Salve!
Today I walked a little over a mile to my brothers house. There were a few steep inclines and I had to stop and take a breath but the biggest incline I was dreading was my brother's driveway which, when I'm in my car, feels very steep.
Luckily it was not so bad!
My new shoes performed fine. They're a bit longer in length than what I'm used too and don't have a lot of cushion (more below, that's Nike!) but they'll do for the next few months before I can save up for the Altra or the Topo that I'm looking to get. The length I need to be aware of because with the tracks at the bottom of the show (grips more like it), it would be easy for the extra length to cause me to trip and fall if I'm not aware and taking it slow. If I'm tired it's easy for me to drag my feet and that's where I think the fall or tripping would occur.
These trail shoes have very little "drop" which I think is another name for cushion but I'm sure I'll learn more as the months go by. I did feel the impact on my joints. My left knee definitely got my attention and my right foot too -- which is heavily fused.
I think I also felt it a bit more because I did a lot of gardening work this am before heading out for my walk and for the gardening work I was wearing my Topo's which I love because they are so heavily cushioned. I'm sure all my joints, back, and muscles were put to the test on my pavement walking for 1+ mile after finishing up the hour or so of heavy gardening work.
I'll take it slow again tomorrow for my 1 mile walk and continue for the next six days. Then I'll evaluate how I'm doing and feeling.
I'm dreading weighing myself but I want this to be inspirational for anyone like me who has put on incredible weight and wants to take it off but not with pills, surgery, diets or special meals, but by simply walking. Weight is a measurable item and by seeing my progress not just by how well my clothes fit but my actual weight loss, I hope to show it can be done. Not super fast, not starvation, but by just walking at a normal speed every day.
Oh, another measurable -- it took me 35 minutes from the time I left to the time I reached my brothers front door for 1.1 miles. That's longer than the "average" they give of 20 minutes -- and that's something measurable as well.
Valeatis!
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