To Walk or Not To Walk?

[Edwin]

Heights have always bothered me. I am different than my Dad was. He would be as high as you can imagine and it didn't bother him at all. It was just like he was on the ground. If he would stumble at high places he would catch himself and go on. He never did get hurt or have a mishap with a ladder. He teased me because he know I was afraid. He would tell me, "You can always come down, don't worry about that!" Mom wanted to hold the ladder for Dad, and he would tell her to stay away from his ladder because he was afraid she would push the ladder over trying to hold it. He was being funny more than anything else, because high places bothered her also! The last employment I had when I needed to climb a ladder I would talk the cook into coming and watching me. I told him that if I fell I wanted someone to know right then that I fell!

[Edwin]

Last fall, and I can't remember exactly when, but I think it was in October some time, I stopped walking because of my cellar work. My son-in-law started working with me laying concrete blocks, and I had to be available to help him because it was really my project, and then he asked me to do things on the block wall while he was gone to work, so I just couldn't walk any more. Then when I finished with my projects the snowing, the blowing, the drifting, and the extreme cold temperatures began. We had to be gone to be with our grandson and his wife to be when they came from the East Coast to visit, and so we moved my big doggie, Scooby down the hill to our youngest daughter's place, and put him in with the horse. After that he smelled like a horse, although he and the horse were both very happy.

Yesterday afternoon we just brough him home! He licked my face and hands all the way up the hill. He loves us a lot, and he was very happy to be coming home. After a long spell of not walking at all, I just got back from walking 6.5 miles, and I feel fine now, but later I may feel muscles that have not walked for a while! It felt good to get out and walk, even if it was on snow, mud, and a little bit of good road surface!

[red]

Walking has good health benefits. I don't need it much nowadays because I am always standing and walking at work, ha ha. I got muscles now too. I thought i lose weight but no its just getting rid of those fats and make some muscles. I lose weight some for good but only few pounds. So yes sir ed, get some walking if you need it because it is good for you.

[Edwin]

Red, you are probably getting so many muscles that your husband will be afraid of you!

You are right, Red, lean tissue weighs more that fat tissue, so you can lose fat, gain muscles, and actually gain weight, and it is very good for you! I am very happy for you, Red, and yes, walking is great, and I am very happy to have my wonderful friend, Scooby, back here at home, and very happy to be walking again! It is one of the best things you can do for yourself, is to walk!

[Edwin]

Well, today I completed my sixth day of walking 6.5 miles each day. I have walked a total of 39 miles in those 6 days. I have taken University classes a couple of times that called for an exercise plan. I had to keep a log, and record the reaction of my body to the exercising. The program and the books I had read stressing exercise recommend getting a doctor's release before exercising, but I have worked really hard at different times in my life, and I never saw a doctor to find out if it was safe to stress my body, but I just went for it. With this walking it is the same. The first day I walked as much as I would walk any time. I did have pretty sore leg muscles for about 3 days, and even after 6 days of walking I don't feel like I am competely hardened in to it yet. It could be because I am walking with pretty heavy snow boots, and I am walking in snow, on ice, and in mud part of the time, and I think the walking is harder than I would be doing any other time. I stopped walking because of working on my cellar. Then when I was finished the weather was so severe that I told myself that I shouldn't walk until the weather got better, and last Friday I decided it was time to walk again. I took my gloves the first day, but kept them in my pocket! I quit wearing my ear muffs after about the third day! One day I wished that I would have worn my gloves as it was cold enough that I kept a hand in my pocket alternatively to keep them warm. The rest of my body has been warm enough, even without wearing a coat because of the activity. It is an investment as it takes me about 2 hours each day to do that much walking, but it is good for me, and the doggies love it!