WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2022 - WALKING CONTINUED

 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2022 - WALKING CONTINUED

A few more comments.

First - something I don’t do well - is stretching before I walk.  Of course, when I walk from my living area to the bathroom, I don’t stretch, when I walk to the mailbox I don’t stretch.

But, if I am going to be walking for a half-hour or longer, I need to stretch.  I really need to stretch even if I’m not walking. 

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PARALLEL THOUGHT

In the first hour of the morning, I do a lot of sitting and thinking, and praying.  I do my daily scripture readings, I do the daily Wordle, a daily crossword, and a Duolingo German lesson,.  I check my Email, Facebook, and Twitter feeds.  In effect, I am “stretching” my brain for the new day.  

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So, I warm up my brain in the morning, so I should also warm up my body before walking.  

When I play Granny Basketball, I generally stretch my hamstrings, do some upper body stretches, do toe touches (okay, ankle touches), and circle my arms.  I need to remind myself to stretch and loosen up before walking.

COMPANY

Monday night I walked at the Georgetown Recreation Center.  It has a track that looks down on a large basketball court.  I don’t always use the rec center.  I have to get in my car and drive about 10 minutes to get there.  Then park and go in.  My other options are (a) use the exercise room in my apartment complex - there are two treadmills there and a television that I can control what I watch, and (b) walk outside.  

The last two are basically free - no gas in the car - go and walk.  But, I went to the Rec Center to see people.  It was Monday night and I thought that Claudia would be there for her bicycle class, and Janet would be there for her aerobics class.  

I don’t even know Claudia’s last name - but she’s a friend.  When she saw me Monday night she wasn’t on her stationary bike yet and she gave me a BIG hug.  For some unknown reason, Claudia and I are buddies.  She is in her 30s or 40s and a super athlete.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she is in an “Iron Man” aerobics class and she puts the otters to shame as She lifts the most weight, runs the fastest, does the most situps and pushups, and does other activities. Why she should be a friend of a 75-year-old transgender woman?  I don’t know.  

I do know Janet’s last name - but like Claudia, when we see each other we hug each other.  Her class started half an hour after Claudia’s class so we walked together around the track.  It wasn’t a big deal - we talked about our Thanksgiving and food.  But, we’re friends.  I also don’t know why we are friends, but we are.

Most times I’m at the Rec Center there are people I know - and I say hi and/or give them a hug.  I get my endorphins going from seeing friends that I like and who like me.  That doesn’t happen in the apartment exercise room or in my neighborhood.  Many times I don’t know the people's names and they don’t know my name, but - hey - we’re friends getting a good workout.  There is John and Marie - John has Parkinson’s Disease and Marie is so agile and so loving that she makes sure John gets out and keeps his body moving.  There is Mary, and we sometimes can get into a discussion about teaching (she is a teacher).  I talk to the older couple where the lady is serious about her walking and her husband is laid back and we talk for a lab or two.  

It is good for me as a single person to get out into the community and greet people and let them greet me.  Socialization is a part of the Rec Center.  The experts talk about a “happy heart” - and that can be because of the exercise - but I think happy hearts (and thus healthier hearts) also come from being with people I like and that like me.  

Ruth is another friend that I walk with.  She and I walk outside.  There are some really nice walking trails in Georgetown and we can walk and talk, and smell the environment.  

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In terms of exercise, all three - Rec Center, Apartment Exercise Room, and Walking outside work well.  

The apartment is close and I don’t have to drive - and is indoors if it is cold or rainy.

Outside in my neighborhood is nice.  I don’t have to drive, I can start and end at my front door.  I can put on my headphones and enjoy some music while I walk.

Outside on a trail or in a park is lovely.  The scenery is generally nice, and the paths are generally paved.  

At the Georgetown Recreation Center, it is nice, indoors, with locker rooms, restrooms, lots of equipment, and things to watch (I like looking down from the walking track and seeing basketball games, or volleyball games).

All are good - and all are even better when I use them!!!

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, © NOVEMBER 30, 2022