October 2020: Keep on Moving Thread

[Sunshine 2]

I swam yesterday, not today.
I have been using the app for walking on my iPhone. I wear it wound my neck, cross body way.
Here are my numbers:
Mon. 1594
Tues 1594
Wed.164 (IVIG)
This 1692
Fri 1884
Sat 1612

I use it as incentive to try to walk more when I can. Often it occurs mid to end of day, when the anti spasm meds really kick in more
My 28$ Amazon pedometer worked great the firs few weeks, but then it just started to miss even large numbers of stepping bursts.

[agate]

Congratulations on the step counts, Sunshine!

[Virginia]

Sunshine, those are really great numbers!

[agate]

That reminded me that I hadn't posted my September average, a bit lower than the previous several months: 1,487 steps/day taken in September on average, based on 27 days.

[Virginia]

If that is down Agate, you must have had some really good days in those 27 days.

I have a serious question for all of you exercise gurus. If you stand for long periods of time, but are basically not walking other than a step or two does that help to strengthen your legs, or do you have to be walking? When I say a long time, I am talking about maybe two hours.

[agate]

I don't know the answer, Virginia, but I'm pretty sure that walking beats standing as exercise simply because it uses more muscles. Standing is good, of course, particularly if you've been told to do a lot of weight-bearing exercise but walking is probably better for most people except some who might make some problem worse by walking.

For instance, a podiatrist told me that walking would make my bunion worse. That was about 8 years ago and I haven't noticed that it's any worse. Maybe that's not true, or maybe I don't walk enough to make it worse. This was the only time a doctor has ever cautioned me against walking.

[Sunshine 2]

Today I swam 1/2 mile. Yesterday’s step count was 1471.

I think standing is good, but it doesnt exercise your body in teh same way, or build bone. Is walking hard for you when you are simply standing?

[Virginia]

The reason I asked is because yesterday I decided to iron. I ironed almost exactly two hours from 4:23PM until 6:26PM. I did not sit down once during that time. However, there is no way I could walk that long, even one hour is too much. Today I finished by ironing for just over one hour. I thought I had 5 blouses laying on the back of my love seat in my office waiting on me. It turned out I had 7, plus of course I knew about the place mats and napkins that I starch and iron because I use them as decorative pieces in the kitchen. For some reason the one hour I stood today was harder than the two that I stood yesterday. I wonder if it is because I did it earlier in the day and I am stronger later in the day. Maybe yesterday was better as far as time of day.

I got on the computer and ordered a new iron and ironing board cover last night. Started to save the ironing I did today until I get my new iron, but was afraid I wouldn't set everything up and do it when the iron came in.

[Virginia]

Sunshine, we were cross posting. Yes walking is very hard for me. The standing was hard today, even though it was only half the time as yesterday.

Also I find standing in my kitchen is harder than in my bedroom. I set the ironing board up in the bedroom. There is carpet there. The kitchen is tile. It is suppose to be a soft tile, but it is still hard.

[agate]

The reason I asked is because yesterday I decided to iron. I ironed almost exactly two hours from 4:23PM until 6:26PM. I did not sit down once during that time. However, there is no way I could walk that long, even one hour is too much. Today I finished by ironing for just over one hour. I thought I had 5 blouses laying on the back of my love seat in my office waiting on me. It turned out I had 7, plus of course I knew about the place mats and napkins that I starch and iron because I use them as decorative pieces in the kitchen. For some reason the one hour I stood today was harder than the two that I stood yesterday. I wonder if it is because I did it earlier in the day and I am stronger later in the day. Maybe yesterday was better as far as time of day.

I got on the computer and ordered a new iron and ironing board cover last night. Started to save the ironing I did today until I get my new iron, but was afraid I wouldn't set everything up and do it when the iron came in.

It sounds to me as if today's ironing couldn't go on for as long because you did so much yesterday. I couldn't iron for 2 hours nonstop. After 20 minutes or so, I'm sitting down for a break, and if it looked as if the ironing was going to take 2 hours, I'd put off some of it until some other day. If I'd done 2 hours of ironing in one day, I'd pay for it the next day and maybe even for several days after that.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

Ironing? I don't do that any more. When Jim had his daily radiation treatments for 3 weeks, I had to iron my blouses and his shirts every day. I have blouses, which need ironing, if I'm going to wear them. Avoiding ironing is simple: don't wear them.

How many of you started out ironing at an early age? I think I was about 9, when ironing pillowcases and my uncle's handkerchiefs was my given task. I didn't mind it too much, because my grandma kept me company and made me a tasty lunch of fried baloney sandwiches, BBQ potato chips and Pepsi.

I am amazed that you could stand for 2 hours, Virginia, to iron. But I'm not surprised that you couldn't do a repeat performance the next day.

This morning, I lifted bags of trash to take to the bins, unloaded the dishwasher, then watered the backyard plants and added water to Michael's pond. A lot of stooping, bending, lifting, and standing.

John showed up about noon to check on me, and the first thing he said was,"What have you been doing? You're really bent over today."

I'll tell you what I haven't been doing for over a week: walking in the morning. Why? Poor air quality, mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus, and dawn breaks about 2 hours after I've awakened. I need to get out there earlier, which is what I'm used to doing. But with the seasons changing, as they do, I have no motivation to go out before or after dawn.

Standing has always worn me out more than walking, or exercising, or dancing. My RA joints need movement, and standing is the worst thing for them.

All of our floors are Pergo, installed by Jim. So, I'm standing on a hard surface everywhere. We did this for the boys' wheelchairs/walkers.

In the kitchen, I have 3 "fatigue mats," which help me cope with standing on a concrete floor (we don't even have tile on it). In front of the sink, the stove, and the pantry. They do help.

The other difference between standing and walking or moving your legs is the potential for circulation issues and blood clots. This is why we do PT, range of motion, etc. Movement also prevents atrophy.

In summary ~ more stretching, moving, and taking breaks, and less standing.

As Sunshine says, "Keep On Moving!"

Love & Light,



Rose

*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!

[Virginia]

I guess we do what we can do. I can't walk, but yesterday much to my surprise I was able to stand that long. I could not have gone on another 15 minutes. I thought of Jeanie and felt that standing was better than sitting plus my ironing would not have gotten done if I had stayed in a sitting position. My pedometer only showed about 265 steps yesterday. Of course that pedometer lies 3/4 of the time.

After standing this morning, I had some lunch, rested up and took a long shower later today and washed my hair. Then I had to blow my hair dry and then use the curling iron on it and do a comb out. I didn't even have the pedometer on me during that time. I fixed supper, which was a fairly easy meal tonight, but that was just more standing in the kitchen. Already my pedometer shows 423 steps today. So I will do a minimum of 500 but probably more like 600. When you compare that to yesterday, I would have to say my pedometer makes no sense.

[Virginia]

Well, today I went to the bank, then to Doctor's office to get flu shot. Then I went to grocery store. I timed myself this time and I was in there 1hr and 17 min. I came home and unloaded the car making 3 trips. I put everything away and got into comfortable clothes and fixed a quick supper.

My step count is 1554 and will be probably 1650 before I go to bed. Not as good as y'all, but since it is the best this pedometer has ever done I am not going to kick it. I wore my compression knee highs to see if it would help me walk. They are all but impossible for me to put on, but I think I am going to have to wear them all the time. I have lymphedema and my feet stay so swollen and big that it makes it hard to walk. Joan (Nuthatch) had this and she and I were hoping mine was edema, but it has turned out to be lymphedema. That was the cause of her not being able to walk. Her feet were real swollen and it caused her to fall and her feet turned inward breaking both her ankles. They could never set them right and she was in a wheel chair for life. David, her husband, started having to wrap her feet and legs like a mummy. He lifted her up in the bed and she could not turn over or move through the rest of the night. He lifted her out of the bed in the mornings.

So I know I will not walk as much as those of you who are not faced with swollen toes, swollen across the tops of the feet, the inside of the ankles, etc.

I got up to 1369 one day last month. I went to the store that day also. But if I make it to 1650 for today that will be good for me.

[Sunshine 2]

That is terrific Virginia!!! Don’t downplay your accomplishment!
Today I will swim. Yesterday I walked 1357 steps.I had a LOT of problems with spasticity yesterday. Hoping it calms down. My breathing is still a big problem and will see the new pulmonary doc this coming week.

[Sunshine 2]

I swam today.

Lately, SPS has been squeezing my rib cage, and asthma has been flaring. My CT scan is Wednesday of teh lungs to see what’s going on. I could go on and on about the horrid medical stuff I am up against,, but it won’t change it. So, I wait, and try my best.