Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Is Walking Good For You?

In my humble opinion it is, but it's not without it's pitfalls.  My feet and legs took a beating when I first started walking.  

My first "injury" was a nasty blister on the bottom of my small toe on my left foot.  A couple of days after that popped up I had a medical pedicure and the lady decided to pop the blister and pour acid (it felt like acid 😬) antiseptic fluid on it to keep it clean and I about jumped out of the chair.


My second "injury" was the arch on my right foot.  Thought I was starting with plantar fasciitis, but it seems to have calmed down.


After that I have had various muscle strains in my legs, which come and go.


My biggest downfall is thinking I can walk more than I can, when in fact all I end up doing is hurting myself.  I also did not use the correct walking shoes to start with.  I ended up buying a pair of these walking shoes:

They are fine but I am still wearing them in, so not 100% perfect at the moment.  

Then due to the weather I have got sun burnt.  I have also had more mosquito bites this year than in past years, as my main walk is first thing in the morning to try and beat the heat and if it's damp out that's when all the biting insects are around.

I go for one long walk in the morning just after 6am of around 3 miles which takes around an hour.  Then I do one or two shorter walks during the day depending on how much time I have and also what the weather is like.  My "goal" is to have logged between 4 - 5 miles on my FitBit every day.  Some days I do a lot less other days I do more.  I vary my walks every day, so I don't get bored.

This is one of the hills I walk up most days:
As per my FitBit it's equivalent to climbing 6 floors in a building?

Yesterday was a good walking day as I had three good walks and logged the following:



  • Miles walked: 7.53
  • Steps: 17,770
  • Minutes exercised: 131
  • Floors climbed: 34
Today, I may not do any, who knows!!  I do what I feel like doing.


Here is a link to an interesting article that asks, Walking For Exercise: Is it enough by itself?

Tomorrow I'll tell you what benefits I have noticed due to my walking.


(I am struggling with the editing on this post, tomorrow's should be back to normal, I hope!)

9 comments:

T'Pol said...

Gill! You're back! I am so glad you have been doing well and enjoying walking. Hope, you keep posting like you used to do. I need an inspiration to get me off the couch.

Jackie said...

I space my walking during the day as well. I really need to get a fitbit and speed up said walking though. I have found I do not walk as quickly as I used to any longer. I wonder if that means I need to walk further????

God bless.

Meg B. said...

I used to run, and now I walk because I have a dog I need to take with me, and he won't run. I love walking and I think it is great exercise. I don't care what any article says, a mile, whether it takes you 6 minutes or 16 minutes, is still a mile.
One thing, though, as a dance teacher, I know shoes are paramount. I wouldn't have let a student show up in my class en pointe unless her shoes were properly fitted by a professional, and I feel the same way about trainers. Maybe go to a store which specializes in running attire, and get them to fit you for a pair? The fittings should be free, but some stores require an appointment. Anmong other things, they should have a treadmill you walk on which sends a computer generated image of your foot showing where your pressure points are, where you land the heaviest, etc., then they find the shoe that is designed to support your foot. While these stores tend to have very high prices, as they get the most recent models, once you know the brand/model, you can order or buy them from a cheaper source.


barbara woods said...

I do a little more each time and it adds up with hurting any thing. but am just up to 45 minutes

Winifred said...

I stick to swimming but don't do it enough especially during school holidays when the pool is busy during the day.

I enjoy walking if I'm somewhere different I just get bored walking the same route at home!

It will probably get better as you get useds to it. You've been quite ambitious, best of luck!

Boyett-Brinkley said...

you are doing very well. A good day for me is 4500 steps. I need to up my game and yes, walking is very good for you IF you don't hurt yourself. Be careful!

Jane Karwat said...

Well done. I wear Nike light weight running shoes as they work best for me. I went to the running room where they gave great advice. I can't wait to read your benefits!

angela said...

It's been too cold and wet to walk here. But I do intend to walk on the days I don't swim
Although right now I have my granddaughter on those days and she keeps me on my toes!
Too bad my Fitbit doesn't clock the swimming unless I remember to set it before I put it in my bag. I can't wear it into the water

William Kendall said...

I don't really keep track of how much I walk in a day, but it's a lot. I've had days when I over extend myself and walk too far, and then I really feel it.

{{{SIGH}}}

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