It is early Sunday morning. I am just back from my bike ride. I thought I would quickly share this with you.
For perhaps a year now - maybe more - I have often passed the same lady walking with ski poles.
She was a very large lady - walking with a very distinct side to side motion - very reliant on the poles to take her weight. She was not young either. Her efforts looked painful - I am pretty sure they were.
While we never talked (not really the done thing early in the morning) we always smiled and I always had it in mind she was a nice lady.
From time to time I have observed walkers or joggers or bike riders - going at it for a while - but then you do not see them again. But this lady has not been like that. She is out in all weathers and she has kept plugging away.
Gradually I have seen her walking a bit freer - certainly a bit faster - but the most marked thing is the extent that she has gradually slimmed down.
This morning we were approaching a narrow point at the same time and we had a ready opportunity for a quick chat. I observed that I had seen her out walking all through the winter and "had she lost a fair bit of weight ?". She proudly said she had lost over 6 stone and how wonderful the ski poles had been in helping her. I congratulated her and she said while her hips were still a problem she was feeling much better for the weight loss.
I think she is a great example of what is possible through self help. She is a very determined lady. Clearly her excess weight had become a major issue for her. She has taken personal responsibility and by dogged incremental steps over quite a long period she has made huge progress.
Whether it will result in the pain in her hips fully dissipating I don't know - but I am sure there are a lot of benefits accruing. A friend of mine has been told by his doctor he has to lose weight before they will consider replacing an arthritic knee joint. This might be the case with her hips.
She has done so well and it has not been easy. It is easy to reflect on was the hip damage caused by her obesity but at least she has done something about it. No excuses. No victim mentality. Just some personal effort. Anyway I feel this is a positive tale. Good for her - and she has achieved it with a ready smile even on the gloomiest and forbidding early mornings. xxxx
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