Northern Lights: These Boots Are Made For Walking
The sunrises here in the foothills are spectacular in the fall. Beautiful oranges, pinks, and lavenders light the clouds from below. In addition, the leaves are in full splendor, shining in gold, orange, and red. There isn’t a nicer time of year to get outdoors. It inspires me to lace up my trainers, put on a fitness tracker, plug in some ear buds, and head out for a walk.
A daily walk seems quite normal to me because when I was growing up, we walked to school and back. Although the distance was not far, only about one kilometer (half a mile) each way, for elementary school students this was good exercise. That got me into the habit of walking, which I have grown to really enjoy. I have also enjoyed jogging and marching in parades playing bagpipes, but I have given up on those activities since my myeloma diagnosis.
As we all know, there are many health benefits to walking. These include reducing fatigue, improving cardiovascular fitness, lowering anxiety and depression, and reducing the risk of getting other cancers.
Right after my diagnosis six years ago, I was leaning on a walker and could hardly get out at all. My injuries included compression and depression fractures. I was in an awful lot of pain. I could hardly imagine then that with the help of my myeloma treatment regimen and bisphosphonate infusions, I would be pain-free and able to walk regularly again.
I was very weak physically for the first few months after my diagnosis and transplant. After my stem cell transplant, I started out just hobbling along on the sidewalks near my house. People who knew me would stop to encourage me, and that helped a lot.
Slowly, I increased the distance I walked. I remember my mother walking with me for over a kilometer, and that seemed like a real achievement then. Getting out in the fresh air meant the world to me then, and still does!
Right now, my goal is to get back to walking 10 kilometers (6 miles) every day, but I am not quite there yet.
Since I suffered bone damage from the myeloma, and now have osteopenia, it’s good for me to do weight bearing exercise. Walking is a form of that, and I am stronger now than I was before my diagnosis.
I have been taking dexamethasone (Decadron) once a week since last fall, and I am concerned about gaining weight from taking that drug. Fortunately, the walking has helped me to maintain my weight.
In Calgary, we have over 800 kilometers (500 miles) of pathways plus city sidewalks. There is really no excuse for not getting out for a daily walk.
So when I am planning my day, I try to include a walk outdoors. What do I need to think about before leaving the house?
Of course, I take my house keys, cell phone, and dress in layers if it is chilly. If it is a hot summer day, I try to get out early before the heat builds up.
The cell phone serves a dual purpose. I can use it to call for help in an emergency as well as listen to music while I walk.
For winter walks, I use ski poles or walking sticks to navigate the snow and ice. I have also tried wire traction walkers that fit over winter boots but I prefer to use the poles.
If the weather is really bad, I walk indoors in a shopping mall, or use a treadmill at the gym.
These days, I’m using a fitness tracker to count my steps and set goals. It has helped me tremendously in keeping motivated and achieving my goals. For example, I sometimes take stairs instead of an elevator or park further away from a destination to get more steps in for the day.
On weekends, my daily walk may consist of a hike in the woods or nearby mountains. I have also joined organized walk/runs organized by our local support group. These events are a nice way to meet other myeloma patients and caregivers.
Whether meeting up with friends, taking the family dog out, or just listening to music, it is refreshing and meditative for me to walk. And I know I’m doing something good for myself.
What has been your experience with walking (or other forms of exercise) since your myeloma diagnosis?
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The quotation for this month is from Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862), an American author, poet, and philosopher, who said: "An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day."
Nancy Shamanna is a multiple myeloma patient and a columnist at The Myeloma Beacon. You can view a list of her columns here.
If you are interested in writing a regular column to be published by The Myeloma Beacon, please contact the Beacon team at .
Like you, for me the painful spinal injury was the initial limiting factor to my walking. While that continues, now, as much as anything, it's the chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy in my toes and the balls of my feet that limit my ability to walk any real distance with any sense of stability. Have you had that issue, and if so, how did you address it?
Nancy,
Walking is a great way to start the day, I take my two little dogs. They are relentless and don't let me miss a day. I also swim laps at the city pool 3 or 4 days a week, often a mile swim. While not weight bearing, it is a great for my back (compression fractures). I'm lucky to live in Arizona where I can swim outside year round. I think it is important to keep moving as much as we can as long as we can.
Thanks for your column.
I would like to wish all readers a Happy (belated) Canadian Thanksgiving! We had a nice long weekend here, lots of good food and company, and the weather is still mild enough to walk easily outdoors! The autumn leaves are almost all blown from the trees now, and the land is getting ready to rest until spring. We have planted spring bulbs and new perennials to enjoy 6-7 months from now!
Pusser, thanks for sharing about your problems with walking. I did use walking sticks for quite a while, since I was really nervous about losing my balance and falling. Actually did fall a couple of times, but with no injuries...snow can cushion a fall. I also still have mild neuropathy from my toes down about one quarter of my feet. I wear good quality 'running shoes', sandals, moccasin style winter boots, all with good foot support and soles. The people working at sports stores are helpful in getting a good fit for shoes. In the cooler weather, cushiony wool socks help. i wear sleep socks at night, to keep my feet warm too. Peppermint foot cream is soothing.
I went to an interesting talk given by a nurse practitioner 2 years ago, and she outlined many of the issues surrounding PN. She outlined supplements taken and also agents for pain management. That made me realize that my PN isn't severe , so maybe it is best to look at threads on the Beacon where patients discuss this issue in detail. Hope that helps you.
Cindy, I like walking with our 'grand puppy' too! The perspective of a dog on a walk is different from that of a person. They are just born to walk...helps to have four legs for traction on ice and snow too! Their enthusiasm is so infectious! Good to know that you can swim outdoors year round...I only swim indoors in Calgary, but do enjoy that. That is also really good exercise, and I agree that keeping moving is really important.
Nancy,
Great article! I supplement my bike riding with walks. I really got into walking after my valve replacement surgery a year ago. One of my son's recommended to me an App for my I phone that I use for walking. It is called "Runkeeper" and is linked to GPS. It will show you the course, your speed and distance and even prompts you to do another walk. I find it helps my motivation as you can set it to tell you (computer voice) periodically your time and speed. I find that if I slowdown, the voice update gets me to increase my pace.
They have a lot of walking trails in the community I live in and one is right across the street from my house. Of course, since I live in North Texas, these are mostly flat and not as picturesque or diversified as Calgary.
Ron
Hi Ron, it's great how the younger generation keeps us computer savvy! I will have to look for the 'Runkeeper' app too. Am using Fitbit, which I like. I got the idea to try that from Karen Crowley's column a while ago. When I mentioned it to my daughters I got one for my birthday! My spouse, daughters and sons-in-law are all quite athletic and finish road races and even try-athlons at times. I think that they all use the Garmin technology since it measures HR and so is helpful to keep one on the right pace, and in the correct range of intensity.
I love walking. Always have, always will I hope! Right now as I adjust to the new treatment regimen (Kyprolis), I am having to also adjust how often and how far I walk. I cannot walk as far and as fast I used to or want to, although my goal is to get the distance back up (and maybe make some progress on the pace).
What I love about walking is the ground level, steady slow perspective. I notice a lot more detail and am more acutely attuned to the world around me. Right now the emphasis is one the sights, sounds, and smells of the fall.
Just turned 60, retired from 30 years of elementary teaching, and one year out from CyBorD, I have had to give up playing intense racquetball and tennis, sports I dearly loved for 30+ years. I now ride my bicycle and go for walks, both relaxing, contemplative yet invigorating, and no competition to beat! Like April, I am more in tune with the world around me. And it is awesome!
Hi Nancy,
Great topic! I agree with you that autumn is a perfect time for walking - and for running.
I do both, two days of running and then one day of walking if everything is working right and going according to plan for me. And most of the walking is done with my two dogs who, I think, like walking even better than eating!
When I was going through induction therapy, continuing to walk and run helped me gauge how well I was doing physically. And it was a huge help mentally too because it was one thing I could do that gave me some sense of normalcy.
Keep on moving!
Mike
April, i look forward to reading your next column, and maybe the walking you do will somehow feature in that. Good luck with the new treatment regimen, Kyprolis!
Jim, thanks for your perspectives on switching from racket sports to walking and cycling. The natural world changes every day, and there is always something new to see that way. I saw a few chickadees today in a shrub that had hardly any leaves, and I couldn't have seen them even last week, for they would have been hidden by the leafed branches.
Greetings Ms. Shamanna!
I must as always appreciate your beautifully expressed column. Is it also possible for you to post pictures of the beautiful autumn you have there around your place? Would love to see. Even though it's ok even if its not viable, you certainly succeed at painting a very picturesque account in our imaginations with your vivid description. Reading columns and comments on the Beacon acts like a balm to me. Even though I do not have myeloma myself, having had seen it in my father makes me feel a part of the fraternity, the fight, the struggles and the breakthroughs. Wishing you good health and a beautiful autumn.
Upasana
Mike, you are so right that getting back to exercising is good for a person in many ways!
Upasana, thanks for your nice comment! I have posted some pictures over in the Beacon forum in the 'Burgundy Cafe'. Here's a link to the thread with my pictures.
Two pictures are of a walking trail behind our house, called the Douglas Fir Trail. We live above the Bow River valley. There is a stand of Douglas fir trees here that is very easterly from the west coast. Also, a friend donated me one of her bird photos, a chickadee, to post also.
If you or any other readers have some autumn pictures to share, you also can post them in the same forum thread where I posted them..
Beautiful pictures Ms. Shamanna! Must be a real treat walking on in such beautiful environs! Thanks for sharing. Bless the internet. ^_^
Exercise of any sort is important for both physical and mental health. I have encouraged all of my myeloma friends to do as much as they can. This is particularly important for those facing fatigue either from the disease or treatments since, perhaps counter-intuitively, exercise creates energy and fights fatigue. Walking is an excellent form of exercise since you need little to no equipment and you can do it most anywhere.
Nancy, thanks for the walking article. I am training for a walking 10K and so I am walking 3 times a week. You really included practical tips for us to think about. I do all that plus traction on my shoes with the hiking poles.
I also take a snack/water as I increase the mileage. Right now back in chemo so have the low energy, GI stuff. However once I start and get off the couch I am always glad. thanks again. Maureen N
Andrew, thanks for the comment. I enjoy reading your column too. Even after such a tiring experience such as a stem cell transplant, it's good to try to get up and move around as soon as possible, I think. Did you work with 'Thera Bands' then? They are long stretchy latex bands of varying resistance, that are used for physiotherapy. One can get really good muscle strengthening with them, and a hospital based physiotherapist gave me some instruction in how to use them at that time.
Thanks Maureen, hope that the walking 10 km goes well! I am participating in a walking 5 km event this Saturday with some fellow choir members! It is a fund raiser for the Alberta Choral Society and our choir, and it should be fun. I don't have a set training schedule, and I woudn't even call my walking 'training' compared to what I used to do when I went in lots of 10K events and even half marathons. But this summer I started to walk longer distances, according to my fitness tracker, and more frequently too. Am up to about 8 km some days. Like you, I have to work around side effects of the meds I am taking, especially with the need to be mindful of my GI issues! Have to stay hydrated too. With Revlimid, I am taking low-dose aspirin to avoid getting blood clots, but I think also that the exercise is good to try to prevent those. Looking forward to reading more of your columns also! I can't tell you how encouraging it is to hear from like minded patients about the exercising.
I have used the bands but did not use them post-transplant. I walked and rode the stationary bike. It was not pleasant at first but I just continued to push through and eventually it got more comfortable.
Thank you, your article and the replies have encouraged me as a caregiver. It is easy to let short-term interruptions derail the program!
Thanks Daryl! Being a caregiver is so important and special in the life of a myeloma patient!
Hi Nancy
We need to put Calgary on our bucket list. All those walking paths! We have always been very active - running, biking and walking. During the majority of time that my husband was receiving chemotherapy, he was too tired to do much. However, we took our two golden retrievers with us to Houston and they helped motivate my husband to get up and get out of the temporary apartment. Now that we are 16 months into the multiple myeloma journey and D+54 from the stem cell transplant, my husband doesn't miss a daily walk with the dogs. He has even started to jog a little and ride his bike a few blocks. Like you we believe that getting daily exercise is extremely important. Thanks for sharing your experience and reinforcing a very important aspect to the recovery process.
Thank you Patty B! We are really fortunate to have so many walking pathways, and most of the year they are clear, even if it is cold! The City does keep the key ones clear, mainly for the cyclists who commute to work in all weather! We have had a nice autumn this year though.
I enjoyed your inspiring article, Nancy. I'm going to be more mindful of walking each day!
Thanks Sue! The autumn weather here is still mild, so walking outdoors is quite do-able!