As it turns out, everything was okay.
Photo by Owen Beard / Unsplash

If I don't get going, my bones will leave me crippled. I am highly motivated and here's why

It's the middle of May. Since last October, I've largely been off my feet and off my game as I shattered a knee cap, then promptly went into surgery for my left foot. Since then, only one month of normal walking, then right back to another surgery for the other foot.

I fired a photo to my foot surgeon this weekend. She fired back that I should be good to go very soon.

OMG HALLELUJAH.

I can almost feel my bones lose their strength.

Why is this important?

Look, if you're a regular reader, you already know. If you run or hike or walk or lift, all things I've not been able to do for nearly a year, your bones are likely in excellent shape.

I was diagnosed with mild osteopenia in my hips, which was one of the side effects of Covid and too much sitting. That is treatable. Osteoporosis is not. Here's what that looks like:

see article below

That image is from this important article:

Bone Density and Weight-Bearing Exercise
Weight-bearing exercise that make you move against gravity while staying upright has long been known to build bone density.

Look. My friend Nurit Amichai walloped her kneecap much the same way I did a while back while striding down a sidewalk. She commented to me that she could see the difference in her leg muscles as a result of that injury.

Boy Howdy do I see that in my body. There are loose bits of flesh hanging where I once had proud muscles. I have to haul myself up in ways I never would have imagined a short while back, with my big strong quads compromised by too much sitting and too little exercise.

This is far more than just my vanity. The inability to hold weights because of cysts in my hands (the first surgery is this Friday) meant that even my upper body was losing bone strength. I do my best with little weights which don't hurt as much, but you can see what can happen.

This Thursday I see my foot doctor. With any luck I'm off the scooter, which means that I can start walking again. Clumsily, but at least weight-bearing. Within the next four weeks, with the cysts removed, I can start handling weights again. And with any luck I can return to the pushups, which I miss dearly, but haven't been able to do since January.

Injuries and surgeries, especially as we age, can cause us to be sedentary so that we can heal. I've always tried to work out anyway, to incorporate something so that my body is reminded that it's expected to work. This past year has been gruesome in that regard, so that a chunk of what I've built has been compromised.

Our bones are precious. It's not just the food we eat- and I have finally begun to like kale which is chock-full of calcium- it's how we work our bodies to remind them of what they were made to do: move, lift, push. Be IN life.

Here's a reminder of what hurts and what helps to supplement the above article. You can bet that from a dietary standpoint I've been good (if you disregard the odd Snickers bar, that is). However I desperately need to get my butt hiking up and down the steep hill on which I live. I ache to hike in the soft sands of the coast barely an hour away.

I want to love my lovely bones. Here's how:

Things That Are Bad for Your Bones
Your bones need to be strong and healthy. But some things aren’t so good for them. WebMD shows you if your bone health is at risk.

Dear Walkabout Saga Reader:

Thank you so much for taking a few minutes out of your life to read my work. WalkaboutSaga  is an act of love and devotion, and I hope that you found value in it.

If my work appeals to you, may I kindly invite you to consider joining those Patreon supporters whose generosity keeps the gas in my tank as it were.

Such articles take time, resources, research and effort. Even a small amount of support truly helps me keep this going. In challenging times, I recognize that even a small amount is hard. Those who can give, I appreciate it. Those who cannot, I hope my words are helpful.

My purpose is to Move People's Lives. I can do more of that with your help.

Thank you.

You can explore that option here.

However you decide to partake of my writing, again, thank you.