My new doctor
challenged me with a weight loss goal and the simple instructions: WALK. An
easy challenge for most people, but anyone with problem knees understands the
intricacies of this task. Back at the beginning of the pandemic, enjoying my
unexpected time off, I overused and injured my left knee. Two weeks of RICE
followed by a PA’s examination and the warning to rehab very, very slowly and
carefully meant I avoided further injury and didn’t need any follow-up
treatment.
I celebrated my
vaccination by renewing my gym membership. It took a few weeks of trying
different times to discover the perfect period for me to exercise without too
many other people around. My goal to be heart healthy couldn’t ignore COVID-19.
At first, my knee
hummed at me with irritation if I hit the treadmill for longer than fifteen
minutes. After a frustrated six weeks, I shifted to the bicycle. I came home
triumphant when, day after day, my knee handled thirty minutes at Level 1
without protest. I noted improvement in other ways. The first time I attempted
to walk through a local mall, my knee demanded rest about half-way into the circuit.
By Christmas, I wove effortlessly through the crowds. Of course, around this
time, COVID’S Omicron burst onto the scene causing me to backburner a return to
the gym.
Two weeks ago, I drove to our park and tested myself with a 1.3 mile loop over the park’s dam. For three days, I found other paths that looped around the area. In the past, I would have walked to the park, too. That dare I didn’t attempt until yesterday. After reading a few articles on the benefits of walking, I realized that confining myself to thirty minutes hedged me in to trying for a quicker pace. For me, allowing myself a full sixty minutes of nothing but “ME” time turned into a luxury of day dreaming and birdsong listening. With my mind set on spending an entire hour on my journey, the hurry shifted emotionally to an indulgence.
Copyright 2022 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
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