Getting a grip

If you only know me through this blog you might not realise how difficult I find it to stick at anything.  I so often give up or lose my motivation and then before I know it I'm back to square one.  This dementia affected life however is something I can't give up on so I've had to come up with strategies to cover as many eventualities as I can think of.  There are of course the strategies to help Ash cope with life and which in turn make my life just that little bit easier but there are also the strategies which keep me on the straight and narrow and those are the ones which make me focus.  This morning I realised that I've stopped exercising.  I used to go out at 7am every morning and walk for an hour but a couple of weeks ago, 3 mornings in a row, I got as far as the road and almost fell over on the ice so I decided to give up on that until the 7ams were lighter and the frost was gone.  Instead I was going to go on my treadmill every afternoon except that I didn't.  I always meant to but the mornings drifted by and the afternoons seemed to be taken up with important stuff such as lunch, video calls with friends, sitting with Ash in front of the tv etc and there just wasn't time to do the 2 hour hikes I had planned.  On top of that we have lockdown and my walks with friends have had to stop so there was even less activity which also meant I wasn't sleeping as well.  Then a friend said that she was walking up and down stairs ten times each day ready for hills when we start walking again and I thought 'brilliant idea, how hard can that be?' but it turns out that it's really, really hard work so I only did it once and gave up.  Do you see what I mean now about my natural state?  It wasn't that I wasn't using the treadmill or doing the occasional walk from the village but I really wasn't doing as much as I needed to and something had to change.  This morning for some reason it all came to a head and I knew I had to do something, I needed a strategy that would get me moving again and one where I wouldn't fall at the first hurdle so this is my plan.  Instead of looking for very, very long treadmill hikes I've looked for 40 minute ones, I put my treadmill gear on and did the hike (in Corsica if you're interested) before breakfast and then this afternoon I set out and walked for another half an hour outside in the frost and the sunshine.  So I'm not walking for as long as I was and I'm not walking as far as I was but what I've come up with is, I hope, more manageable, and more sustainable resulting in my fitness levels remaining steady until I can get out into the surrounding countryside for those hikes with the views.  Strategies and plans are for me the only way forward and it's been useful to recognise that fact.

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Comments

Tehachap said…
Our treadmill broke down the other day and then it snowed. I have to say that I miss the exercise. I told Robert a bit ago that when the snow cleared we'd go to Big 5 Sporting Goods and to Walmart and see what they had for treadmills. This one was given to us by our younger son and we have no idea how long he owned it before giving it to us and we've had it for several years.
Carol S said…
Sounds like a good plan Jane. Been reading Rangan Chatterjee books and according to him even shorter periods of exercise can be beneficial. I think the key is doing some exercise every day so that your body and mind see you as an active person. I always enjoy exercise when I do it but do tend to suffer from inertia. Less of a hurdle to just do 5-10 mins and once started I usually want to do longer. Good luck with your new routine.
Jane said…
I realised yesterday when I made myself go out for that walk how much I'd missed the fresh air and the shorter time on the treadmill meant it wasn't a chore. I have quite a literal mind and so thought that a 2 hour virtual hike meant I had to do it all in one chunk whereas I've taken a step back, thought about it and realised I can do it in chunks. That's made a huge difference. Walked on the island of Capri this morning and now about to go out for a walk before the rain comes down.
Carol said…
I walk a couple of times a week with a friend, I believe this is allowed within Covid rules - ie exercise with one other person. We both have dogs and they need exercising anyway. It really helps to go further when we are chatting, trying to keep the required distance apart of course! Keep up the good work Jane, however you choose to do it
Jane said…
You're right Carol, exercising with one friend is allowed but I have to drive to meet the friends I usually walk with on a regular basis and, as we have beautiful walks from the door I just felt uncomfortable with it all. Am now back on track with motivation and am hoping it won't be long before those journeys feel ok again.