The Joy of being Ambulatory!

So I've had plantar fasciitis for several years. My first two bouts were managed with steroid injections, which took effect immediately and left me pain-free for over a year in each case. This last bout has been more obdurate. Three steroid injections made not a whit of difference to the excruciating pain in my heels. I tried a variety of treatments with limited success, and eventually went to see my doctor, who referred me to an orthopedic surgeon, who referred me for physiotherapy, which ... worked! I still have some pain in my feet, but I'm much more mobile. I'm signed up for another six weeks of physiotherapy and hope to beat this completely. Of course, I religiously usually sometimes do the daily exercises prescribed by my physiotherapist -- three reps of five different exercises plus icing.

So, not being able to walk around much for a year meant I got fat and flabby. This Christmas Eve, my beloved gave me a Fitbit Charge 2 and probably added ten years to my life. The Fitbit started out telling me how few steps a day I was taking and how high my heart rate was.

I was shamed into trying to be more active. Yesterday, I weighed myself for the first time in a year and found that, while I hadn't gained weight, I hadn't lost any either. I'm sure I'm flabbier, even if not heavier. The ominous number was 160. I need to lose 20 lb, I'd like to lose 30, and I'd love to lose 40. My heart rate, when I started out wearing the Fitibit, was consistently over 80.

So I took myself to the gym yesterday, used the elliptical for 20 minutes, and then worked out with some weights for a short while. Today I went back and did 30 minutes on the elliptical and some more weights. I plan to add 10 minutes a day to my elliptical workout until I get up to at least 60 minutes. I plan to watch lectures from The Great Courses on my Macbook while I'm doing this. In addition, since getting the Fitbit, I have been trying to get in at least 10,000 steps a day. The Fitbit counts one's steps and celebrates with virtual fireworks if one exceeds that number, so I try to walk as much as I can. The dogs appreciate the extra walks they're getting. Yesterday, for the first time, I met my goal😀 My heart rate is already down somewhat. It is now usually in the 70's and occasionally dips into the 60's.

I'm not following any particular diet, but I'm watching what I eat. If I lose motivation, I will look at pictures on my friend's blog, which show her with serious muscle definition and almost no fat after a grueling workout regimen that includes having run 3,000 miles this year and working out for three hours a day for the past couple of years. She looks like a professional athlete. Her clothing size was, like mine, 8-10. It's now 00! You're my inspiration, Ess!

I don't plan to weigh myself regularly. I feel that if I increase the intensity and duration of my workouts, the weight will take care of itself. However, to keep myself honest, I'll do the occasional weigh-in and post the result here. It needs to go ↓ and ↓ and ↓some more!