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Will You Wear Out? Or Rust Out?
- Posted on July 18, 2016
By Barbara Bartlein, RN, MSW
After foot surgery last November, I was forced to sit for months while the bones in my left foot healed. A relatively minor procedure, I was amazed how long it took me to recover and get moving again. It seemed that everyday I was sitting around, I had new aches, pains and stiffness. I mentioned this to the Dr. on a recent visit and he said, "You can either wear out or rust out. People that sit all the time rust out."
I thought about what he said and it is really true. The longer I sat around, the less I felt like doing. Because my foot would swell up whenever I tried to be active, it was an easy excuse to sit. But I quickly realized that everything was starting to break down. Now my back and neck hurt, my legs were stiff and I had no energy. Realizing that I was rusting, I forced myself to get up, get to the pool and start moving.
Now I try to do at least 10,000 steps per day and weight training twice per week. I can tell that my stamina is coming back and I have dropped the 10 pounds I gained over the winter. Talking with other folks a lot older than me, all say that the key is to be active. Keep moving, and fight the rust.