Eden Reed

Same boat here, the calendar never eased up and everyone had advice that cost money or time I do not have. What worked was a boring five day loop with strict time caps. I rotated treadmill run walk, a dumbbell circuit, an easy bike, then run walk again, then the circuit. The run walk was a 5 minute warm up, then 8 to 10 cycles of 1 minute jog and 1 minute walk, and a short cool down. The circuit was goblet squats, one arm rows, a hip hinge, and a plank done steady for about 20 minutes with weights light enough that I could breathe through my nose. Everything stayed at an effort where I could still talk. I progressed by adding 30 seconds to the jog intervals each week and stopping the minute my knees felt hot or form got sloppy. Biggest pitfall was rushing the jumps or stacking hard days back to back because someone canceled a meeting, which always backfired. A quick night routine of couch stretch, calf raises, and ankle circles kept my shins happy, plus swapping in the bike if sleep was trash. After four to six weeks I could jog 20 minutes easy and the habit stuck because it never blew up the evening chaos.

About ten years ago I had my hearing tested by an audiologist who told me I had moderate hearing loss. I lived with it for a long time and just got used to making adjustments. About six months ago I decided to get tested again. This time I went to a large national retail chain that is known for doing hearing tests and selling hearing aids along with thousands of other products. The results were the same as before. They had me try on their recommended hearing aids right there in the store. I walked around with them for about thirty minutes just to see what they were like but I could not bring myself to make the purchase right then. A few days ago I went to my doctor for my annual physical. When the subject of my hearing came up he told me that better hearing can actually lower the risk of dementia. That was the push I needed to finally take it seriously. After that appointment I spent a lot of time doing careful research, reading reviews, and comparing all the different options. In the end I decided these hearing aids were the best choice for my situation. I have now finished my first full day wearing them and so far they have been wonderful.