This is actually a message meant for my doctor, but it was too many words to fit in the online mail thingie. For the rest of the world, this is gonna be really boring. Also appalling.
Ok, here's my update,
I wore my Fitbit for several days once I got it to start properly syncing with my computer again; the charge is only lasting a day now instead of a week as its supposed to, I've had it for a few years, might be time for a new one if we can manage to afford that.
Now, I chose not to give you an average of the number of my steps, instead, including all 17 days I tracked, so you can have a decent idea of the depth of my normal daily sedentary life. Years now, sitting at my computer, only stepping outside of my house every few months for haircuts, dental appointments and doctor appointments. Ron does all the shopping, all the errands, I haven't driven for years.
I really need to get more physically active, but I'm the sort who is more likely to do something if I have someone to do it with, and regrettably, my husband is not really interested in doing physical activity with me. (Example: when I wanted to go to the beach at a lake nearby, he didn't want to go with me. I finally convinced him to drive me there...he sat in the car and read a book while I was bored and alone on a beach at a lake for a half hour before I gave up and we went home.)
Moving from desk to front door and back to desk leaves me winded like I ran a few blocks. I sit in the shower, sit to do dishes or cooking. I cannot stand or walk for long periods, in fact I own a wheeled walker with a seat because when I have to go places where there aren't chairs...and I must sit down, I don't want to sit on the ground because I don't know how i would get up again. A beached whale...
You know I do quite a bit of computer-sitting while watching over the HollensFamily group for Peter Hollens, but before I found him 2.5 years ago, I still spent most of my days at the computer playing an online game, it was my only source of social interaction....just as HollensFamily now is my only source of social interaction.
All my bio family is in Kansas, all Ron's is Virginia, I don't have friends here other than...well, we have planned a coffeehouse social with some local members of HollensFamily for next weekend, actually, but I don't think any of them live close, not in Ramsey County at least. Maybe in time I can find someone nearby.
In the beginning this inactivity was because I injured my knees and hip, and for years after there was instability many days, when one or the other of my knees would threaten to not support me in normal walking around the house. Even now, they aren't fully reliable, many days of each year. This is a second reason for my walker, so that when I am having an unsteady-knee day, I can favor it on those days when I do have to leave the house and have a life.
But between being a shy person generally, and physically weak, with an unfit heart, you can understand my fear of working out or even going walking or biking without a friend along, someone who can call 911 if needed, or if I injure myself, if my knee or hip goes out badly enough I cannot get back home on my own, anything could happen out there.
I could get assaulted, I could die...its so tragic when sedentary people become active and then they die...and THEY DIE BECAUSE THEY BECAME ACTIVE.
Now, as you can see from these step numbers below, with years of history just like this, my heart likely is not up to very much exertion, we will need to go slowly, safely. My dad died of his second heart attack at age 53 and I am weeks away from turning 50.
Should I come get a thorough baseline physical before I start..becoming more active?
Now, I've always been one to live frugally, but.... I discovered a year ago August that my husband has been lying to me, by being a secret smoker for the 23 years of our marriage. I calculated his habit as costing us at least $1200.00 a year, so I'm thinking I just might be entitled to spend some money on my own health, perhaps a personal trainer at the local fitness center.
[Maplewood Community Center http://maplewoodmn.gov/113/Community-Center ]
Surely I could manage a couple hours a day away from HollensFamily. If they want me to live long enough to give them years, decades of service, I need to take care of myself better.
I really don't think the main issue is my diet; sure its not perfect but I do fairly decently in most ways. For me, once I can get into an active fitness routine, something that can become habitual, yes, habitual activity...then I can fine-tune my diet.
Let me focus on one upgrade at a time...which would be the physical activity.
Actual number of steps in my days:
Oct 22 Thursday 299
Oct 23 Friday 298
Oct 24 Saturday 322
Oct 25 Sunday 322
Oct 26 Monday 357
Oct 27 Tuesday 378
Oct 28 Wednes 375
Oct 29 Thursday 193
Oct 30 Friday 183
Oct 31 Saturday 357
Nov 1 Sunday 268
Nov 2 Monday 99
Nov 3 Tuesday 288
Nov 4 Wednes 438
Nov 5 Thursday 61
Nov 6 Friday 218
Nov 9 Monday 185
EDIT: I purchased a new Fitbit, a wrist-worn one with heart-rate monitor, and its giving me higher step counts so I took the time to make a new baseline set; one annoying part is that its not waterproof (its splash-resistant) so I have to remove it when I wash the dishes or take a shower, which are normally my most-active times. Alas.
November 16 1871
November 17 1229
November 18 1407
November 19 1460
November 20 1416
November 21 2530
November 22 713
November 23 1046
November 24 1321
November 25 1082
November 26 1850
November 27 729
November 28 796
November 29 585
November 30 1810
December 1 1085
