Walking with Arthritis
Ouch! People with arthritis is missing out on a wonderful health benefit by walking.
Last year at this time I could not walk without pain and I certainly could not climb stairs. It was just impossible! I had arthritis in my hips. Do not give up – I didn’t give up – I got up and forced taking steps without crawling for a short distance each and every day. Within 10 days I was walking with straight body posture. The secret is to start slow and take what people call “baby steps” in the beginning.
I checked with my doctor, as you should check with your doctor, before starting a walking program. The doctor said “great, start slow and build up…it will be the best exercise for you”. It depends upon your mental attitude as well. It is too easy to give up when pain sets in on your body. Our brain tells us “ouch, that hurts, stop it”. Our response to our brain is “OK. It does hurt so I will stop”. I told my brain to “grin and bear it I was not going to stop”. Last week my grandson said to me as we were climbing his stairs to put him to bed “grandma, you are not crawling up the stairs like a baby or using the hand bar anymore”. A sense of pride went through my whole body when I heard those words and I could tell by the sound of his voice he was proud of me – and surprised!! There are ways to naturally relieve some of our pain. My friend, Kathryn Merrow, has a website you will want to visit http://www.simplepainrelief.com
- Start with a few stretching exercise with your legs and arms before you walk each and every time.
- Make sure you give your feet proper fitting walking shoes. If your shoes do not fit correctly, more pain will be experienced because your shoes are hurting your feet. Do not wear cotton socks they will cause blisters and give you wet feet – not good. Hunt until you find “CoolMax Performance Fabric” socks.
- Go for short walks in the beginning. Walk slow for about 10 days before increasing your distance or your speed in walking.
- Walk outside in the fresh air, if possible. Let your lungs benefit from fresh air every day.
- Walk with a buddy. Do not walk by yourself. You may need help somewhere along the way.
- Sit down and rest if you need to when you are walking. That is OK and sometimes needed.
- Return home with the attitude that arthritis is NOT going to take over your body.
