Hmmm, a certain sameness has set in…I will be very very glad when the painting is done. I am nearly there — the final coat on a wicker loveseat and on the woodwork tomorrow (they are the same color). Oh yes, I forgot, wash rollers, brushes, trays goes in there too.
BUT I have gotten some walking in every day. Hurrah!
July 12 – 8139 steps. July 13 – 7582 steps – and thanks to Kay’s wish — some of these steps were dancing to reggae music (every summer there is an arts festival here and on the Sunday night there is a great reggae group called the Earthtones which plays for free — people come and dance and sweat –it’s a lot of fun!). A red-letter day!
July 14 – Bastille Day – backslid to 1672 steps – some friends wanted to go out to dinner so that took my walking time. But we sang the Marseillaise!
July 15 – 6000 steps July 16 – 4454 steps July 17 – 6400 steps
So I am doing better at regularity. However, I am noticing a problem with the fourth toe on my left foot, which begins to rub a blister (no matter what shoes I wear) when I walk this much, this regularly. I can head off the blister with one of those great Compeed bandages — but I don’t have very many of these and they don’t make them here. The toe sort of spreads out under the third toe and this is how the blister forms. My third day in France it became a blood blister, it was so bad, and that was how I discovered Compeed bandages! Otherwise I would have been limping.
I have begun to wonder if this Yogatoes device might help the tendency of this toe to spread under the other one. My toes never used to do this when I was younger. Woe woe! I know about spreading one’s toes in yoga standing postures…but to remember to spread one’s toes a lot…not sure I can do it consistently. Have any of you tried Yogatoes? If so, what has the result been?
I know they are somewhat expensive but then, so would ordering lots of Compeed bandages from France be expensive!
So that is the news from sunny muggy hot PA! My birthday is coming up this weekend, I will be 63! Finishing the painting will be one present to myself. 
8 Comments
July 18, 2008 at 6:29 am
Sara, looks like a very good week indeed. About the toe problem. I have the same because I broke my toes so much as a ballet dancer (modern dance part) that one or two of the toes does that sliding under another all the time. The only thing I have found that helps is to not only bandage the toe that slips but the toe that it slips under. The bandaid offer support for the slipping toe and stiffens the neighbouring toe.
I’ve even tried bandaging the two toes together but that is not good.
A very happy birthday to you! May this new year be one of continued health and happiness.
July 18, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Great week Sara!!!!!! The dancing sounds great!!!!!! Going to the festivals we have downtown here monthly is great exercise and my friends and I still boogie to the bands! We joke that we might be old but we still rock!
I have trouble with my feet, too, due to bad circulation so there’s always something weird going on with them. Bandaids are always in supply here. And as part of my vitamin regimen I take a couple ibuprofen daily to stave off minor aches. Summer is good because I can wear sandals and they don’t constrict my toes. (Yeah, my feet are ugly and I’d rather hide them but I don’t care as long as they don’t hurt.) I spend a lot of time looking for comfortable shoes that aren’t expensive. LOL
Keep up the good work!!!
July 18, 2008 at 4:22 pm
good for you with the dancing–and reggae yet! just the other day was thinking that would be great to add to my life but is more elusive than walking.
“yogatoes” sound intriguing…will try googling. once i decided that there was no “cure” for the look of aging feet, began to get pedicures. makes me feel a bit better: looks plus soothing massage.
have a splendid weekend birthday; sweet idea of a present to yourself. yours, naomi
July 19, 2008 at 5:56 am
I used to suffer from foot aches of all kinds. Blisters, throbbing feet. I even remember writing about it in Blogging in Paris.
My first step, so to speak, was a visit to a foot specialist –not sure what you call them, but they measure your feet’s lack of balance and whatever is wrong with them and provided you with insoles that you stick inside your shoes.
My second step was to move forever to tennis shoes, sneakers and the likes. No real shoes for me any longer. It’s easy for me because I never wear skirts or dresses
Thirdly, I always buy socks that are either cotton or wool, but no nylon or any other synthetic texture, at least no more that 15% of it.
I haven’t had a foot problem since I’ve done that.
And finally, foot cream at least once a day!
@Sarah, I’m sure between the two of us, we could arrange sending things back an forth.
I could send compeed to your liking and whenever I’d need something, you could send it to me.
How is that? Compeed easy to find over here
July 19, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Thanks for that offer, Claude! However, funny thing, right after I posted my complaint, I stumbled upon my very own Footsmart catalog. A friend recommended it earlier this year — I had logged on to their web site http://www.footsmart.com and then forgotten about it. LO, at footsmart.com they have something called Toe Trainers (a cotton-covered foam splint which has a hook & loop fastener and will keep two toes from interfering with each other). Lia — this might be your solution too!
They have an array of products for various foot difficulties — bunions, plantar fasciitis, etc. — and also an interesting selection of shoes, sandals, etc. So I am ordering these for sure. Makes more sense than Yogatoes since you can wear these instead of using up all those bandaids. Or at least I hope so! In the meantime I have gone back to my USA Bandaids and they aren’t bad, they just look nasty when I wear sandals, and they come off sooner than compeed. So Claude, I may request some compeed in the future when my stash is used up, and I’ll be happy to send you any US items that you need also!
I go barefoot when I am indoors at home and wear sneakers or Mary Janes most of the time elsewhere — I do like to wear fun looking shoes at times but NOT those horrible pointy toe things! Not worth the pain.
July 23, 2008 at 7:12 am
Sounds like you’re getting in some good upper body strengthening with the painting, reaching to a ceiling, etc. Dancing, whatever the dance, has to be good. Good for the walking.
July 24, 2008 at 8:27 am
Glad the painting is just about done and hope you had a great birthday weekend.
July 24, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Thanks, Sandy — it got done in time and I had a lovely weekend — lots of FOOD (no birthday cake though, I don’t really like birthday cake except for carrot cake) and time with friends! A lot of sushi and Asian food actually and a really nice dry martini!