So I've been walking

Great! 20 minutes in real life is good. I once went down to the corner. It’s longer than it sounds cause there no proper blocks here either. I need my walker to make it. Then never did it again so I commend you for continuing.

Good job!! Walking is amazing!! Depending on how fast you walk, 20 minutes is about 3000 or 4000 steps - keep at it!!

That's awesome @ThatOtherMike I started walking in the parking lot at my job after work. I've decided I have to do it before I get home because I can get in my car after work and have all of these plans for the day and as I drive I can feel the energy slowly drain out of my body the closer I get to home. I'm guessing it's the adrenaline level I carry at work subsiding.

Walking is the simplest, cheapest, most sustainable form of exercise for people blessed with two legs. You are clearly off to a good start. I forgot: are you a vegan? Why do you take B12? As for. skin and hair vitamins, take a look at Benefits and risks of hair, skin, and nail supplements in older adults - PMC. Are you using topical retinoids? They have a far more solid evidence base with decades of studies and daily use behind them than skin and hair vitamins. And it is never too late to start. Adapalene (brand name Differin) is available from drugstores, Amazon, or Target without a prescription. It is cheap, and one tube lasts a long time because you only use a small amount per nightly application. Ideally, sandwiching it between moisturizers (moisturizer, wait 20 minutes, apply retinoids, wait another 20 mins, reapply moisturizer) prevents redness and irritation. Retinoids actually spur collagen production and improve skin texture and thickness, which is functionally, not just cosmetically, important. You need strong skin to do the things you like doing outdoors, such as mowing your lawn or fixing a car or, more pertinently, to your walking two long blocks outside, for 20 minutes a pop. Plus, even more urgently, you need daily sunscreen to be outside. Walgreens has a generic SPF 100 broad-spectrum sunscreen cheaply. Wait 15 minutes after applying it before stepping out. What I am suggesting is that you can swap spending money on hair and skin supplements for spending money on topical retinoids, sunscreen and moisturizers, and you will come out ahead.

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Originally Posted by LadyShadow Good job!! Walking is amazing!! Depending on how fast you walk, 20 minutes is about 3000 or 4000 steps - keep at it!!

Thank you LadyShadow

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Originally Posted by Ruftin That's awesome @ThatOtherMike I started walking in the parking lot at my job after work. I've decided I have to do it before I get home because I can get in my car after work and have all of these plans for the day and as I drive I can feel the energy slowly drain out of my body the closer I get to home. I'm guessing it's the adrenaline level I carry at work subsiding.

That sounds like a smart plan but don't you do a lot of walking at work?
Adrenaline can be beneficial but it can also be a problem but you probably know this.

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Originally Posted by Tart Cherry Jam Walking is the simplest, cheapest, most sustainable form of exercise for people blessed with two legs. You are clearly off to a good start. I forgot: are you a vegan? Why do you take B12? As for. skin and hair vitamins, take a look at Benefits and risks of hair, skin, and nail supplements in older adults - PMC. Are you using topical retinoids? They have a far more solid evidence base with decades of studies and daily use behind them than skin and hair vitamins. And it is never too late to start. Adapalene (brand name Differin) is available from drugstores, Amazon, or Target without a prescription. It is cheap, and one tube lasts a long time because you only use a small amount per nightly application. Ideally, sandwiching it between moisturizers (moisturizer, wait 20 minutes, apply retinoids, wait another 20 mins, reapply moisturizer) prevents redness and irritation. Retinoids actually spur collagen production and improve skin texture and thickness, which is functionally, not just cosmetically, important. You need strong skin to do the things you like doing outdoors, such as mowing your lawn or fixing a car or, more pertinently, to your walking two long blocks outside, for 20 minutes a pop. Plus, even more urgently, you need daily sunscreen to be outside. Walgreens has a generic SPF 100 broad-spectrum sunscreen cheaply. Wait 15 minutes after applying it before stepping out. What I am suggesting is that you can swap spending money on hair and skin supplements for spending money on topical retinoids, sunscreen and moisturizers, and you will come out ahead.

I agree about walking as exercise. I think swimming may be as good and possibly better overall but unfortunately I don't have access to a pool anymore.
Those skin and hair vitamins are long gone now. It was something I tried out of desperation when I first began to see the changes that age were bringing. I saw no benefits at all from them.
I'm afraid my skin is beyond salvation. I'm at an age where there just isn't much that can be done. Too many years of burning SE Texas sun. Too many years of bad habits. Too many years period
It's great advice and I appreciate it. I hope someone else may read this thread and benefit from it

I totally get it. I spent a couple of years in Texas in my youth, being too poor to afford sunscreen. Now I am trying to salvage what I have and luckily there is still enough to salvage. Thank you for the kind words!

Regarding walking vs swimming: walking is weight-bearing and helps you retain bone density. Swimming doesn't. it is the only downside of swimming. Other than that swimming is a perfect exercise that engage all the large muscle groups and the cardiovascular system. But since you have no pool access now, let us focus on the positives, on walking helping your bones.

That's great that you're walking regularly.

That's something I"m trying to do more regularly too, and I had kind of a pleasant surprise with regard to it yesterday. Over the past couple of weeks I've been taking regular short walks - think about 10 minutes. Then yesterday I had to walk up to my bank which is about twice as far. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to walk there and back without getting out of breath, my legs hurting or needing to sit down and rest before the return trip. It shows how even small starts can make a positive difference. Now I"m going to try and do the longer walk once a day for a couple of weeks and they try going further.

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Originally Posted by Tart Cherry Jam I totally get it. I spent a couple of years in Texas in my youth, being too poor to afford sunscreen. Now I am trying to salvage what I have and luckily there is still enough to salvage. Thank you for the kind words! Regarding walking vs swimming: walking is weight-bearing and helps you retain bone density. Swimming doesn't. it is the only downside of swimming. Other than that swimming is a perfect exercise that engage all the large muscle groups and the cardiovascular system. But since you have no pool access now, let us focus on the positives, on walking helping your bones.

Hmmm... sunscreen wasn't even on the radar for much of my life. We had tanning lotion of course but who even knows what was in the stuff. I went to the beach and the local bays a lot. I recall once getting a pretty bad burn through a white t-shirt. And I was usually pretty well tanned. Still, the sun feels hotter now than it did back then.
Bet you really miss Texas

I'm glad it's going well for you. Feel free to post updates here if you'd like.

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Originally Posted by splitimage That's great that you're walking regularly. That's something I"m trying to do more regularly too, and I had kind of a pleasant surprise with regard to it yesterday. Over the past couple of weeks I've been taking regular short walks - think about 10 minutes. Then yesterday I had to walk up to my bank which is about twice as far. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to walk there and back without getting out of breath, my legs hurting or needing to sit down and rest before the return trip. It shows how even small starts can make a positive difference. Now I"m going to try and do the longer walk once a day for a couple of weeks and they try going further.

My doctor said the steps I get in at work don't count because my heart rate isn't being sustained at a beneficial rate to be considered exercise. Not familiar with the adrenaline problem you mentioned.

Oh, I just looked it up! Cardiac strain and damage. Eeeeeek!!!! Having a stroke.......................My biggest fear in life!! Being in a constant fight or flight mode leading to fatigue. No wonder I'm so fatigued when I finally get home. Not talking about the normal exhaustion you would feel after work. Thank you!!!!! Now I know I'm not losing my mind when I get home and literally can't do one more thing. I thought I was just lazy.

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Originally Posted by Ruftin My doctor said the steps I get in at work don't count because my heart rate isn't being sustained at a beneficial rate to be considered exercise. Not familiar with the adrenaline problem you mentioned.

I think your doctor and I have different views. When I was young and working and did 8 to 10 hours of moderate physical labor then 2 to 3 hours playing drums that did keep me in good physical condition. I do understand what the doctor is saying. Without getting too deep into the weeds, the two main purposes of aerobic exercise are to reduce your resting/standing heart rate and to increase/maintain your physical endurance. I think the walking you do at work does accomplish that.
I think there are major differences though. A good exercise routine doesn't last 10 to 12 hours Also exercise is good for your mental state. I'm not sure but I think 10 to 12 hours of mentally and physically stressful work might have as much negative impact as positive.

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Originally Posted by Ruftin Oh, I just looked it up! Cardiac strain and damage. Eeeeeek!!!! Having a stroke.......................My biggest fear in life!! Being in a constant fight or flight mode leading to fatigue. No wonder I'm so fatigued when I finally get home. Not talking about the normal exhaustion you would feel after work. Thank you!!!!! Now I know I'm not losing my mind when I get home and literally can't do one more thing. I thought I was just lazy.

I'm not sure if I'd have gone to quite that extreme but yeah, your work routine would be exhausting. Those double shifts are going to take a toll.

I walked home from work today - about 20 min. I did have to sit down and take a 5 min break half way through. I think I'm going to try walking home from now on. I only work at this location once a week but I figure its still progress.

@splitimage I almost put, "I brushed my teeth." I had to double check which thread you we're posting in and boy am I glad I did.

I didn't do any intentional exercise today, but I kept busy and was not lounging in bed.

Still walking. It's always two blocks now. I'm not sure I'm feeling any benefits so far but maybe. At this point it's seems more like a 'never give up' or 'never surrender' battle of wills type thing. The will to win or die trying has it's own rewards/benefits but that's not what I'm looking for. That's a character thing. I'm looking for tangible mental and physical improvement. Or proof that those are no longer attainable. That would help me to make an informed decision on what comes next.

I'm sorry I haven't checked this thread recently @splitimage @Ruftin
I appreciate both of you posting

How's it going @ThatOtherMike?

I haven't walked much in the past week - I've been depressed and that saps me of all motivation.

Over a year ago, my car died, and I can't afford another car right now. So I've done a lot of walking out of necessity. At first, I hated having to walk places, but now I don't mind at all. It truly has strengthened the back of my legs. I notice that in the shower, where I feel more secure. Like, if I have to pivot around with my eyes closed, I'm not needing to grip the grab bars as much. The increase in strength is very noticeable.

The front of my legs (the quads) remain very weak. Walking does not place much demand on those front muscles, unless you walk uphill. That disappoints me because I would really like to be able to ride a bike again. Currently, I just don't have the strength for bike riding, which depends a lot on quad strength. I would enjoy swimming, but there's no pool in my area.

I never would have stuck with the walking, if loss of the car didn't force that on me. So it was a blessing in disguise. The key is to stick with it. Again, necessity takes care of that for me. It was a few months before I noticed any benefits. You have to be patient. Besides the gain in strength, I find that I'm sleeping better and have less tendency to overeat.

I've noticed that eating sausages in the morning keeps me feeling fueled for hours. I used to avoid fat, but now I see fat as an important element of a healthy diet. Despite eating more fat, I'm finding my weight easier to control. It's been said that American obsession with eating low fat caused a massive surge in type 2 diabetes. (The fat got replaced by carbs.) That's why the federal government stopped encouraging foods to have "calories from fat" labeling.

Hi
For me, physical activity helps so much in the struggle against anxiety and depression. It doesn't exactly replace medication but it is at least as effective as medication. Part of its effectiveness against Anxiety & Depression is actually physiological of course. The endorphins effect I suppose.
The other part of it is a little more interesting. I've never really put this into clear-cut thoughts much less put it into words but I'll try. I probably won't be as precise as I'd like to be
I view A & D as a kind of adversarial entity I'm at war with. It seeks to control my life. It is a formidable adversary with a wide range of weapons not the least of which is 'internal propaganda'... making me believe the untrue. For example 'You're not good enough.' 'You aren't strong enough.' 'Nothing really matters.' Of course it can also be much more clever and subtle than that but I don't want this to become a thesis.
Physical activity (walking in this case but yardwork is something else I do as necessary that is helpful) is the act of 'fighting back.' It's the act of defiance. It's the sheer force of exercising my will. So basically forcing myself to take a walk is a battle won.
For me it's an unwinnable war but I can win a few battles and survive to fight another day. I refuse to quit. I won't surrender. It is not in my nature.
You're still here and still fighting so obviously it isn't in your nature either. There is no true dishonor in losing. Sometimes we are simply outmatched. The only dishonor is in surrender.

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Originally Posted by splitimage How's it going @ThatOtherMike? I haven't walked much in the past week - I've been depressed and that saps me of all motivation.