“I want you to walk 10,000 steps at least 4 days a week! Get those heels pounding the pavement!” So said my doctor.
“Yes, ma’am!” I gulped, taking a deep breath. “10,000? Really?”
Being borderline osteoporosis is nothing to fool with, I guess. Who wants to assume a ninety-degree angle looking at the floor for the rest of your life? Or succumb to the tyranny of daily medication for the sake of bones?
Yea, I know, 10,000 steps is apparently the norm for folks desiring a reasonable state of health. It’s the right thing to do. Good for cardiovascular endurance or maybe even loosing a few inches and pounds. But…ugh! At about 2,000 steps per mile, I’d need to shuffle around my neighborhood block at least 9 or 10 times to reach the bare minimum. Bor…ing! Exhausting!
Well, so much for moaning and groaning! I have a choice! I always have a choice….about everything! I can decide not to care about stronger bones and rely on pesky pills someday. I can walk a half mile and say “that’s enough! I’m tired! I’m done! I need a rest!” OR, and here’s the rub, I can choose to put my best foot forward (pun intended) and start walking! Watch that FitBit crank out steps by the thousands! It’s going to feel like I’m going in circles some days but, hey, that’s how life works, at least part of the time. And I may just feel better about myself knowing that I’m doing what needs to be done to get an edge on any devastating consequences of slips and falls in the future.
Actually, I love choices. Mac n’ cheese or chicken gizzards? Pass the pasta please! Spring break at Myrtle Beach or Daytona? Either of those will do. Not all choices, of course, are easy to make. Attend college or enroll in technical school? Get out of an uncomfortable relationship or hang tight because I need someone to have fun with on weekends. Say “yes” to the job here or move a thousand miles away for the other job. Either way there are risks. What to do?
Another category of choices are those we typically aren’t aware of making. Like maybe letting go with sarcasm aimed at a co-worker while others are close by. I see her blush and only then do I realize that I’ve probably hurt her feelings. It’s Monday so I’m just naturally grouchy. Baa humbug! Even with moods we have a choice! I can choose to be hopeful and energetic on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or any other day. It all depends on my level of awareness and perspective. With greater awareness comes intentional decision-making and who doesn’t want to live with more purpose and optimism. Try it! You’ll like it!
