How I Stay Fit With Low Stamina

Yes, that’s right; as a result of my brain hemorrhage I have low physical and mental stamina. My brain is freshest in the morning, so that’s when I post, and I can only be physically active for a short time. In other words, I could not go out for an all day hike. But, that’s really no different from most folks, since we don’t all have all day to devote to our workouts anyhow. Do we?

I swim laps a couple of times a week. I have always loved swimming. It started in high school when I learned to synchronized swim and fell in love with that sport. When I met Sean, he taught me to race swim and told me that I was a natural. Now, I swim laps at our local YMCA. Recently, Sean has shown me that I can swim laps with fins on my feet either prone, on my back or sides. You just fly across the pool with fins on and crash into the opposite end. It is just like running in that it gets your heart rate up and you feel the burn in your leg muscles. We plan on doing some open water swims with fins this summer in local ponds and reservoirs. I am stoked!

I walk at least 30 minutes a day when I don’t swim. I used to run for exercise and fun, but then got shin splints/stress fracture and had to stop. I tried to go back to running too many times to say, but always the shin pain returned. Since my brain episode it has been years since I last ran. But, last Sunday, I drove down to the padded track at the high school and walked the curves and ran the straights on the track. I managed 1.5 miles before I had to quit. My shins didn’t hurt, but the running was just too jarring. It was such a bummer. I only felt good during two of the straights that I sprinted.

Yesterday, I took my iPod, clipped it to my shorts, turned on my favorite Salsa music (Marc Anthony) and just moved to it during my walk. In no time I was speed walking. Speed walking. Why didn’t I think of it before? Your body never leaves the ground, so no impact, and you burn the same amount of calories as if doing a slow run. You just look goofy as hell. You have to kind of move your whole body to do it. You sway your arms and shoulders, move your hips, it is just like dancing! Running be damned: I’m a speed walker now!

My goal is to do something to stay fit everyday. I am not quite where I want to be yet, but I am getting there.