My doctor’s first recommendation for a life style change was to exercise. My cholesterol was a little high. My muscle tone was gone. My blood pressure was slightly elevated. As a recently diagnosed diabetic I was a mess.
As a side effect of high glucose levels in my blood I has lost 47 pounds in less than 30 days. Unfortunately, most of that loss was muscle. Naturally, I did not have any energy. I was shuffling rather walking. Except for the last few years I had been a life time jogger and bicycle rider. My life style had been very active and aerobic in nature.
I was scared and understood I had to build my body up. I had to renew my health. But, I could not find any time in the day for an exercise program. Then I consider taking the bus and train to work. But, I was so weak I had to swing my feet to move the heavy walking shoes I bought to provide support for the mile and half walk from my house to the bus. From the train to my office was a half mile walk. So in a day I would walk 4.0 miles. So somehow I converted the fear of being diabetic and all it complications into a driving discipline.
Today I still take the bus and train to work nearly everyday possible; hot sun, rain or snow. Since I can dress appropriately, I have walked by choice in a few heavy snow storms. I no longer disire to drive to work. The difference is walk close to 5 miles per hour rather than the less than 2 miles per hour a year ago. As a life long jogger I understand that walking can be as aerobic as jogging without the related strain on your knees, especially at my age (now 59).