Notes from the Road to Nowhere

Someone signed my guestbook and asked about the treadmill and wanted to know more, and about how I was using it, so I guess that a week into this new activity, I could give a report on how I'm doing on the road to nowhere.

I have to admit that I was dubious about this whole thing, but Ned was adamant, and everyone in the family was so excited about my having a treadmill in the house. I promised that I would use it every day and secretly wondered if I would really do it, or would I lose interest once the first enthusiasm subsided.

Well, it's a bit too soon to know about that, since I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase, but I have to admit that I'm liking it more than I dreamed I would.

The difference between going to the gym and having a machine right in the house is that going to the gym requires getting dressed in gym clothes, putting on shoes, and then hoping that you manage to get there when it's practically deserted, because you know you are going to be the fattest person there, and you know that if most of the treadmills are occupied, people are going to be going twice as fast as you are, if not exactly jogging (as Dr. G was the day I left in a hurry before he saw me).

And of course, even with three television sets, they are never tuned to what you want to watch! (It always puzzles me why the TV in the GYM is always tuned to The Food Network!)

So here at home of course I still have to be dressed with shoes on, but I'm not worried about what other people might think to see the fat lady walking slowly (well, more slowly than they do) on the treadmill. No, in truth, I realize that is a very egocentric thing to say. I'm sure there isn't a person there who is even noticing me...but since I notice everybody else and feel inferior, it's only likely that I would think people are checking me out too.

At the gym, I forced myself to stick with it for at least 20 minutes, but if it was one of those days where I just didn't want to leave the house, I would be off of that machine the second that 20 minutes came up.

With the machine in home, as I said a week ago, I'm not going to the long walk right now. I'm doing three or four ten-minute sessions a day, and not feeling guilty for getting off after only 10 minutes. At times when I am less enthusiastic about walking, I walk at 2 mph and at times when I'm more perky, I sometimes push it up as high as 2.5 mph for part of the time.

Right now I'm just trying to begin to build up strength again, not worrying about meeting some goal that is going to make me quit because I'm so frustrated trying to reach it. My immediate goal is to move, even if it's only briefly.

Yesterday I only walked twice, but I walked for 15 minutes each time. Earlier in the week, when I gave blood, they told me not to do strenuous exercise for 2 days, so I did none the day I gave blood and did only 5 minute stints each time the following day--but did more of them.

I'm not worrying about the incline function of the machine at all yet. As I build up my endurance, then I'll start fooling around with speeds and inclines and that sort of thing. I'm doing kindergarten right now.

To tell you the truth, I am already feeling a difference. The first couple of days I really hated dragging myself on the machine after the first time I used it because everything hurt. And I felt so stupid for that. Ten minutes on the treadmill and I could hardly walk when I got off.

Well, when you think about it, there's a lot of meat on these bones and the pounding on the feet is really brutal until everything gets broken in. It's why going for a walk outside is something I don't enjoy doing. It just hurts. Likewise, I had a painful time getting up whenever I sat down the first couple of days because my hips just ached so badly.

BUT, I've apparently walked through the pain and now I don't really have any pain at all. In only a week. I'm amazed at that.

I also love that the puppies join me. Sorta. The puppy cage is right next to the treadmill and wherever they are when I start walking on the treadmill, they run into the cage, get into their bed and go to sleep.

One thing I didn't do was to do any starting measurements, which I think I will do starting tomorrow. I can't imagine that I won't walk off SOME inches on my hips sooner or later, if I continue to walk a minimum of a mile a day.

Yeah, there are times when I just don't feel like getting on the machine, but, you know...? When it's "only" 10 minutes, you really can talk yourself into anything. If I had set a goal of 30 minutes each time I got on it, I think I would be less consistent with it.

And, as I start to notice my body responding better, my breathing getting better and all that stuff, I will increase time, speed, and incline. But that's not for this week.

I do notice that I started a week ago averaging 2.1 mph and now my average is 2.3 mph and today was the first day I kept it at 2.5 mph for a minute, so already I'm starting to push it just a bit.

The machine has a nice journal function, but for the information I want to get out of it, it's not very useful, so I keep a pad and pen handy and as soon as I end a session, I write down what I did, so I can go back and check how far I've come.

I'm still a long way from reaching even Sacramento from Davis, but I also have a long time to be on this journey and it is 1000% better than trying to find an excuse why I don't want to go to the gym!