2 Miles!

I walked 2 miles today on the treadmill. I have not walked two miles in more than 2 years - so YAY ME! I started last week walking one mile and today was my first crack at two. It took 42 minutes, so there is a lot of room for improvement, but I don't care because I did it!

I've been struggling with all sorts of joint pain since college, but the last two years have been especially rough. Most of it due to the combination rapid weight gain and poor shoe choices. Clogs are so comfortable, but they did such a number on my heels. Probably not as much as the weight gain though.

You may ask, 'how did you get rid of this pain?' And I would answer, 'I tried everything.' doctors, medications, supplements, crazy juices, massive amounts of fish oils, leg braces, orthodics, magnets and any other sure fire remedy someone mentioned in passing. The doctors never really found anything wrong and just said, "stay off your feet and lose 20 pounds." Very helpful. I managed the "stay off your feet" part but gained another 20 instead of losing it. Shocking, I know.

However, I did find a very good chiropractor who has hung in there with me. She has done what she can, especially for the times when the pain got to be severe and rather than just constant. And, I have also discovered deep water Water Aerobics. I have been going 2-3 times a week for about 5 months and the difference is incredible. It was to the point where I had trouble driving because it hurt so much to push the accelerator and today I walked 2 miles, with no pain!

Water aerobics, especially in the deep end is a very kind exercise, (once you get past the initial hurdle of wearing a bathing suit and getting out of it in front of real live people). You can easily go at your own pace and all anyone sees is your head. No one can guess at what level you are working. But you do work. I do not believe I have lost a lot of weight while doing the classes, but the routine of it and just the feeling of being active again have been great benefits. But truly neither of these can compare to loss of pain.

I've begun to call it my water "therapy" just so I am not tempted to commit to anything else that comes up at the same time as the class. It is that important to me. I highly recommend it to anyone who is in a futile position like I was or for people who have never or have not in a long time participated in regular exercise. You do not need to swim, (I sit on a noodle), you just need to stick with it.