Staying Healthy on Humzoo

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2008

Thursday, June 19th, 2008
Staying Healthy

I took the dogs for a 15 min. walk after work today. It has been a very long time since I have been able to walk them. I tore ligaments in my left knee two years ago and my knee has not been the same ever since. I would like to from this day forward continue to try to get it back into whatever normal condition it can possibly be. Yes, I am getting older, yes, Dr.'s have diagnosed extreme Arthritis and I have accepted it. BUT, I am not going to sit back and just let it take over. I am choosing to be healthy and that is that. I have two trips planned this coming year, one in July to Nashville to see the Men's Barbershop International Competition and then in November to Hawaii where I will be a competitor with my Chorus for our International Competition.

It will be my first for a lot of things and I want to be in the best shape for both trips. I have made some major goals for myself and for anyone in humzooland that has any advice for me I am very open to suggestions. I know walking the dogs is number one on my list of things to start doing and I know I can't push myself too far, my therapist has advised for me that pain is not gain for me and I do have to stop when I start feeling pain. I have also taken a few tips from reading/watching the Secret and am going to post more of my goals on my frig to start my "vision board". Tonight I posted my goal weight. Printed it nice and BIG, so I don't miss seeing it even from the family room.

On a side note, anther goal is the get Joey to be a better walked dog, he is still pulling some and wants to check out everything in sight.

Tags: Emmy, Health, Joey, Linda, outdoors, vision board, walking

10 Comments

1) Good for you-what about getting in a pool for water aerobics? I am not near one now but when we lived up in the mountains I was spending a couple of hours a day in a heated pool and loved it. It is a great way to exercie without stressing your joints.

dannie Thursday, June 19, 2008

2) How ironic, we had a pool in our back yard and it pretty much died right before I injured my knee. It was my own little vacation every summer, loved it and very sorry it is gone. It is now a concrete patio (see backyard pics).

SA Tenor Thursday, June 19, 2008

3) Sorry, do you have a Y or sometimes the hospitals will have a therapeutic pool.

dannie Thursday, June 19, 2008

4) The Y doesn't have a therapeutic pool, but Fit Club does, and it's nice. I highly recommend it. You can get an employer discount. Not sure what it is. It helped me recover from my latest kneecap dislocation. And they have some good classes you can attend too.

Courtney Heinzel Thursday, June 19, 2008

5) Good luck. Posting messages and pictures on your vision board is a great idea. Walking is the best exercise you can do because it is low impact. I agree with Dannie about pool workouts too. They are fun and easy on the joints.

Leslie Thursday, June 19, 2008

6) I actually was a member there for two years but the classes didn't fit my schedule, I think the ones that I wanted were during work hours. I wasn't a very good member at the time. :(

SA Tenor Thursday, June 19, 2008

7) Sam pulls a bunch on walks and wants to sniff and bark at anything that moves. My wife doesn't like it but she never walks him. I enjoy his energy and it gives him good exercise to pull against me.

LimeyGeorge Thursday, June 19, 2008

8) I'm with your wife, George. Don't like forging (pulling) dogs. I don't mind the leash being at the length but not pulling. Must be the old (literally and figuratively) dog trainer in me. Hard on the neck area too, but you have a right to walk your dog as you like. SA, walking is great. I got up to 5 mi. a day with my dog on weekdays and sometimes up to 9 on weekends when we had longer. I lost weight, got in better shape, and felt great. I still had a ways to go but even a neighbor (unknown) in MN noticed the difference in my walking and shape. She told me I was her inspiration because rain or shine, snow or not, she'd pass us every morning and it got her back to exercising too. We not only did ourselves a favor (he got out of a boring yard-dog mode) but we impacted someone else too. Good luck with the walking and water aerobics Courtney mentioned. Both sound good.

LGrant Thursday, June 19, 2008

9) I am hoping the walking will be my real start and serve 2 purposes, Me and Joey. I have tried all the fad diets and have been up and down since I have been married with children. I am focusing this time on just eating smart. Now, I still have to make your DBCC cookies but plan on sharing them at the office (heads up LimeyGeorge, you might have to make a field trip to 1900 to get one on Monday) I just want to start making better choices for a lot of things from now on.

I have to admit, I have seen a little of Caesar Milan's Dog Whisperer and agree with some of his philosophy on the dog walking so I have always attempted to be the "leader" in my pack when we walk. Joey is just so stubborn and jittery at everything. Almost as if he is afraid of people.

SA Tenor Thursday, June 19, 2008

10) More walking will help that--and being assertive without being demanding so the walk is enjoyable. Lucky was much worse about hitting the end of the leash and pulling if not forging completely but when we moved here we had less of an open area to walk so I wanted him to be more controlled if not rigidly walking beside me. We worked out a stop at each street and a treat if he stopped. He quickly learned and enjoyed the exercise as a game. If I attempted to move without the treat--he would look at me like "what?" and dance a bit. It was fun to tease him a bit after he knew it was more fun than "obedience". Depends on the dog but he will get better with more walking and a little control to let him know you rule! :)

LGrant Thursday, June 19, 2008