Motivation

Have to give my walking friend credit for two things - one is the opportunity to get in a 2 a day and the other - blog fodder.  

She switched our walk to the afternoon today, so I rode my bicycle this morning.  I really start the day best when I exercise before breakfast and we usually walk at 9am so when she had to reschedule I thought - oh good, there is that eighth day I was trying to find (to cycle).

This is the friend who has as her only exercise, our one hour walk on Saturdays.  You may recall the post regarding her agreeing to get up 15 minutes earlier (she wanted to do 30) and using her tread climber in the morning before she went to work.

Monday was the first and ONLY day that she attempted this.  Of course, she did not listen, she got up 30 minutes earlier and was so exhausted she could not function - or something to that effect so said her email (:)

She also started working some over time hours and that - which is sedentary brain numbing work, leaves her exhausted at the end of the day.  Ironically, it is medical coding work and often has to do with billing for treatment of cancer - lung and breast cancer cases filled her day today...

But we talked as we walked this evening and regrouped.  She is ready to go again on Monday.  She says she will get up only 15 minutes earlier and she will have a spot of caffeine, half cup coffee or the equivalent and get on her tread climber.  As I told her, if she only ends up exercising for 5 minutes, it is 5 more minutes that she has been doing.


My friend is important and she is a good example of all that I discuss for health promotion and policy.  [She  knows that I am talking about her.]  She has had gastric bypass surgery - and as I told her today, she risked her life doing that and is not taking care of herself.  She is much like the population in general - it is easier (should they choose to do it) to eat 100 calories less than to burn 100 calories more.  However - that is a weight loss issue.  For optimal health and prevention of disease, daily exercise is vital - it is the ONLY answer.


She knows all of these things - she does not have the intrinsic motivation to do it - but we are working on that.