Did five miles today

For years I didn't participate in a regular exercise program.  That doesn't mean that I didn't try, but I would always give up, thinking that my body just couldn't take it or that it was just simply too difficult.  And I knew the exercise was beneficial.  After all, doctors have been advising me on doing a regular exercise program for years because of all the benefits - weight loss, improved cardiovascular health, increased energy, etc.

Turns out they were right.  Hmm. 

Exercise is now a very regular part of my life today.  For the most part, I enjoy it.  There are times when I have to force myself into doing it because I just feel too tired or my body hurts too much from all the different issues I have going on.  Yet, I can say that it gives me so much more than any pill or other medical treatment can and has given me. I can't explain it, but it helps with my leg pain, back pain and just adding a ray of sunshine into my day.  Today I walked at lunch with a friend for 2.13 miles and then I did another 3 miles by myself later in the evening.  I wasn't planning on going to long today - usually 2-3 miles for the whole day is perfect for me in terms of working well with my Optifast weight loss program without overdoing it - but I was just in a lot of pain today and so the action of moving made me feel a whole lot better. 

I really am amazed at the difference in my life today versus not too many months ago.  I remember when I started the Optifast program at Kaiser ... I didn't even exercise for the first 4-6 weeks of the program because, primarily, I had planters fasciitis in one of my feet, leaving it in a very painful condition when I put weight on it.  After that healed, I began the slow effort of adding exercise into my life again.  It was maybe 15-20 minutes at first, a few blocks down the street before I got winded.  Now I am amazed that I can do something like five miles and not even bat an eyelash any longer.  These are the changes I wanted to happen when I embarked on this life-changing journey.  I just never imagined that they would be so seeped into my life, which is a really good thing. 

I'm so grateful to God that He has dealt with me with a sincere amount of heavenly patience as I have had to find a place for me that is comfortable.  And while the exercise is great, it's only one component in the entire picture of complete health.  But, just like the exercise, I need to attack those parts in pieces as well.