Health

Walking on the beach

A few weeks ago I got to take a week long business trip to Irvine, California.  I took advantage of the opportunity to go out to the beach a couple of evenings I was there, and walk in the sand.

I lived about a year and a half in Hawaii when I was a child, and it’s been that long since I’ve been in real surf.  (I maintain that beaches in the Gulf of Mexico do NOT have real surf.)

It was awesome to walk on the beach in the edges of the surf.  It was awesome in a different way to get reminded of the sheer power of the ocean when I didn’t pay attention and got my feet yanked out from under me by one of the larger waves.  (No serious damage was done, just Mother Nature reminding me that she’ll knock you on your ass if you don’t respect her.)

As it was, I walked a LOT further down the beach and back than I originally intended to.  I had forgotten that walking on sand at an incline is a LOT more strain on the legs and feet than on level ground.  So I was incredibly sore when I got back to my car (not to mention having sand EVERYWHERE) but it didn’t appear to flare my rheumatoid disease any worse than it already was.

Yes, it appears that my RD/PsA is not in remission as we had hoped.  We’re currently waiting on blood test results that will inform our treatment decision, but just from my pain levels and where the pain is, I can definitively say I am *not* in remission.  It was a nice thought, but now it’s time to reassess, remake the plans, and move forward.  My pain levels are reaching the point of interfering with good sleep and trying to keep me from moving.  But my week in California taught me that moving actually lessens the pain – at least after the first few minutes.  I was

My pain levels are reaching the point of interfering with good sleep and trying to keep me from moving.  But my week in California taught me that moving actually lessens the pain – at least after the first few minutes.  I was in a situation where because of parking costs, I had to walk about 2 city blocks each way to get lunch every day.  This is in addition to my evening forays to the beaches.  Once I got up and started moving, I felt better.  (The weather helped because it was drop-dead gorgeous the entire time I was there.)  So I’m committed to stay on my exercise program.  Right now I’m focusing on water walking/swimming twice a week, and plan to start adding on light weight training soon.

I also went to a meeting of an in-person weight loss surgery support group, and found that I like them and the format very much.  They even convinced me to join them in a 5K walk later this month.  So the Mister and I are going to start walking as much as we can in the Texas heat to prepare for it (he’s doing the 5K with me).  I may not finish, but I’m going to give it my best shot.  I have told my friends who are runners that this is NOT a gateway for me to start running.  They just laughed.

So that’s where things stand in TheAntiChick’s world.  Not perfect, but doing OK.