raising awareness on the road, on my feet, begins October 4th

I will be in Upson County, Georgia. The car, the stroller and I are going back to work part time. Awareness must be raised and we will do it. The county seat is in Thomaston. 

Thomaston,  get ready for me and my crew. We will begin about 9:00 am near the courthouse. I have cards and bracelets for you. I have a phone number that may help. I’m looking forward to speaking with some Upson County folks.

I’m so grateful for my life. 

new shoes for raising awareness concerning alzheimers are on the way

I have wore Salomon shoes since 2002. These are trail racers, but I go off and on the road and this shoe is my favorite. I love the light weight and the laces. Ah, I love everything about these shoes. 

I’m so grateful for my life!

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me”     Erma Bombeck

resistance excercise is done!

Light weights and then the ab routine I have been doing since 2001. 

This is to keep me strong. I still have many years of work to do. 

I’m grateful for my life! Remember, I once weighed 272 lbs. I don’t now!

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me”     Erma Bombeck

“Across Georgia” may resume soon

From Chandler Graphics in Canton, Georgia

Their are two of these small signs for my stroller. One goes on each side. The old sign said “across the land” and had a Georgia map on them. Those signs were confusing. These new signs are not. 

Here is a picture of the sign for the front of my stroller for the “Across Georgia” project. That 1.800.272.3900 phone number can change lives.

Telling folks about this number is part of my mission

• I must get back to my work as much as possible. I am supposed to be doing this! 

I may purchase a bicycle

​ 

After speaking with five long distance bicyclist recently, I am considering getting a bicycle and logging some miles with it. 

I need to find one, get on it a bit and see how my comfort level is. 

It feels from here, at this time, that it may be kind of fun and exciting. 

I would take some long distance trips with it and raise awareness another way. I would do it all, jog, walk and bike. We’ll see how things go. My thinking is in the early stages right now. 

Out for a “Stroll” today

Wilson the BOB Jogging Stroller

I took him out for a bit. I walked some and I jogged. Both felt fine. It fact it was awesome. 

When we are together we gather a lot of attention. No signs today. That will come soon. 

I know this. Stroller jogging/walking is freaking awesome. 

The stroller in that picture has been over 4000 miles. My partner!

Ya know what, you folks that read this are awesome. You keep me going every day. 

Two long distance bicyclist completed their journey

This young lady is from Belgium

This young man is from Amsterdam

I has the pleasure of being able to stop and speak with both of these folks. They were a few days apart. I am in awe of both. 

what is raising awareness?

To me it’s about sharing new information such as in the list below, but not limited to that list. My interest for raising awareness concerns alzheimer’s disease. I think that in order to say “awareness was raised”, something new would have been shared and heard. In any group the fact is that some people will not hear anything new and others in the same group may learn many new bits of information.  Anything we can do to limit duplicating information may save time. 

Alzheimer’s :

• No cure
• 6th leading cause of death in America
• 1309 new diagnosis each day 
• help is available 

Making folks aware of the the horrors of alzheimer’s may be vital if we expect real change. The information contained in a presentation designed to raise awareness, should be tailored to the position, in the fight, of whom an awareness raiser is speaking. 

A full time caregiver usually already knows about incontinence and violence problems that are associated with alzheimer’s disease. Speaking to them about such may not raise their awareness. A family member who has never spent a moment caregiving, would most likely show surprise when incontinence is mentioned, and may admit to having their awareness raised. 

I sense when I have raised awareness and when I have not. To sense this, I need a quiet soul and quiet surroundings. Also I need a baseline of the groups knowledge. 

I work to keep myself informed and I realize I fall short in doing my best at raising awareness. I am in the midst of improving my work. 

A huge piece of information I share, that I think raises awareness is the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline. 

The hope is, as awareness is raised, society will respond accordingly. 

Awareness to the direction we should go to solve the problems associated with alzheimer’s should be raised also. 

Lots of homework involved in doing what I consider my best. 

I am giving this “awareness raising” all I have got. 

Walking and jogging

Walking and jogging has great value for me. In the last few years I have put one foot in front of the other many times. I have went far. It is my opinion that if I am to maintain good health overall, including musculoskeletal, I need to set limitations for myself. I use jogging and speed walking to fulfill my requirement of aerobic exercise each week. I use walking in a more relaxed manner to help maintain good emotional health. 

• I was accidentally ran over by a car at age three and it damaged my hip area. 
• I was extremely overweight for almost twenty years.
•  In the last several months I have began experiencing minor pain when running. 
• In the last four years I have traveled approximately 16,000 miles on foot.

I take into account what I have read, what I have heard and what I have felt. I listen to my body. 

I wish to maintain good cardiovascular health for the remainder of life. Part of the formula for doing that is regular aerobic sessions. My body needs to be in good shape in order to do those aerobic excercises.

I no longer run. It’s a well thought out decision and does not cause me any grief. 

The “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” event

This post is meant to share my thoughts on the best event I have ever attended. 

Held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide, Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

I have attended several of these events. I enjoy seeing caregivers, both past and present. Many types of health related organizations will be in attendance. Local celebrities and government officials have been known to help. Sometimes, alzheimer’s patients come to walk and make a stand. Many of the folks in attendance do not have a connection, they simply want to help others. Why do they walk? I think they “Walk to End Alzheimer’s.”

Please go to http://www.alz.org and find a Walk near you, or you may call 1.800.272.3900 anytime.