My first morning walk. Here I go.

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kbenson629
kbenson629 Posts: 6 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My feet hurt. My joints hurt. I smoke and get winded easily. This is gonna hurt. It's day 1 and I have 110 lbs to lose. Im finally going to take that walk I've been putting off for years. And now my journey begins with a long-awaited first step.

Here I go!
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Replies

  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    Good luck.

    Keep at it for a few months and you will find that your joints and feet no longer hurt. You won't be as winded either (but your smoking won't make that part as easy to fix).
  • slinke2014
    slinke2014 Posts: 149 Member
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    Go go go!!! You got this and it gets easier.
  • kbenson629
    kbenson629 Posts: 6 Member
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    I am not planning to buy another pack of cigarettes after I finish this one. That's going to take everything I've got and I still have to give losing weight everything I've got. I managed a very brisk 15-minute walk and my legs are on fire. I don't know how I'll find the strength. ..
  • troytroy11
    troytroy11 Posts: 180 Member
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    This is a life changing start for you. It is extremely motivational to read posts like this. Thank you for deciding to make this step. 15 minutes is a great start! Your legs might be a little sore tomorrow or even later today. When the soreness goes away you will find the walk will be a little easier. And also, the farther in time you are from your last cigarette, the easier the walks will be. Keep at it!
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    You can do this!!!!!!!!!!
    It really does get easier in time. At first it will suck badly, but as Long as you don't give up and keep going it will get easier!! Just don't give up! We all started somewhere !! Even if you just walk around the block today, but next month you will be able to walk around two blocks ! Just keep going !!!!
  • tifftaffy
    tifftaffy Posts: 141 Member
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    kbenson629 wrote: »
    I am not planning to buy another pack of cigarettes after I finish this one. That's going to take everything I've got and I still have to give losing weight everything I've got. I managed a very brisk 15-minute walk and my legs are on fire. I don't know how I'll find the strength. ..

    Cold turkey is the way to go. I quit smoking in 2002, the first two days will be the hardest, but once you pass that, it will be easier.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    You can do this!

    When I started out, I could not even get up a flight of stairs without stopping twice. My first "walk" was to the end of my apartment complex and back. Just do as much as you can each time but try to do a little more than you did the last time. 18 months after I started, I was able to walk 24 miles in one day and I do 5-7 miles almost every day. The pain in my back is gone and the pain in my knees is almost gone (left knee has arthritis and will need a replacement eventually, but I have gained many years before I will need the surgery).
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
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    You got this!
  • thereshegoesagain
    thereshegoesagain Posts: 1,056 Member
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    The first steps are the hardest. You can do this! For support while you stop smoking, check out whyquit.com They have a great community, much like MFP. I also got hypnotized which helped alot. My session was recorded and I listened to it every morning before I got out of bed and again before I went to sleep. I still had massive cravings but now it has been almost 10 years. There is also an ap called Quit Keeper that tracks how many cigarettes you have not smoked, how much money you've saved, and how many years you have added to your life. NOW is the time to change your life, it's not easy but is so rewarding.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    Good attitude. You got this. Go slow and steady
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.....best of luck with quitting smoking, it's been about 25 years for me.....your body will love you (even though it may hurt a little along the way)
  • starling01
    starling01 Posts: 81 Member
    edited December 2015
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    When I started, I couldn't walk across the street without feeling faint. I don't think I'm ever going to be running marathons, but I can comfortably walk and jog a few miles every day. It takes a while. Don't get discouraged. As for the smoking, nicotine is a very addictive drug. Some people can quit 'cold turkey' but many can't. There's no shame in getting help to break an addiction. It's a lot easier if you have strong support but it's still a biological process as well as a behavioral change. I was only able to quit when the other smoker in the house finally left and even then it was very hard. I was cocky after I quit smoking, thinking that losing weight would be the same deal, just wait out the worst of the withdrawals and then coast on through. NOT. You can definitely do both, though. Be kind to yourself, accept limitations, ask for help when you need it, and really believe you can do it.
  • FrankWhite27330
    FrankWhite27330 Posts: 316 Member
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    You got this!!! It's easier to find reasons not to move... then just to do it!! Very Proud of you
  • amwthomas
    amwthomas Posts: 3 Member
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    Go for it & good luck!!
  • Skinnybetcher
    Skinnybetcher Posts: 17 Member
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    This is all yours! If you find yourself easily out of breath or distracted, try listening to an interesting or funny podcast to keep you focused and less distracted. Always works like a charm for me
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    Good luck! You'll probably be sore tomorrow. If it's delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), it's not a problem, just adaptation to the new demands you're placing on them. (DOMS is characterized by soreness when you move or touch the muscle, but not when it is motionless, and unlike pain from an injury, it tends to diminish if you keep moving.)

    The sooner you make exercise a habit, the easier it will be to keep going. Lots of people post here because they feel a need for motivation, but once something is a habit, it's easy to keep up. Fortunately that applies to good habits as well as bad ones!
  • bpp23
    bpp23 Posts: 170 Member
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    Way to go!! You got this!!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    You can do it!

    Don't start your walk saying, This is going to hurt, I'm going to get winded. Say, This is going to be a challenge for me that I am ready to overcome. Our thoughts and the way we look at things can be so powerful. And it's worth it!

    Congrats on taking the first step :drinker:
  • Larissa_NY
    Larissa_NY Posts: 495 Member
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    First time's the hardest. Once you know you can do it, half the battle's won. Go you!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Go as far as is comfortable at first, then gradually work it up from there as you are able. You can progress pretty quickly. I went from a painful 1/4 mile to 5 miles with hills pain free in less than a year.

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