Progress Report: Week 23

I had more discomfort and pain this past week, for what I believe were two main reasons. First, I swore off Advil this week. I had been taking it pretty much daily for 5 1/2 months and realized that this might not be the healthiest thing for me, with the side effects of prolonged use and whatnot. So I went cold turkey. And that meant more pain. Usually not too bad, but waking up I'd hurt in my back and have some sciatica issues, a 3-4 on the pain scale I guess. But I also realized that I was not doing my after-work walking consistently. So for the past week or so, I've been walking 1.5 miles/30 minutes around the block every other day. I plan to work up to longer walks, daily. I'm pushing myself a little and walking as briskly as I can, going up hills, etc. It is getting my heart rate up and making me sweat, which is so nice after 10 months of no exercise. I am so out of shape that this walking is totally enough of a workout at this point! (And, I no longer limp when I get tired, which is a huge accomplishment!) But the most exciting part of this is that my pain has diminished tremendously. I think I am adjusting to the no-Advil too. So this is all very exciting. So remember to walk!