The Benefits of Walking

[Edwin]

When my big dog, Scooby comes in the house before his walk, I don't know if he is so excited because he is going to get to walk, or because he knows he gets two treats broken into 8 pieces! Does he ever get excited! When I got back from walking this evening it was 45 minutes later than normal. I didn't think I went for an extra round, but I did that last summer, getting confused about which round I was on and going an extra round! I think Scooby wanting to stop and smell of everything took extra time, and I don't push him. If he wants to stop, we stop. He is too big to argue with! Actually I can make him go if it is important, but he is such a good doggie, that I let him do what he wants to do part of the time!

[Edwin]

Well, last evening I got started to walking with my doggies just like always. I had been walking about one hour when this terrible storm came out of no where. I don't think I have ever been out in wind that strong before. Then it started raining, and the drops felt almost like very small hail stones, and they might have been. They were stinging my face as they were hitting me. Our daughter came after me, but she would not have need to have done that as I was okay, but she was pretty worried about me, because she is afraid of the wind. Well, I and the doggies got a ride home!

[Edwin]

I am a confirmed walker! I walk 6.5 miles most every day, unless I am gone from this place and can't get back. I have finished all the digging I need to do in the cellar. I could dig a little deeper in the run off water resevoir, but I don't think it is necessary, so I didn't do any work in the cellar at all today, as I also have the slope on the floor so that it will run water towards the drain. I was actually finished with the main part of the digging on August 7th. Our kids have been so busy I hated to push them to get me started on the construction of the walls, but I decided that I needed to get going with it, so I sent a message to them, and our son-in-law is coming over after they get some hay stacked. I knew I would have to be here to meet with him, so I decided to walk the doggies this morning. We don't get around very early, but I thought it would be cool enough before noon, so right after breakfast I started on the walk with the doggies. They didn't want to walk fast, and that is okay, as I never push them to do more than they feel like doing. Our smaller doggie, Rand, decided it was too hot for him, so he went to the house! I managed to walk with the larger doggie, Scooby for 5.5 miles, and then he was too hot, and too tired to continue. He laid down in the shade. He did that last year when he got hot and tired, and I don't push him, but he got up after a little while and was ready to go again. But this morning he did not get up, just laid there, and I waited for him forever. He acted like he was a little sick also, so after he laid there a long time, I encouraged him to get up, and we went right home, cutting one mile out of our normal walk. When it is this hot, and I am going to walk in the morning I will need to leave the house no later than 7 a.m., and then we will probably make it okay. I would rather walk in the evening, but evening is the only time our son-in-law will be able to work with me. He won't be working with me much, just enough to help get me started, and then I will be doing it. Our youngest daughter volunteered to help, so when I start laying blocks I will probably call her, and tell her to get up here and help me!

[crisipicada]

I am a confirmed walker! I walk 6.5 miles most every day, unless I am gone from this place and can't get back. I have finished all the digging I need to do in the cellar. I could dig a little deeper in the run off water resevoir, but I don't think it is necessary, so I didn't do any work in the cellar at all today, as I also have the slope on the floor so that it will run water towards the drain. I was actually finished with the main part of the digging on August 7th. Our kids have been so busy I hated to push them to get me started on the construction of the walls, but I decided that I needed to get going with it, so I sent a message to them, and our son-in-law is coming over after they get some hay stacked. I knew I would have to be here to meet with him, so I decided to walk the doggies this morning. We don't get around very early, but I thought it would be cool enough before noon, so right after breakfast I started on the walk with the doggies. They didn't want to walk fast, and that is okay, as I never push them to do more than they feel like doing. Our smaller doggie, Rand, decided it was too hot for him, so he went to the house! I managed to walk with the larger doggie, Scooby for 5.5 miles, and then he was too hot, and too tired to continue. He laid down in the shade. He did that last year when he got hot and tired, and I don't push him, but he got up after a little while and was ready to go again. But this morning he did not get up, just laid there, and I waited for him forever. He acted like he was a little sick also, so after he laid there a long time, I encouraged him to get up, and we went right home, cutting one mile out of our normal walk. When it is this hot, and I am going to walk in the morning I will need to leave the house no later than 7 a.m., and then we will probably make it okay. I would rather walk in the evening, but evening is the only time our son-in-law will be able to work with me. He won't be working with me much, just enough to help get me started, and then I will be doing it. Our youngest daughter volunteered to help, so when I start laying blocks I will probably call her, and tell her to get up here and help me!

wow, that is 10.4 kilometers walk! When I was staying at my sis house, we walk almost everyday at the CMU campus for 3.8 miles using pedometer or that is an hour walk. When am at the barrio for weekend, I walk an hour in the morning and an hour before I go to bed in the evening or in the afternoon. Lately, I walk with Girlie at 30 minutes in the morning. And also some exercising so that I have a good sleep before I go to bed.

[Edwin]

If I had a regular job I probably couldn't walk that much, because I probably wouldn't have the time. To walk that 6.5 miles if my doggie, Scooby will walk fast I can do that in about 2 hours. If he will not walk fast it takes me at least 2.5 hours to walk that distance. This morning it was hotter than I realized, and Scooby completely played out, got tired, and almost acted sick at 5.5 miles, so I thought I was lucky to get that far, and after allowing him to rest for a long time, I went right straight home with him. The other doggie, Rand, gave up, decided it was too hot, and went home after about the first couple of miles. Rand is not on the leash, so he can do what he wants, and he is very well behaved, making no problem. When cars/trucks pass I do hand on to both the doggies, because Rand wants to chase the vehicles, and I don't want him to get run over!

Exercise helps you to sleep as long as you have a little time to relax between exercising and bed time. When I walk in the evening, which I really like the best, the first half of the distance is slow because it is still hot from the day. Then as the sun is near setting and even set below the horizon the doggies cool off, and then they walk almost faster than I can walk. We make it in two hours when the walk goes that way. I won't start walking that late in the morning again! I didn't realize it before, but at least these doggies can't walk when it is hot. The loose doggie, Rand, lays in the shade and waits for us, and the big doggie, Scoobie, sits or lays down, and I will not push them to walk when they don't want to, because they know better than I do how they feel. I love walking. In the moring I will have to start at 7 a.m. to get finished before it gets too hot.

[Edwin]

Yesterday morning I did start walking at 7:30 a.m., and it was cool enought that the big doggie, Scooby, was glad to walk fast the entire 6.5 miles. The smaller doggie, Rand, stayed with us the for the entire walk, not bailing out on us and going home, like he did when he was too hot the morning before! My big doggie, Scooby, the hot walk the morning before was stressed from the heat, and I am glad it happened right at our mailbox, so it was a short walk to the house so he could get shade and water, and he was fine. He got to hot last summer, but it was a short rest, and then we were on our way, but the other morning it was hotter than that! It will be a couple of weeks before my son-in-law can work with me on constructing the cellar walls of cement blocks, cinder blocks, so I will walk in the evenings until then, which I really like the best, and Carol tells me she is too tired to walk in the morning, so it will be back to evening walking. She has been walking one mile with me, which any walking is better than no walking, so it is good that she is walking, and I like to have her walking with me, even that short distance. Last summer she was walking 2.5 miles each day, but this summer she is not doing as well, so any walking that she does is great. Her hip, arthritis, bothers her more. Then she has breathing/heart pounding problems sometimes, with her endurance lower. She is doing well with her blood glucose control though, and everything else seems to be good for her. She just gets really tired if she goes anywhere or does anything. But she is making an effort anyway!

[Edwin]

Our hours of daylight are getting fewer all the time. Yesterday coming home at the end of our walk with the doggies I was in the dark. I could still see where I was going, but I couldn't see details very well on the ground. As long as I can walk without turning my ankle by stepping on a rock that I did not see, that will be okay. It is still so hot that I don't want to start walking any earlier, but it is late on the return. The clock still says it is as early as ever, but it is dark. Soon I will have to start walking 30 minutes earlier, and by that time maybe it will be cooler!

[Edwin]

We are supposed to be having a cooling trend! Yesterday inspite of the weather report telling of cooling, storms, 10 % chance of precipitation, it stayed hotter longer into the evening than before. My big doggie, Scoobie, never did really get into high gear. When he does get into high gear, I can't walk fast enough to keep up with him, but he will not walk that fast when it it hot, and he thought it was too hot to walk very fast to the end, which was not only after sun down, but after dark, enough darkness that it was difficult to see. When I got back to the house, it was still hot late into the night, and really all night long! We stayed in town with our youngest daughter too late to walk when we got home. I go out at 7 p.m., but I can't leave any later than that, because it is too dark when I finish. With daylight hours getting shorter, I am going to have to leave earlier than that before long! Right now it is too hot to leave any earlier even if I do finish my walk after dark. I can still see where I am going, but I can't see objects really well on the ground which make a danger of hurting my foot or ankle, but so far I am still okay!

[Edwin]

The daylight hours are continually getting fewer! I am coming back in the dark on a regular basis now. I can see where I am going okay, but I can't see details on the ground that well! As long as I don't step on a rock wrong that I don't see, I will be okay. It was just a tiny bit cooler today. Soon I will have to start walking 30 minutes earlier, at 6:30 p.m.! Carol is still walking one mile which is great for her, and the doggies love to walk!

[crisipicada]

When I was in the barrio for over four days, I was walking a lot. It feels good to exercise and it gives me good sleep. I walk morning and afternoon before bedtime. It just really so hot now since the temperature goes up. There is no rain for three days now. But that is good to note that there is always sunny day in the morning.