Day 2 and 3 - August 15 and 16

Yesterday I walked around Walgreen's three times. Not VERY far but more than I usually do.

Today, I'll walk around Walmart. And tomorrow, back to the mall.

The Crepe Myrtle - August 2010

Mary's Gardens pruned it but didn't finish cleaning out the area at the bottom.

Day 1 - Saturday, August 14, 2010

Day 1 of walking. Drove out to the mall around 5 pm. Walked from the car to Dillards, from Dillards to Borders, around Borders, back to Dillards and to the car. Got home about 7 pm.


I wasn't walking ALL that time. It's not really very far from Dillards to Borders but I had broken into a sweat (in spite of the air conditioning, and in spite of the fact that I wasn't really running but going very slowly) by the time I got to Borders.

Borders has many comfortable chairs and I did take advantage of that, but not for very long.

I'd thought about NOT doing this, but I'd talked to Sharon about it, and talked to Pearl about it, and got wonderful encourage e-mails from two very dear friends. I didn't want to tell them I'd given up before I started. So. Off I went.

The crepe myrtle is gorgeoous now.

Leg Swelling - 2

That article (below) is from a newsletter called Leg Health News. I have been having this problem for about three years, and in spite of all the things tried, it hasn't gotten much better. It does vary, better at times, and worse at times.

Some thoughts in this article caught my attention... the idea that it could be improved in 2 weeks by walking, (Of course, I am not a good walker... have to use a cane much of the time... and it is easy to lose balance.. . I have begun to walk with my head down, eyes on the ground, to keep from stumbling. It is really bad posture and I hate it, but have fallen too many times.

So it may be wishful thinking to entertain the notion of walking off my swelling. I know I couldn't walk for two miles. But what if I started out small, and worked up to it?

Then, WHERE to walk. ?? August days are way too hot to walk outside. Weather is in the mid to high 90's now.

The walking area at the Y is full of really fast walkers most of the time. Not a good place to work up to it.

So, maybe the mall? Maybe just go out there and walk as much as you can. I watched one of my aunts wallk herself back from cancer surgery. For quite a while, she walked slowly, but after a while she was keeping up with everyone else.

Epidemic of Leg Swelling

The Epidemic of Leg Swelling

In the last few years, life style changes such as increases in rapid transit, work hours, and family involvement has brought about the demise of going for nice walks. This has been detrimental to our leg health. Physicians 10 years ago saw 1 of 10 patients with pitting edema. Today it is 8 out of 10 patients who otherwise seem to be healthy have pitting edema. This is in thin as well as heavy patients. Even though our understanding of the venous system has increased and our physician's diagnostic tools have become better, the incidents of deep vein thrombosis has not lowered.

It is imperative that we promote a restoration of walking to our activities of daily living as a foundation of leg health and to reverse the epidemic of leg swelling. The calf muscle is a secondary pump to the heart to aid in returning the venous blood to the heart for re-oxygenation. The key to getting the most out of this secondary pump is to have a good walk (two miles a day) with unrestricted ankle range of motion at a moderate pace on a relatively flat surface. This will allow for greatest "pump" from the calf muscle.

Dr Dean Wasserman of the Vein Treatment Center of New Jersey believes a patient's understanding and compliance with wearing compression stockings is key to the results obtained with Sclerotherapy which he performs. He also believes that while wearing compression stockings and walking will not cure venous insufficiency, moderate walks of 2 miles a day with good heel to toe action will enable his patients to "walk off" their edema within an average of 2 weeks.

If you cannot walk because of joint pain, please try riding a bicycle, which will eliminate the impact to your feet or joints. You will still receive the added calf pump action which assists in the blood flow plus you get the added benefit of seeing the neighborhood scenery by going through the parks on bicycle paths and you will probably be able to meet other people doing the same thing.

The increase in leg swelling is subtle and menacing. Even though we hear much about incidents of edema, we are failing to actively participate in our own leg health by getting more exercise. No matter what we do for exercise, anything is better than being a couch potato and watching television. Our sedate lifestyles have lead to many physical health problems and shorter healthy lives. Being overweight is one of the most dangerous things we can do to our bodies! Obesity leads to heart problems, diabetes, and many other diseases. So let's wear our compression stockings and get out there and reverse the epidemic of leg swelling and by walking or bicycling!!

from newsletter from leghealthnews@supporthosestore.com

Taylor Mali on what teachers make