Walking Jeannine

Walking Jeannine

Barbara Cleary

Walking is considered one of the easiest and most affordable habits of health a person can embrace. In fact,  Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones, identifies "moving naturally" as one of the Power9 Strategies of those living to be 100 or more -- and what is more natural than walking and walking with a purpose?

I have always loved walking as exercise. In those years when Jeannine was in preschool, I would often take part of that three hour block of free time to go to the local mall and walk with the senior citizens before the stores opened. At first the challenge was to be able to keep up with them as they walked their laps. All too often, though, a new window display would catch my eye and before I knew it, a dozen people had passed me. How could I lose my imaginary Indy 500 walking race around the mall to a group of seniors? Ever the competitive spirit, I disciplined myself to avoid such distractions and before I knew it, I was lapping even the most dedicated of those walkers.

I then turned my sights on timing. With a basic pedometer, I calculated that walking the mall -- including all the "cul de sacs" -- I could get a little more than three miles completed in about 40 minutes. I could log almost 8000 steps all before 10 am as well!

Those were the golden days. Life has moved on more than intervened, and my daily travels around Portland no longer take me near that mall. My daily schedule prohibits me from walking with the seniors. It has been difficult to get back to committing myself to a walking schedule, and I have tried many creative ways to once again bring this habit of health back into my life.

I tried walking the neighborhood, which would really be ideal because we live in a very hilly place and the interval training this naturally brings would be perfect for me. The problem is that I am at heart a "fair weather" athlete: I will do any outdoor activity if the weather is optimal. It doesn't help that I live in Portland, Oregon because many days here do not inspire that motivation to get out and click off those steps. Then I went to Plan B. I could "Walk On-Demand" from the comfort and security of my own home.

Plan B did not last very long, either. The wonders of cable TV could have been the catalyst for my return to a walking regimen, but sadly I discovered that as much as I was a "fair weather" outdoor walker, I was even more of a "fair weather" riser. I was great at popping out of bed at 5:30 or 6 am if my husband had decided to go to the gym to get his workout completed before going to the office. I found, though, that I was much less inclined to move if he decided to postpone his exercise until later in the day. It wasn't so much that it was too comfortable to move, as much as it was that I didn't want Tim to catch me looking pretty silly at 6 am gyrating around our bonus room as I followed the lead of the "instructor" in a pathetic attempt to get a "2 Mile Walk" completed in 22 minutes. On to Plan C: enlist the help of our young adult daughter, Jeannine.

Jeannine has Down syndrome, and like me, sees walking as one of those things she can take or leave (mostly leave). There have been mornings when she will be inspired to walk the neighborhood, headset and music in tow, no matter the weather. The problem is that she wants to exert her muscle of independence on her own and really balks at the idea of a walking partner. In the end, I allow her to win "The War of Jeannine Independence" and I still don't get my walking done.

In a rare mood about two weeks ago, Jeannine happily agreed to walk with me to the grocery -- a journey of about a mile and a half. My purpose was just to get a cup of coffee from the in-store Starbucks. As it was a bright, warm and sunny early fall day, and, when Bales Thriftway is the incentive, Jeannine is up for the task.

One does not walk "with" Jeannine as much as "walk" Jeannine. Other walking companions will keep a flow of conversation going about any number of topics, or otherwise engage in some social interaction...not so Miss Jeannine. When she is really up for the walk, though, she dons her headset and iPhone and bops along ahead of me employing any and all dance moves she can create as well as singing at the top of her lungs. Sometimes I wish I was in one of the oncoming cars just to be able to see what she looks like from the front. Her Down syndrome characteristic small ears and ear canals prohibit her from using the earbuds most people now wear, and it has to be quite comical watching her from the front, because every now and then she has to readjust the bright blue headset as it begins to slip off her head. This, combined with her need to pull up her pants as they fall down makes for a very interesting sight.

We managed to make it to the grocery in about 40 minutes, where she promptly sat down at one of the outdoor tables and chairs. As I explored the flower baskets and plants in the garden area, I lost track of her. Thinking that I would find her in line at Starbucks, I made my way into the store where, not seeing her in line, prompted me to head to gluten-free aisle or the candy section....where she was not to be found.

There is not one person working in the store who does not know Jeannine and pretty soon I saw her holding court to three or four employees at a check out stand. After receiving my usual, "Not now, Mom," from her as she continued plying her captive audience with questions, I asked if she wanted any water before we headed home. She was not interested in hydrating be it water or anything else, so  I firmly prodded her to end her interviews and we made our way back home.

The trek home was a night and day difference. No happy dancing. No bouncing ahead of me. No singing to her music. As a matter of fact, she carried the headset home, walked behind me and grumbled about how her "feets hurt." Amazingly, though, when we reached the entrance to our neighborhood (some 60 minutes later), ready for the 6-degree climb to the top of hill where home is situated, she gained new energy and chattered her way up the sidewalk, anticipating a large glass of water, tossing off her shoes and resting on the couch.

What have learned? Well, while walking and walking with a purpose may be a terrific habit of health, I may have to consider a "Plan D" -- as in "deep-sixing" it for something else. Ideally this would be something that would involve Jeannine because we would dearly love to instill this habit of healthy movement in her. Perhaps my Plan D should involve dancing; then we both could look comical, but we would definitely have some fun!