Glad to be Back on My Feet by Alison Henderson

Have you thought about your feet lately? Most of us don’t appreciate our feet the way we should. We are too busy and take our mobility for granted. Until we can’t. I recently learned this the hard way.

One day in mid-January I was on the treadmill when my left foot suddenly started hurting. I had gained a couple of pounds over the holidays, so I’d upped my treadmill workout—nothing spectacular, just a bit longer at a slightly higher speed. When the pain persisted for a few days, I hit the Internet for a diagnosis. Yes, yes, I know—I should have called the doctor. However, I’d never had any kind of sports injury before, and I was sure it was nothing serious. Besides, I hadn’t done anything except walk on the treadmill. The pain was very localized on the top of my foot, and after a little research, I decided it must be extensor tendinitis. So I suspended my exercise, iced my foot, and took ibuprofen.

But as the weeks dragged on, the pain didn’t get any better. After six weeks without improvement, I finally broke down and went to the doctor. He sent me to a podiatrist, and the diagnosis shocked me—a stress fracture of the second metatarsal. How could I possibly get a stress fracture from walking on the treadmill? I’ll grant you I’m not as young as I used to be, but I’m not THAT old!

The prescription was six weeks wearing a compression sleeve on my foot and heavy hiking boots. Oh, and I was supposed to stay off my feet as much as possible. Haha! I gave the podiatrist the benefit of the doubt because he didn’t know me, but seriously, there was no way I was going to lie around the house with my foot elevated for six weeks. I’d already been much less active than normal for six weeks.

I grumbled but complied, within reason, and finally the day arrived when I could shed my boots and move freely again without pain. Yippee! I started to exercise again, carefully. Again I was shocked. Three months of restricted activity had destroyed my conditioning, which hadn’t been world class to begin with. It was almost like starting from scratch. I also cringed at every twinge in my foot, afraid I might break another bone. I’ve turned into a freaking little old lady overnight!

When I turned sixty last year, my mother warned me, “This is the time when everything starts to change.” She was right. My injury has forced me to face the fact that my body has changed, and I have to adjust to accommodate those changes. I don’t like that. I’m no athlete, but I’ve exercised six days a week for the past eight years. It’s my slap in the face of menopause.

Since my fracture healed, I’ve gone back to the same schedule, but with adjustments. I’m trying to be kinder to my joints by keeping my treadmill sessions at a lower level for the time being and alternating days with strengthening exercises with resistance bands. It seems to be making a difference. I do feel better and have actually lost a couple of pounds.

The best thing about being back on my feet is being able to walk outside again. It’s not

much fun looking at paradise through a window. Here are a couple of pictures of one of my favorite hiking places. Point Lobos State Park is one of the most picturesque places on the planet and only fifteen minutes from my house. If some of us get together for a writer’s retreat here next year, I promise to share it with any interested hikers. Trust me—you won’t be sorry.

Alison

www.alisonhenderson.com

Fall Into Fun! by Jannine Gallant

Me hiking. Don't know where the dog is--probably chasing a squirrel!

I was having a hard time coming up with a new fall topic...and put off writing my post until the last minute because I've been crazy busy. When it struck me that October is always a busy, but really fun, month for me. So, I thought I'd share.

Ginger down at the lake.

Hiking in the woods with my dog is a passion of mine. And October is pretty much the end for prime hiking. Come November, the snow starts, the temperatures drop, and I have to wear a coat and boots instead of a T-shirt and tennies. Horrors. Also, the woods are gorgeous with fall colors brightening up a backdrop of evergreens. I cherish each and every tromp through the forest this time of year.

Tara

Also, it's cross country season. Both my girls run, though my youngest, Kristen, has been plagued by injuries this season. My oldest, Tara, is a senior. She's been on a mission to win back her State Championship and has been tearing up the courses this season, winning 5 of her 6 races so far. The team has a lot of fun...and so do the parent drivers. I got to spend a lovely weekend down in Monterey with the girls...at the beach. Life's rough. LOL

My carload of girls for the race--Kristen is the tall redhead

Halloween rolls around to round out the month. My days of taking kids trick-or-treating are over, but it's still fun to watch the girls dress up.

Kristen (Thing 1) with her friend Kyla (Thing 2) a couple of years ago

In celebration of the season, I'll be putting my one and only ghost story, She'll Never Rest, on sale for 4 days Oct. 24-27. Grab a copy for 99 cents for a Halloween treat. In fact, if you're in the mood for fall books, check out my whole Secrets of Ravenswood series on my website. They're full of fall flavor and each have a shivery mystery.

So, are you a fall aficionado? What's keeping you busy this October? 

Great Outdoors Month by Jena Galifany

June has been designated Great Outdoors Month. It is the time to get out in the open as much as possible and enjoy the world around you. I live in the high desert so being outside in the daytime can be hazardous to my health. Temperatures can reach from high nineties to the low hundreds. It is better to get the outdoor time in after the sun goes down.

Doug and Steve @ Knotts 2011

What can be done after the sun goes down that’s fun for the kids? Did you ever play hide and seek? It’s a simple childhood game where one person is “It”. That person would cover their eyes and count to twenty while the others all hide. Then the It person has to find them. If they are found but can make it to the counting spot, aka “home” before It tags them, they are free. If It is looking for someone else, the others can try to run for “home” and be free. Simple, right?

Now, our version of the game is this: Everyone wears black clothing that they don’t care if they get wet in and a sturdy pair of old sneakers. Each player is armed with a super-soaker and a squirt gun. Have a centrally located plastic kitchen sized garbage can filled with water. Floating in that water is a large stockpile of water balloons ready for use. If an attack is going on a balloon can be scooped from the container as you run by. These are ammo for every one to use.

The game is now played along these lines. No lights should be on in the yard so hiding can be creative. Be sure that there is nothing that can be a hazard in the dark yard. You don’t want anyone to fall during the game. Everyone hides. I’ve hidden by lying down in the shadow of a fence. I suggest checking for ants before trying this. My husband has spent time sniping from up in a tree. My youngest took a pail of water balloons up into her tree house and clobbered anyone who tried to sneak by below her. She was only five when she did this.

Now, everyone is It and everyone is fair game. The players may take up a hiding place to snipe from or if they are more adventurous, they can go out hunting the others. It’s all good fun and cooling in the summer heat. I have two and a half acres so our games got to be rather large.

 For her sixteenth birthday, my older daughter wanted a game of water wars, our name for the game. She wanted to have a couple of her friends on her team and she wanted to “hunt” boys. My son, my nephew, and my husband were the branded targets for the night. The girls had a blast keeping the guys on the run.

One should note that after the game has ended, be sure to let all the targets know. After the girls had their fill of hunting, they came in to watch a movie and eat popcorn. After a while, I noticed that my husband was missing. I went out to the yard and found him. He’d been sitting up in a tree, getting eaten by bugs, waiting for the girls to sneak by. No one told him that they were coming in for the night. Now, there’s dedication to fun in the out doors!

Jen in meditation @ Knotts 2011

All of this fun can take place once the sun goes down, after a barbeque or a day spent back-packing or taking a nature walk at a local park. The important thing is to get outside and enjoy the health benefits of fresh air and exercise.

What are your favorite out door games? Did you ever have a Badminton set or a croquet set out in your yard? We did when I was a kid. We also had a large tent set up in the back yard all the time. I spend a lot of time in that tent. My siblings and I were always out side and we had a great time. How about you?

Cheers!

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Jena Galifany writes in the genre of sweet romance and adventure. She can be found at her WEBSITE, or on Facebook.