Walking to wellness

Hello readers! I'm super excited to share this post with you all, as to me it exemplifies part of the original vision Allison I had for the blog: focusing on things (no matter how big or small) that we are loving lately. So…what have I been loving lately?! My mom's commitment to her cardiovascular health and her development of a walking exercise routine. I really wanted to feature her because she exemplifies that small consistent changes can add up to some of the biggest results. I truly couldn't be prouder of her!

 3+ years ago Mike and I completely changed our diets and incorporated walking, just for 20-30 mins or so a day, multiple times a week. My mom has always been very active in the yoga community, but I worried she wasn't getting enough cardiovascular exercise. Given all Mike and I had experienced cardiac wise, combined with everything we heard and learned through Mike's schooling, our cardiology appointments, and our involvement with the American Heart Association, we became extremely passionate about cardiovascular exercise. I began to worry about how my mom would do through the aging process without being "cardiovascular conscious" and to be honest we butted heads on the issue. She believed yoga was enough, I disagreed and found myself worrying about her more than she knew. The first solid half of 2019 it seemed like multiple times a week my mom was lamenting about being overly tired, not feeling well, or being overly emotional. There was only so much I could do or say though as I realized any change would need to come from her.

 Towards the end of the summer I started getting text messages from my mom that she was going out walking.  All of the sudden a week passed, then two, then three…. I was getting daily messages before and after she came back in from a walk. I was thrilled, but didn't want to jump the gun. It was fall and the weather and conditions were perfect. What would happen when the cold weather started to roll in?

 Fast forward to the past few weeks: Mom has been walking for over 3 months now! She's probably only missed 2 or 3 days, if that. I've gotten messages from her along the lines of "who am I, I just want to go on my walk!" or most recently "I want to get outside tonight even though it's pouring, what has happened to me?" :-) I've noticed that she texts me about her walks daily which I think is fantastic, as accountability is key to developing and maintaining habits. Come to mention it, she's been way better than me recently about exercising, I need to draw some motivation from her and kick my butt back into gear!

 When we walked into her house on Thanksgiving, Mike and I were blown away. She looked FABULOUS. Her eyes were bright, her skin looked fantastic, she emanated positive energy…she looked so healthy and so happy.

I'm telling you all,  do not underestimate the power of small, repetitive patterns! What goals do you want to reach? And what is currently standing in your way? Start slow and steady and go for it…you've got this!

 I sat down to talk with my mom a bit about her experience and wanted to share her words below. Simple and sweet they just may be the motivation you didn't know you needed! Remember, you can apply this to ANYTHING, my mom and walking is just an example. The principles, however, are universal!

 What reasons/excuses did you use for not walking? To be honest, I was just lazy.  I had the time, but just wasn't motivated to do it. When on my Alaskan cruise I was walking a lot all over the ship and I noticed the steps adding up.  I decided when I got back and I wanted to continue that. So since the end of August I have walked religiously nearly every day.  I combine that with a yoga practice 2 or 3 times a week.  

What finally compelled you to make the change? I decided that I wanted to get healthier.  I noticed that my clothes were getting tighter, and wasn't happy with photos of myself.  So a bit of vanity, too!

What was the hardest part of getting into, and sticking to, the routine? Hardest part was just getting the routine started.  The first couple of weeks I would tire easily, and to be honest I was having trouble with my Achilles tendon and walking hurt it.

What benefits have you seen – both physically and mentally? I feel better! My clothes fit better.  I come back invigorated.  I noticed I am sleeping better.

How do you feel now? I feel great.  Before I was constantly tired, and while I'm still tired at the end of the day I am not tired in the middle like I used to be.

What words of encouragement would you give others? Just do it!  Stop making excuses and get out there and do it.  And then do it again tomorrow, and the day after, until it becomes a habit.  Because it will.   I now actually enjoy lacing up my shoes and taking my evening 'stroll'.  I monitor my steps on my iPhone and that is encouragement too.

There's debate on how long it takes to actually form a habit. 21 days seems to be one general consensus. Today marks 21 days until January 1, 2020. Again I'll ask you – what new habits do you want to form? Take that first step today and stick with it – come January 1st you'll already have a new habit and thus no need for a cliché resolution.

 Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season!

xo,

K