Pedicures and Push-Ups

I have this habit of remembering things by connecting them with something that happened about the same time. For instance, my first visit to Las Vegas was the summer I was working on my Master's degree and drove out to Albuquerque for a class tour of Kirtland AFB. I was on leave, so I took a few extra days to drive west to see the Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, and Hoover Dam.

I brought one of our dogs, Violet, home the last spring I worked at a specific Pizza Hut after a girl who had worked for me wasn't allowed by her parents to keep her because she was the wrong breed!

And, about a year and a half ago (in October), I started doing two things to take better care of my body.

One of them was to take better care of my feet and particularly my toes. My feet have endured various insults over the years from dropping often heavy things on them when I wasn't always wearing steel-toed boots. Sometimes, I've just neglected them. And, it's awkward to get your hands into a good position to care for them properly, especially if you're as overweight as I was three years ago.

So, as a result, the toenails weren't growing in properly and the large toenails especially were so thick it was impossible to trim them. I went to a regular nail salon for a pedicure, but the girl working there could only take care of the smaller toes. The big nails were too thick for her equipment. Still, it was a pleasant experience.

So, I got an appointment to see an orthopedist. He offered to eliminate the problem by removing them completely, but I declined and chose to let him trim them. He then referred me to a woman he said does a good job of taking care of people's feet, doing the routine care for less than he charges, and spotting problems that need his professional treatment. He gave me a card and I called for my first appointment.

Unlike the previous salon, which was in a moderate sized shopping center on one of the busier streets in town, this location was in a small strip mall just off a semi-major street a few miles south of my house. She did good work over several sessions and, after the first couple sessions in particular, I noticed my feet felt noticeably better for a day or two after my visit!

Now, it's a special chance to relax my tootsies and chat with a friend.
And, the results are showing up. The toenails are growing in properly, not ingrown or overgrown. A split in one of the big nails has completely grown out. And, the shoes I've been wearing lately (mostly boots) must be good because some calluses on the tip of my toes have gone away.

And, as I said, I also do some calisthenics. I got a roll-out floor mat. So, it's cheap and easy to set up a little place to do some stretches, squats, leg lifts, sit-ups and push-ups for about 15 minutes either by itself or after I get back from one of my walks.

And, adding this exercise to my aerobic routine has helped in several ways.
The muscles are stronger, so I can walk much faster.

When I got these boots, they fit but were tight. Now I can fit my hand inside!

..........................
A few days later...
I got interrupted and let this sit for a while. Ironically, I've been able to do a lot of walking but have mostly skipped the calisthenics the last couple weeks :(

I have a lot of studying going on to prepare for the Cisco CCNA exam and will start more classes tomorrow.

But, I'll try to sneak a few posts in from time to time.

Hope you all have a good summer or winter.