10,000 Steps

A few short months ago I had to push myself to go for a walk.  My step count for a week was between 30-50,000.  I didn’t care about goals and exercise just wasn’t happening.  In April, something seem to change.  I had been feeling better mentally but I still had that fear that something bad was going to happen.  We drove to Calgary on a Thursday in April to have my 5 year post cancer check up.  I prepared myself to take whatever came.  My wonderful doctor went through the results with me.  The bloodwork was good, the ultrasound was clear and even the physical exam around my neck was normal.  I burst into tears when she said that after 5 years of good checkups, I should be in the clear.  No cancer, no bad news!  I will still need an annual check with bloodwork but that is it.

That day seemed to be a tipping point.  I felt that life wasn’t always full of bad news.  I started pushing myself to have a goal for exercise.  As I accomplished the 6,000 steps a day for a couple of weeks, I kept working to increase my step count.  I am now back up to 10,000 plus steps a day.  I don’t have to push myself so much anymore because it just feels good to accomplish it.

Ron is usually my walking partner but every once in a while I’m on my own.  This week I noticed how much I am enjoying the walk around town.

We have lived in Pincher Creek for five years now and have walked just about every step of it.  There are nice trails along the creek and only very rarely does a snake wreck the moment.  

We walk a path behind our house that is a little steep but gives us a nice view.  Ron calls this my hiking training.  I always have enough stair count.  That comes from living on a hill.

Lots of times our walks lead to the north hill where a Timmie’s treat gives me the energy to get back to the south hill.  

One of the things that Ron and I have tried to do is to enjoy the area where we live.  We enjoyed Ontario for its lakes and trees.  Swift Current gave us a taste of prairie life and the beautiful coloured fields ready for harvest.  A creek was almost in our back yard and we could watch the July 1st fireworks from our balcony. Deschambault Lake took us back to trees and lakes.  Our canoe was back in service. In Three Hills, we were back on the prairies with beautiful skies and flat places to bike and oh, a track that was like an S that we could watch the trains from our livingroom window.  Here, in Pincher Creek, we have mountains, wind turbines, wildlife, saskatoon berries and of course a creek and I can watch the fireworks from our front window.

So where am I going with this blog…it is to say that I’m enjoying the area again.  My eyes seem to be open to the beautiful place where we live.  Each walk brings some more enjoyment and it feels good.

We still haven’t heard from the RCMP.  We aren’t sure where exactly our next home will be.  I know that we will enjoy that area too because that is what we do.  For now, we will take in the views, pick the berries , enjoy the wildlife and get my 10,000 steps.  Waiting isn’t so bad.