Baby Steps

I haven't exercised much, but I encountered another obstacle this weekend, some foot problems from last Friday's flag football game.  Due to my diabetes, I have to be especially careful with extremities, so anything foot-heavy (racquetball, basketball, jump rope, etc.) is off the table for a little while.  I got some good suggestions from friends on dynamic stretches and leg/core exercises that will help, and started trying them tonight.  It seems a little light, but I definitely felt pressure in muscles I haven't felt in a while.  Figured I'd record it here, and see if anyone had any suggestions for improving it.

Stretches:

• Swing straight-out arms to left, then right, and back again for 30-60 seconds.
• Bend straightened torso to the left and right 10 times, holding the extreme positions for 2 seconds at a time.
• Twist straightened torso to the left and right 15 times.
• From the widest possible stance, touch each hand to the opposite foot (well, towards, in my case), and repeat 10 times, staying in constant motion. (The last reach went about 2 inches longer than the first, so I'd guess it worked.)
• Holding the right leg and body as still as possible, swing straightened left leg as far as possible forward and backwards 10 times.  Repeat with right leg.

Exercise (hopefully will add more soon):

• 3-stage squat: Bend slightly at the knees, hold 2 seconds, bend further, hold 2 seconds, bend into a full squat, hold 5 seconds, and stop at both intermediate levels on the way back up.  Tonight I repeated this 5 times, but plan to improve it.

Thighs, calves, and mid- to lower-back definitely felt the pressure, but a couple hours later, there's no pain, so I didn't push too hard.  I'll try to maintain this energy level, and maybe even step it up over the week.  Every journey starts with a single step, or stretching in preparation for that step.