I’ve been injured and sedentary too long. A couple of weeks ago I started walking along the bus route until it hurt too much, then hobbled onto a bus back home.
Today I made that distance and back with low/manageable pain.
Next time the same route will be less pain, and soon I’ll try going as far as I can in the other direction and bus back again.
Wrong sub. This is not a little win! It takes courage, strength and willpower. I’ve been in a similar situation. You do it exactly right. Keep it up, don’t push it (that will become the hard part very soon) I’m proud of you.
Just want to say i second this
Ps: There will also be set backs. Don’t be hard on yourself. Sometimes it’s two steps forward and one step back. It’s bi-weekly (or monthly) progression that counts
This!! So much respect.
Thank you! It feels both tiny and huge at the same time.
That’s amazing, congrats! Every day you go for this walk is a victory
Thank you! I don’t do this every day but like 2-3 days in a row, then 2-3 days without. The rest days are more mental than physical, I think.
Very glad for you! That’s a sound strategy for testing and increasing your limits safely.
Thank you! I’ve made so many convoluted plans and training schedules and never followed through with a single one, so finally I went “just try it - go until you can’t go more, then stop”.
Keep it up. And just remember to feel your pain. If you mask it you can’t trust your body to prevent making it worse.
I’ve spent some time with long distance hikers, and not one of them was pain free. Some quit due to pain, and others walked through it. Some got worse and some got better. After 5 months, everybody at the end was in pain, but we were also still walking 25 miles per day. For me, each morning putting weight on my feet felt like I was crushing every bone in my foot. I hobbled around through coffee and breakfast and packing up. After about 20-30 minutes of walking the pain was gone. After the trail, my feet hurt every morning for about 2 to 3 weeks. But without a mile to walk it off, they would hurt for a couple hours at work. Eventually it faded away.
Anyway sometimes pain is there to tell you not to do something. And other times it’s just there to tell you to be mindful and gentle. It takes practice to discern the difference.
Thank you! Yeah, today was harder, pain wise… but I probably err on the side of caution. Like I’ll stop when the pain makes me walk funny, only limping and shuffling instead of taking steps.
But that sounds like just getting warmed up for you haha! 5 months hiking, at once? It’s a full on lifestyle at that point. Incredibly impressive, truly.
It was a lifestyle and it feels like a dream or a different lifetime. I don’t feel like that person anymore but I do have all the memories!
Today I’m lucky if I log 7,000 steps on my pedometer (3 miles, or one hour).
I’m convinced walking is the most sustainable fitness activity there is. Almost everything else trends toward injury, but walking is the first real physical feat any of us accomplished. Walking is the only activity that can be done for nearly every waking hour in a day. You can even eat while walking (though it’s not very enjoyable).
The other thing most people don’t consider is that walking is a form of meditation. Especially strenuous walking when you get your breathing consciously synced with your steps.
You also might look into Tai Chi walking. Basically super slo-mo balanced walking. It strengthens all of your walking muscles without all the hassle of going on a walk.
7000 steps is really good though! Even if it doesn’t seem like a lot compared to the extreme walking you used to do, it’s good.
Yes, to my understanding humans evolved for long distance walking and running, not for sitting. Which sucks, because I love sitting almost as much as I love lying down, haha.
I looked into tai chi walking, thanks for the tip! I’ll probably not attempt it as a routine, but I think walking slower is better for my pain and I can perhaps try to do the slow balancing steps for a short portion of my walks.
Oh that’s a fantastic idea to walk along the bus route and just catch one back when you’re done. Keep it up man!
Thank you! Yeah, it can be hard to assess the halfway point beforehand, and I have both bad days and good days (I didn’t make it all the way home today, but it was still good), so having transport nearby means I can attempt to go further.
Oooh moments like that when you start to get back into life are so good!
It really is! It seems so small compared to where I was years ago, but so huge compared to just a month ago. And having the sun on my face felt really nice, instead of hiding inside like I usually choose to.
Oooh congrats! As someone with severe mobility problems and chronic pain, I understand what an accomplishment this is. I am so so SO happy for you! <3
Thank you! It’s rough when you want to be able to do so much but is limited by your own body and/or mind. But on the other hand, every small victory is feels awesome!
Good job!
Thank you!
