By Veejay W.

Most people who see my pics assume I must have always been active and fit.

That really couldn’t be further from the truth.

As an academic, I’ve spent my life sitting at my desk, mostly working from home…

So, I felt like I was free to smoke to my heart’s content…which I did, a lot!

I did zero physical activity.

I’d not exercised since PE classes at school when I was a teenager (I was 43yrs old at this stage).

I wasn’t overweight, but my diet was carbs, carbs, carbs.

I decided one day, I needed to make the change.

I’d smoked pot/cannabis my entire adult life- self medicating to deal with childhood trauma. Truly addicted. I’d finally quit 6 months earlier to that decision and it left a void.

I was restless, needed more from life.

Didn’t want to relapse.

I had no other hobbies or social life.

I needed a new goal in life, getting fit and healthy seemed like the right direction… and I was right.

My life has never been better.

What follows are those slow changes I made over the course of the last 5 years and the diagnosis that almost stopped me in my tracks.

Stage 1 – Short 1 mile walks, on flat, to local shop and walking son to school (rather than driving). Short bursts of exercise at home throughout each day eg. Going up and down stairs x 3. Doing 10 squats whilst waiting kettle boil, preparing dinner. Walking/standing on tip toes around the house. I built up to small weightlifting routine for 20 minutes, following Youtube guides. I lost a stone in weight and started to tone up.

I did this for 3 months, every day. Once established and I was committed to daily exercise, I joined a gym.

Stage 2 – Daily visit to gym for at least 30 minutes. Tried all machines and settled on the ones I liked, that worked main muscle groups. A few minutes on each. Built up to 1hr per day.- started rotating main muscle groups. So, one day legs. Next day upper body. Next day cardio. I did this for a year and started to get a little bored.

Stage 3 – Signed up for all the gym classes I liked the sound of. Tried them all. Settled on 2-3 per week that I liked (body combat, body pump, legs/bums/tums). Started hiking in countryside with a friend – on the flat, 5miles approx. Usually once a month. Still walking daily and gym classes weekly.

Covid hit – so I bought exercise equipment, followed online classes for the next year or so. Did walking/steps at home videos. Maintained at least 10k steps a day.

Stage 4 – Started swimming 3x a week, built up from a few pool lengths to over 80 lengths an hour, plus gym classes. Walking every day (flats). Joined walking/hiking groups, longer distance (approx 8 miles, on flat). I was now doing at least 20k steps a day.

At this stage, I got diagnosed PAD due to a sudden onset of claudication when walking less than 1 mile on the flat. I always wonder whether the short time that I walked less when I first started the swimming regimen allowed my claudication to start taking hold, although it wasn’t for long.

At first, I put the onset of claudication down to being unfit even though I had been at it by that point for about two years. I’d done zero exercise before that since I was a teen, so expected it to be hard. But it seemed odd that My legs felt more tired and never seemed to ease up. Then I started getting leg cramps, claudication, which started after short distances. When I started getting numb toes and buttock… that was my first real sign something was wrong.

When I first went to the doctor, they said I’d worn my hip out by all the walking I was doing and sent me X-ray. That came back clear. Then they said it sciatica. I did my own research and stumbled across the term “intermittent claudication” during a Google search. Then discovered Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). So, I checked for pulses in my foot and couldn’t find one. I went back to docs, asked them to check. He said there was no palpable pulse and made urgent referral to a specialist. Ten days later I was officially diagnosed with PAD after an Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) test (.80 at rest, .58 after treadmill exercise) and Doppler scan!

I met with the vascular doctor after my tests to find out next steps.

He said to stop smoking cigarettes.

I did.

He told me to start medications to improve my cholesterol.

I did.

But my heart sank when he said I need to walk.

WHAT?

I was already doing 20k steps a day!!!

So I upped my steps.

I went up to 25-30k steps a day for about a year and it did help, but it wasn’t sustainable timewise and my therapist (a medical doctor, too) told me I would wear out my joints down the line and cause other problems. She said drop to 15-20k (back to pre-diagnosis). I now do about 20k steps. BUT, I’ve changed the type of steps. I now focus on hills/mountains, that triggers claudication sooner in my workout. I’m hoping that means I’m growing collaterals…

Stage 5 – I threw myself into walking/hiking long distances at this stage (10+ miles). Still going gym classes, swimming, but not as much as I spent more time walking distances. Smoking (cigarette) cessation and medication underway. Claudication pain eased on flats, so started hill walking (solo hikes). This was very hard even with slightest incline, but pushed past pain and completed the Y3P challenge (25 mile hike in 11hrs, including 3 highest summits in Yorkshire, total elevation was over 5,000 feet). And then did the Ulswater Way challenge (22mike hike, over hills). Daily step count was 25k at least.

Stage 6 (current stage) – Started mountain climbing with a hiking group 6 months ago, and so far I’ve climbed multiple mountains; including the highest mountains in the UK. This still hurts, I get nervous about the pain ahead at start of each climb… BUT, I love the rewards. The views are stunning. And the exhilaration is second to none. I’ve cut back daily step count, my knee was starting to get wear and tear, focus on quality versus quantity. I aim for around 15-20k steps per day.

Stage 7 (What’s ahead) – I grab every opportunity that comes my way. I don’t let fear stop me. I drive new places, meet new people, try new things. My latest new activity has been abseiling. I’m loving my life, I’m living my life in a way I never dared to before. I’m hoping I’ve delayed any surgery by being physically active, but I also accept that it might happen anyway in the near/far future. My plan is to make the most of each day whilst I can. And most importantly, no regrets looking back should that time come. I’m doing my best, living my best. I hope this helps someone see how small incremental changes can lead to great things.

I’ve gone through so much in life, got myself through University without any family support, got my PhD, got myself free from addiction to cannabis.

I knew I had strength in me.

So, when diagnosed with PAD, I felt this surge of power to fight all the way.

I was finally happy with all of the changes I’ve made in my life and felt hope that the ultimate positive impact was ahead.

I was not about to let this diagnosis drag me down.

I’m honestly living my best life!

I’ve never been happier and pad is NOT taking that away from me.

Check out some of my favorite pics from my adventures below: