One Step At A Time

Today is the first day where my pain level is about a 1 or 2. I think the weather and getting lots of rest the past few days contributed to my feeling well. I decided to take a walk with the Boy this morning to take advantage of my good feeling and the absolutely beautiful weather going on in Lake Effect Snow Central.

The walking route in my neighborhood consists on one big loop that can be broken up into smaller loops. When I was in remission, I could do the full loop, which is about 1.4 miles without any trouble. Lately, I could only handle 1/4 of a loop.

Today, the Boy and I walked a half loop.

Of course, I was not walking at my workout speed. I was strolling, letting the Boy sniff as much as he liked. (He did have a lot of pee mail). I just wanted to enjoy the nice weather and feeling good.

I have been known to push myself too hard. No matter what the task, I often bite off more than I can chew. My ambition pushes me. Sometimes, my pushing leads to positive results. But, there are many times where I pay for it. In the case of RA, it's usually pain, swelling and fatigue.

It has been hard for me not to push, to stop myself from thinking I can do more. I am getting better at listening to my body, instead of the voice in my head. And, not beating myself up for not pushing myself. Instead, I tell myself that I can add a little more each day.

So today, I am embracing the fact that I had a nice walk. Maybe tomorrow, I can go just a little more.

Cross posted at my blog.