Adventure Location: Rockport, Texas
Today's Date: 5-11-2022
We rolled out of bed excited to put to use new information from the internet last night. We found several sites that set out the time per mile that a person should walk for exercise to be doing the most good for themselves. It was carefully set up per age groups. Since the OFM Teams do not have a watch in our ownerships we chose to use the phone for the timing device. We also got on google earth and mapped times for arrival at certain intersections or places along the trail at the Municipal Park.
We got to the park and parked at the parking lot near the starting point. Everything was checked so we would be able to check the elapsed time as required.
WHOOSH and away we went at our guesstimated needed walking speed for best results. We hit the first check point with a few seconds to spare. So we speeded up a bit. Our breathing was already aerobic at the first check point, so it got more aerobic quickly. About halfway to the second check point the breathing was about the same but the joints could tell we were going faster. Suddenly we speeded past a flower that needed its picture taken. But we pressed on without the picture. And ZOOM we passed a nice scene due to the sun rays hitting an area just right for a picture but no time for enjoyment of living was in the schedule. About that time we hit the second check point. EEERRRKKKK. The OFM took inventory of the situation. Hmmmm at least two nice pictures we ought to have taken, leg joints starting to feel not just right, stressed about hitting the time marks or better and NOT HAVING ANY FUN.
That put an end to the so called “what is best for me” from the internet ( or is that the Internot). We got in Sierra and headed home to think about this situation and consider our future life desires.
A couple of hours later we went back to the park to try the same loop at the OFM Teams style and aerobic pace.
Same parking space. Same starting point but at our pace as the OFM Teams. Here is the picture of the pretty flower we did not have time for the first go around.
ONLY FLOWER TODAY
Then when we got to the sun scene it was over and not worth a stop so we will likely never get that pretty scene into our files of nice scenes since the sun angles and the vegetation growth will never be the same again. So that is a wasted scene due to a SCHEDULE.
We completed the whole walk at an aerobic breathing pace with a slightly elevated pulse rate and enjoyed it peacefully without any stress or worry about schedule. It is our guess the elimination of the stress and worry far outweighed any good a high stress, do not pause for the pretty things walk could bring into our life. Perhaps our life motto since this blog started in the middle of November 2007, trying to have tooooo much fun, is very important to a life well lived
I think you're on the right track. I got one of those step counters you can wear on your wrist some years ago. I KNEW I wasn't going to do the recommended 10,000. Finally, a few years later, I found that the sweet spot for health for someone my age was 4700 steps. OK then. That made sense. But over the last couple of years, due to some arthritic deterioration in the back, I'm not doing that anymore. But I don't worry about it. I do the best I can, and when I consider the people I know of my age, I'm probably in the middle....some would have trouble doing much at all of that many steps, some exceed that limit easily. I have resolved to enjoy what time I I have left. I still love my life. I've stolen my epitaph from a sentence of Henry James, though he was talking about a man, I've substituted "her." "Her life would have been longer had she been less determined to make it agreeable."
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Thank you for that additional information. Seems like joint trouble in us older folks is very prevalent in the folks I know..
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