Remember the tortoise and the hare? Our walking group isn't about how fast or how far - it's about getting up and moving according to your ability on any given day. Otherwise I would be too discouraged to even try - I used to run to, around and back from the local lake - over 4 miles in under 40 minutes. Now I hope to be able to get to 2 miles in 40 minutes this summer.
Sue

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@sueinmn Two miles in 40 minutes is awesome, Sue! I used to hike the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. It was incredible to reach the very top of the 5,000 or 6,000 ft. peaks and drink in the panoramic glory laid out before our eyes - me and my sons, with Rufus, or later, Spike.
Ah, the good ol' days. Now, today's 2000 steps is a happy accomplishment! Lol.

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@sueinmn

Just take your time. Remember the tortoise and the hare? Our walking group isn't about how fast or how far - it's about getting up and moving according to your ability on any given day. Otherwise I would be too discouraged to even try - I used to run to, around and back from the local lake - over 4 miles in under 40 minutes. Now I hope to be able to get to 2 miles in 40 minutes this summer.
Sue

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@sueinmn The key is what you said, "it's about getting up and moving according to your ability on any given day"
Yesterday I had plans to go with my neighbor to the local grange annual rummage sale. Woke up feeling not-so-good, but wanted to honor my commitment to go. So I did, not feeling well the entire time. Came home and pretty much collapsed on the couch [empty-handed, no less!]. Restless night, but feeling better today. Planning to do some housecleaning and walking in the beautiful sunshine today.
Ginger

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@artist01

@sueinmn Two miles in 40 minutes is awesome, Sue! I used to hike the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. It was incredible to reach the very top of the 5,000 or 6,000 ft. peaks and drink in the panoramic glory laid out before our eyes - me and my sons, with Rufus, or later, Spike.
Ah, the good ol' days. Now, today's 2000 steps is a happy accomplishment! Lol.

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I found this quote today. It fits right in with our walking. “Oh let’s marvel at the world, the stroke and color of it now, while breathing”
(It’s from a poem by Deborah Landau: Skeletons)
Had a cold walk this morning, even wished I had my mittens! But it’s so pretty outside and smells beautiful!
Now we’re waiting for our former Indian grad student that we sponsored. His parents are doctors (eastern medicine) so I can just imagine what they’re going thru! Happy walking!

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Another day when my walk consisted of working in the yard - getting the pond ready for summer and trying to arrange all the edging stones to my liking.
Followed by a lovely afternoon into evening patio visit with dear friends, and take out pizza for an easy meal. We walked around checking progress in the gardens and enjoyed the cardinals bathing in the newly filled bird bath.
Yesterday, instead of walking with my grandson, we snuggled on the old chaise lounge and examined the emerging leaves and sky above us- discussing how the colors change and what it means.
All of these are my definition of bliss.
Tomorrow I'll walk to the lake to check on the nesting eagles and hatching ducklings.
Sue

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@becsbuddy

I found this quote today. It fits right in with our walking. “Oh let’s marvel at the world, the stroke and color of it now, while breathing”
(It’s from a poem by Deborah Landau: Skeletons)
Had a cold walk this morning, even wished I had my mittens! But it’s so pretty outside and smells beautiful!
Now we’re waiting for our former Indian grad student that we sponsored. His parents are doctors (eastern medicine) so I can just imagine what they’re going thru! Happy walking!

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@becsbuddy Becky, what a lovely, and appropriate, quote! We do indeed marvel at the awesome beauty of our world. Thankyou for posting that.
And may I ask, what did you mean by "waiting for your sponsored Indian grad student"? Was he visiting you? From India? How wonderful that would be. I've sponsored underpriviledged children in Columbia for years, and we often wish we could visit. Hugs, Laurie

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After eight weeks post op with my foot surgery, I believe that I may be making some progress. I missed mowing my lawn even though I was tending to my flowers beds. Time to get back to mowing later this week. I have been walking, today felt better as well. What a blessing!

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I am walking a bit further each day. Using a pair of walking poles helps me keep my balance/better posture, and staying to flat surfaces, only. PT twice a week for the nerve impingement, my numb left foot is getting better very slowly. Sure will be glad when it's better!
Ginger

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