Why I Walk

When I got out of the military, I was in exceptional physical condition but I began to gain weight. My eating habits had not changed, so I attributed the weight gain to age being that I was rapidly approaching thirty. My exercise regimen was not nearly as intense as when I was in the military. To be honest, I really didn't have an exercise regimen once I was done with the military. While on active duty, I jogged four to six miles a day, five days a week and there was no way I was going to continue that routine because running daily made my knees hurt. I attempted to jog two to three days a week but I simply could not get into it because of the knee discomfort that followed. I actually thought I was a candidate for a knee replacement. No doctor had ever told me this, but I just thought I was. Regardless, I was determined to get back in shape and I had to come up with routine that I would stick with.

In addition to the Knee pain, I noticed that I was chronically tired. It didn't matter how much sleep I got or how many vitamins I took, I felt exhausted all the time. I tried two or three different brands of vitamins, but they almost always upset my digestive system. Despite the discomforts I was experiencing, I decided to begin taking a two-mile walk every day. I couldn't walk in the evenings because I was in night school in addition to working full time, so I decided to take morning walks. My children had been given a German Shepherd puppy a few months earlier as a gift so I had the perfect walking companion, and besides, not to my surprise, the kids were not keeping their part of our agreement to walk her daily. Nine years have passed and I'm still walking, five or six miles a day, and with the same companion. I feel great and I cannot remember the last time I had knee pain.

I have a very stressful life being a parent of three, not that everyone who has children aren't stressed, but I put emphasis on that fact because that is my experience and the major contributing factor to my stress. Yes, I have the career, bills, relatives, and other things in my life that create stress, but for me, the kids are the major contribution to my stress: they're my most precious and valuable accomplishment, so naturally, the stress level is high. Even though I'm stressed daily, I'm not stressed out and I know it's because I start my day with meditation and a nice brisk walk. I've discovered that this is a really good combination and I highly recommend it to anyone. I joined a gym about a year ago, but even when I go to the gym two to three days a week I always start and end my workout with a walk on the treadmill.

My dog is getting older and the long walks really wear her out but she still loves it and she gets quite upset if I attempt to walk without her. I continue to have occasional bouts with fatigue, and I was diagnosed with anemia about four years ago but it doesn't stop me from feeling good most of the time. My daily walks combined with iron and vitamin supplements keep me feeling good. I originally started walking to lose weight, but it has done so much more for me than help me control my weight. A morning walk relaxes me through out the entire day and yet keeps me energized; I'm even-tempered and not tense; I don't have a problem falling to sleep when I turn in, and I sleep through the night. Walking is my choice of exercise because it makes me feel good and it's not something I don't need to get psyched up to do because it just comes natural to me.

According to my doctor, I am at significant risk of having disease like hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes: There is nothing I can do about that because I have the genes and they can't be traded in for new ones. Although I don't have control over my genetics, I do have control over my lifestyle and I choose to do whatever I can possibly do to remain disease free for as long as I can. The reality of the fore mentioned conditions motivates me to take brisk, long walks daily and eat well most of the time. Walking doesn't require a major lifestyle change and can be started immediately. I think walking daily comes so naturally to me because I stopped walking for the sole purpose of losing weight and started walking to be healthy. The weigh loss was just one of the fringe benefits.

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