Week 9: Shoes
New knees are progressing apace. Today we have thunderstorms rolling through, which could be why Lefty is cranky this morning. Or it could be that I "slept funny" because we woke up that way. Even Righty is slightly swollen and sore, which is usually never the case. Still, I took the knees on a walk during a break in the rain and both behaved very well. Oddly, because Lefty woke up cranky, we were still fine on the walk. Barely a whisper of discomfort from Lefty. It's more extra stiffness when bending around the house, go figure, which is also what Righty is doing. I'm blaming the weather... and doing some extra elevating and icing.
In the meantime, I am spending time shopping. Online. I love shopping online. Packages arrive magically at my door. "Look!" I exclaim to Mr. Shoes. "I have new stuff!" He's used to it. It happens every July.
After having my knees realigned, I tried on all my old shoes. My athletic shoes had to go. They had serious wear patterns that no longer agreed with the knees. My arthritic knees dictated my shoe choices for several years. I needed excellent support and less than 2 inch heels (though, mysteriously, I found a pair of 2 inch heel booties that were pure heaven... and which still are). I still favor lower heels. Always have. Even when my knees were young and healthy, high heels were my nemesis. Imagine an elephant on stilettos. Graceful, I was never, ever.
So I need new shoes. I know... just an excuse, right? Wrong. This is a real need. Because now I am doing something I wasn't doing six months ago, or a year ago, or even two years.
I am walking. Really walking. Not just hobbling around the house or across a parking lot, or through a grocery store (which was pretty much the scope of my activity the last three years). I'm walking around the neighborhood. I'm planning a cruise with shore excursions, and not just the bus tour of whatever port we visit. I'm going to be visiting the kids and grandkids in Cleveland, Atlanta and Wausau. Mr. Shoes and I are going to be going out more often to the theater and concerts. I want to go to farmers' markets and craft fairs.
According to my Fitbit, six months ago I was walking a maximum of 700 steps a day. That. Little. Most days were 300 or so steps. And today I am walking 3000 steps a day just doing my daily walk and ADL. If I go shopping or get out of the house a bit, I can do 5000. And I hope to do even more as I start taking longer walks and getting out more.
So... one pair of excellent-fitting athletic shoes. One pair of fun new slip on sneakers for trotting around on errands. One pair of nice going-out shoes, because my go-to pair "walked" funny now that my stride is normal again. The athletic shoes, especially, are a godsend. My walks are so much more fun with shoes that support and enable THESE knees.
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