I was jogging in a park near my home yesterday.  Actually, jogging may be too grand of a term. We have all seen mature folks jogging.  I secretly call it the old guy shuffle, but I say I go jogging.

I was doing well and I heard footsteps behind me.  No surprise, I get passed often so I stayed near the edge.  To my surprise a woman came along side me and bid me a cheery good morning. OK, nice friendly person, but she was WALKING!!!

To give me my due, she was a very fast walker but darn, I am jogging in my accustomed style.

We both continued on and she drew steadily ahead of me.  This went on for a time but by the time she was 30 or 40 yards ahead of me the old competitive spirit came from somewhere.  I decided to pass her and shifted into a high gear that had not been seen in some time.

Soon I was flying along and I was doing it. No walking woman could outrun me that day and I was gaining steadily.  I did catch that rascal and got her to stop and we had a nice conversation.  Sweet person but my real motive was to catch my breath.

So why am I telling you this crazy story you ask. It was a little embarrassing to be passed by a walker but this is about exercise. I often hear people who are struggling to the point that they don't feel that they can exercise so why try.

In a study we recently did called the SUNN study one of the interesting results was that people who did just one day a week of strength training had less fibrosis than those who did none. You don't have to be a gym rat to help yourself.  Any exercise will be a benefit. Persistence is what matters.  With this disease even staying even is a win and a bit of progress each day, however small, will add up.

We talk a lot about the twin parts of lifestyle change, diet and exercise. Be consistent, take small steps, know that progress is a million tiny pieces of better, that are earned over time. Do this and one day you too may be able to run faster than a walking woman.

We hope you are well.