In the hot, humid summer, it's no fun to walk.
In the bitter cold of the winter, it's no fun to walk.
But, every once in awhile, the weather is just right.
I found that there are more of those "just right" times in the early mornings just before dawn. It is usually calm, cooler, and less humid than other times of the day. At least it is here in manure country.
In other parts of the country, you need to watch out for bears. Here in manure country, at this time of the morning, you need to watch out for skunks. You can almost smell them above the aroma of manure and sludge.
I have been under an extreme amount of stress lately. My wife died on August 14, and the sheer amount of personal emotions are surrounded by the stupidity of paperwork in all of it's modern variations.
The powers that be won't allow me to grieve. They want to make my life as miserable as possible because it makes them feel better.
Sometimes, I want to go postal on them. But, I won't. I wouldn't know who to shoot, and I can't shoot them all.
So, for the past month or two even before my wife died, while she was in the nursing home, I have been sleeping lousy. My patterns are all messed up, and I need my patterns!
I get up around 2am. and can't get back to sleep. Sometimes, I go back to bed around 5:30 and sleep until 8:00am. Not a good pattern for me.
I have been taking naps for years. I love my naps. Now, I need them more than ever.
This morning, I got up at 3:00am, and got dressed in my workout clothing.
I gathered up an extra bag of trash and took it to the curb.
I made breakfast and sat and watched TV for one episode (I am now caught up).
Then, I went out and took a walk.
The temperature was 55 or so. There were no clouds, and no breeze.
My gear consisted of my cell and blue tooth, tube of glucose tablets, house key, and flashlight.
I have many different paths I can take. I just got two new pair of walking shoes. One looks like sneakers, but has a wider base that is flatter, so it's not easy to jog, but great for stability in walking.
My flashlight has a handle that allows me to carry it several ways. I pump the handle and it projects a beam of LED light that goes very bright and fades quickly. It does a nice job of attracting attention when cars approach. Otherwise, I walk in the dark. The roads are clean and smooth here with no real hazards for walking.
The route I take has been measured by me to be 4 miles round trip, if I follow the entire thing. There are variations which allow me to shorten the trip several times in each direction. Since I have had problems with low blood sugar, I have used the shorter route many times.
I also know distances for the shorter routes, although I rarely walk less than a mile.
I have found that if I breathe in a rhythm, that is, I breathe in cadence to my walking, that I tend to hyperventilate.
So, I walk in one rhythm, and breathe as normally as I can, slowly and deeply. I take deep breaths whenever I think about it, and stretch my chest, back, and shoulders to stay flexible.
I don't walk until just after I eat, usually about 20 minutes or more afterwords. My new pouch isn't a happy camper if I exercise right after eating.
The leg muscles pump the blood for the heart, giving it a break when you walk. The heart gets the chance to rest if you let it. This helps relieve stress.
The better shape you are in, the faster you can walk. I walk much faster now than I did three years ago.
The cooler air, and the clear sky felt like heaven to me this morning. I am now a bit more relaxed, although my paperwork problems are still here. I am also tired now, so I think I will go take a shower and try to get another hour of rest.
In the bitter cold of the winter, it's no fun to walk.
But, every once in awhile, the weather is just right.
I found that there are more of those "just right" times in the early mornings just before dawn. It is usually calm, cooler, and less humid than other times of the day. At least it is here in manure country.
In other parts of the country, you need to watch out for bears. Here in manure country, at this time of the morning, you need to watch out for skunks. You can almost smell them above the aroma of manure and sludge.
I have been under an extreme amount of stress lately. My wife died on August 14, and the sheer amount of personal emotions are surrounded by the stupidity of paperwork in all of it's modern variations.
The powers that be won't allow me to grieve. They want to make my life as miserable as possible because it makes them feel better.
Sometimes, I want to go postal on them. But, I won't. I wouldn't know who to shoot, and I can't shoot them all.
So, for the past month or two even before my wife died, while she was in the nursing home, I have been sleeping lousy. My patterns are all messed up, and I need my patterns!
I get up around 2am. and can't get back to sleep. Sometimes, I go back to bed around 5:30 and sleep until 8:00am. Not a good pattern for me.
I have been taking naps for years. I love my naps. Now, I need them more than ever.
This morning, I got up at 3:00am, and got dressed in my workout clothing.
I gathered up an extra bag of trash and took it to the curb.
I made breakfast and sat and watched TV for one episode (I am now caught up).
Then, I went out and took a walk.
The temperature was 55 or so. There were no clouds, and no breeze.
My gear consisted of my cell and blue tooth, tube of glucose tablets, house key, and flashlight.
I have many different paths I can take. I just got two new pair of walking shoes. One looks like sneakers, but has a wider base that is flatter, so it's not easy to jog, but great for stability in walking.
My flashlight has a handle that allows me to carry it several ways. I pump the handle and it projects a beam of LED light that goes very bright and fades quickly. It does a nice job of attracting attention when cars approach. Otherwise, I walk in the dark. The roads are clean and smooth here with no real hazards for walking.
The route I take has been measured by me to be 4 miles round trip, if I follow the entire thing. There are variations which allow me to shorten the trip several times in each direction. Since I have had problems with low blood sugar, I have used the shorter route many times.
I also know distances for the shorter routes, although I rarely walk less than a mile.
I have found that if I breathe in a rhythm, that is, I breathe in cadence to my walking, that I tend to hyperventilate.
So, I walk in one rhythm, and breathe as normally as I can, slowly and deeply. I take deep breaths whenever I think about it, and stretch my chest, back, and shoulders to stay flexible.
I don't walk until just after I eat, usually about 20 minutes or more afterwords. My new pouch isn't a happy camper if I exercise right after eating.
The leg muscles pump the blood for the heart, giving it a break when you walk. The heart gets the chance to rest if you let it. This helps relieve stress.
The better shape you are in, the faster you can walk. I walk much faster now than I did three years ago.
The cooler air, and the clear sky felt like heaven to me this morning. I am now a bit more relaxed, although my paperwork problems are still here. I am also tired now, so I think I will go take a shower and try to get another hour of rest.
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