Saturday, January 31, 2009

UK WALKERS UNITED!!

Here's another group that I read about somewhere and sought out on the internet:
http://www.walkingwomen.com/index.htm

Everyone in the rest of the world (outside of the USA) is used to walking every day. When I visited Europe in 2001, I walked at least 10 miles a day. When people don't own their own cars and when mass transit is more readily available than in the US Midwest (except for Chicago), everyone walks every where.

The site linked above is interesting in that it's just for women and they set up 'holiday' trips which we would typically call vacation trips. Check it out. Might be worth setting up a weekend outing for you and a circle of walkers together. Wouldn't that be fun??


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

PLAYLIST FOR PACE

As promised, I've gathered a list of some of the music I find it fun to walk to. Please feel free to post comments with some of your favorites too!

Here are some tunes on my playlist (most are disco cuz I love my disco):

Love Is In Control - Donna Summer
Dancing Queen / ABBA
Stayin' Alive / The Bee Gees
More Than A Woman / The Bee Gees
Brick House / The Commodores
Take A Chance On Me / ABBA
Night Fever / The Bee Gees

Jive Talkin' / The Bee Gees
Do You Think I'm Sexy / Rod Stewart
Get Down Tonight / KC and the Sunshine Band
December 1963 / Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons
You Should Be Dancing / The Bee Gees
I Love The Nightlife (Disco 'Round) / Alicia Bridges
Physical / Olivia Newton-John
You're The First, The Last, My Everything / Barry White
(Do you get that I'm a BeeGees fan - and not just their Disco sound, I might add??)

Here's a site where you can purchase pre-recorded dance remixes perfect for your walks:
http://www.cardiomixes.com/index1.html
Caveat: I've never purchased music from this source so I cannot vouch for them. I use Itunes for music downloads. There are other sites where you can select music to download, choosing each song and paying only for the tunes you actually want like for the Ipod.



***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

KEEPING PACE




I have discovered that keeping up a good pace is essential for my getting in a good walk. I am fortunate to have an Ipod since my kids convinced my husband a couple of years ago that I NEEDED one for Mother's Day. I had no idea how to turn on the thing much less download music, but I learned. I still have to ask the kids for help with glitches, you know.

Anyway, the Ipod is the perfect walk accompaniment, second only to a great pair of shoes. Before the Ipod, I used a variety of devices, including a 'walkman' type cassette player, a portable CD player, and a teensy portable AM/FM radio. The 'walkman' works fine. The portable CD player, at least the one I own, is not a good idea for walking as it skipped with each of my strides. Quite frustrating. The radio was fine, although there was often too much talk on it and not enough music, especially music of the beats per minute I wanted/needed. But, short of a great walking human companion, a portable music device is perfect for walks.

I have done some more research on numbers. This time, the numbers refer to beats per minute (BPM) and miles per hour (MPH). These numbers are important if you want to get the most benefit out of your work out. Here's an article that gives a nice overview of these significant figures:
http://selfgrowth.com/articles/sundquist.html

Now, all those numbers are nice to know - but how can you use them to your advantage? Here's the deal. Choosing the right music can really boost your motivation and energy. Don't believe me? Try it. Put on a ballad and try to boogie to it. Can't be done. Put on some Salsa or Disco and you'll find yourself moving all around the room.



So, if you have access, you need to develop your own playlist. If you walk indoors, you can perhaps create a tape or CD for your personal use - one that contains songs in the right BPM for you. Refer to the article linked above to determine which BPM level you want. I'm at approximately 130 BPM, so my playlist will be tailored to that.

Stay 'tuned' for a sample of my playlist soon.


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

SMALL STEPS

Here's a website that is useful and informative. It includes an activity tracker if you join. It's free. I'm thinking of joining as an easy way to see exactly how much physical activity I'm getting in each week.

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html

This link will take you to a page which gives a nice overview of recommended amounts of activity for adults. Don't be discouraged if you are not able to or have not yet reached the recommended levels. That's why their master website is called www.smallsteps.gov.

***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Friday, January 23, 2009

UNNECESSARY SURGERY??

I KNOW I'm gonna take some heat for this post - but I can handle it. Please read the whole thing before you flame me!

I can't speak for anyone BUT MYSELF, but weight loss surgery scares me. Most surgery scares me - and I've had two knee replacements and two C-sections in addition to various other less significant surgeries. When I hear of people considering weight loss surgery, I always wonder if they've considered all the alternatives.

Well, not to be judgmental, as that is not my goal, but I have to pass along several things I've learned from people who've had weight loss surgery. In every case where the person had surgery and kept the weight off, I was given a detailed story of how many lifestyle changes had been made in the period between the surgery and the present day. Dietary changes and exercise. Every time. In every case.

So, if you change your diet and your activity level, do you need the surgery to begin with? Some people do. People who weigh so much that they can't actually move enough to facilitate weight loss. People who have multiple medical problems that put them in eminent danger of death or disabling stroke. People who have had absolutely no success with dieting.

But, here's what I have heard and what I know. In every case where the person lost, say, 100 pounds in the year after weight loss surgery, there was a radical change of lifestyle that included exercise! Every time! No one can sustain a weight loss like that while eating chips in front of the television. Can't be done.

My question is, then, do you really need the surgery? If one dedicates a year to losing 100 pounds with radical changes in diet and activity level, is the surgery the cause of the weight loss?

Please don't flame me! I'm not saying that all weight loss surgery is unnecessary. I'm not saying that there is not an appropriate case for weight loss surgery. I just don't get that people don't 'get' that even after weight loss surgery, they'll have to move the body to sustain the weight loss.

Right?

I lost 65 pounds about 10 years ago without benefit of weight loss surgery. A relative of mine had weight loss surgery about the same time and regained all the weight. What was the difference between the two of us? Well, he was about 10 years younger than I and he did not increase his activity level after surgery. That's about it.

Of course, there is a huge emotional and psychological boost that the immediate loss of 20-30 pounds after surgery will give the person undergoing surgery. Losing that amount of weight without surgery is almost impossible. In fact, it is never healthy - with or without surgery. But, it is the logical result of the surgery. It's also the logical result of lifestyle changes - but it takes quite a bit longer and the psychological and emotional edge just doesn't come that quickly.

After enduring another weight loss surgery a couple years ago, my relative is now thin. Due to other health problems, he is not easily able to increase his activity level. He sustains his weight loss because he is no longer able to eat more than a few spoons of food at a time.

I have regained about 15 of those pounds I lost almost 10 years ago and have sustained that 50 pound weight loss for the past 6 years since my first knee replacement. During the months before and after that knee replacement, my activity level was not enough to keep that 15 pounds off and I don't do diets very well.

Now, I'm a steady weight with a steady activity level and a steady diet. Some days are better than others when it comes to the food intake and the activity level, but overall, it evens out and the weight stays off.

I'm not against weight loss surgery because I didn't need it. I just wish people would give the lifestyle changes a serious trial before having surgery. I wish the lifestyle changes would be taken as seriously before surgery as after surgery. Were that the case, many people would be spared the huge risks associated with weight loss surgery and attain the same results in about the same amount of time.



***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

WAKING UP

I'm NOT a morning person. For years, I had to arise at 5:30 AM or earlier than 8:30 AM for a variety of reasons - job, kids, etc. No longer! I'm a night owl and I finally get to sleep the hours that suit my body best which usually means that if I can sleep til 8:30 AM, I'm fine no matter how late I went to bed.

However, there are those occasional days when I must get up earlier or when I just haven't had enough sleep. Also, I'm a person who is adversely affected by gray days and a lack of sunshine. Now, they have a name for it SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or something like that. I used to call it my 'turtle' days when I would go to work in the dark, work all day in an office with no windows, and drive home at 5:30 PM almost in the dark. Those were rotten days for me.

For years, I ran a Learning Center for teens in substance abuse recovery. These kids, as are most teens, are all sleep deprived. They stay up too late, get up with too little sleep, eat poorly, and get almost no physical activity. Getting and keeping them alert was a constant issue for me. Here's what I figured out that worked 100% of the time - jumping jacks! Simple!




Even Santa needs to do jumping jacks some years!

I'd make the kid go through the motions even if s/he didn't actually do the jumping part. I'd move my arms in the same motion. Twenty of those and the kid was awake and ready to work. I also got them a frisbee to use during our 15 minute breaks from study. They always came back to their books in a better frame of mind and performed better.

Now, with so few kids getting any form of physical activity - even recess - in most schools, it's no wonder that they're all getting fat and depressed (yes, depressed. Why else do you think so many kids turn to drugs and alcohol??) The 'fix' is so simple and easy - and almost free.

Take advantage of this easy remedy in your own life. If you are unmotivated to walk or do other activities, do some jumping jacks - even if it's just to wave your arms around in the air for a few minutes - to get yourself moving. Anyone can do that, right?


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Monday, January 19, 2009

LOOK WHAT I JUST FOUND!

Check out this website: http://www.ava.org/

This is a noncompetitive organization that encourages and informs about walking and a few other 'easy' sports. You might be able to find other walkers or a walking club in your area. There is also information about starting your own walking group.

This is not homework! Just for your information. If YOU know of other organizations that suppport walking and walkers, please let me know.


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'LL ENCOUNTER

The other day, as I was finishing a 3 mile walk, I saw a strange car in a yard (yes, IN the yard) near my house. I saw my neighbor and her daughter there with another woman. My neighbor waved at me, I pulled my Ipod bud out of my ear, and greeted her. She asked to use my cell phone.

By now, I was pretty sure something was amiss. I'm THAT good! Turns out the woman whose car was in my neighbor's yard (not the neighbor who was present) was falling down drunk. I figured that out with my crack smelling skills and the years I've worked with teens in substance abuse recovery. They wanted my cell phone to call her AA sponsor. The woman couldn't remember her sponsor's phone number and neither of the two cell phones in her possession worked.

I quickly took over from my overwhelmed neighbor who then took her 14 year old daughter home. I could get no information out of the driver, but, in my usual CSI skillful manner, I took her car keys from her hand and moved her to the backseat of her car. The car had rolled backward over the neighbor's shiny, new pewter mailbox and had stopped only when the mailbox and rear bumper met. I stalled when she begged me not to call the cops. I told her I would get her some help. She passed out in the back seat.

A few minutes after calling 911, a large policman pulled up and got out. I mean a LARGE guy. He took some info from me, ran the car's tags, discovered that the tags and vehicle didn't match, and told the woman to get out of the back seat. While he had been gathering info, I had been talking 12 Steps to the woman who clearly understood my language. But, she didn't know her home address, had no wallet or license, and cheerfully admitted to me that she had consumed the entire contents of the fifth of something that had filled the empty bottle now occupying a prime location in the front seat of her leather lined vehicle. This didn't look good, but I promised her I would stick around til she got help.

Help was in the form of, eventually, three LARGE policemen. That's how many it took to subdue this 100 pound female spewing a volcanic gush of four letter profanities at the cops. When they threatened to taze her, I yelled at her to shut up or they would really hurt her. Fortunately, something 'took' at that point and she let up a bit. It did take three cops to get her from the ground, handcuffed and now shoeless, into the back of a caged police car.

By then, it was dark, the tow truck was loading up her Mercedes, and no one still knew her identity or address. Once I was sure she was safely secured in the backseat of the caged police car and couldn't hurt herself or anyone else at that point, I walked the six houses to my home.

I was exhausted. I fully believe that it is no accident that I walked home at exactly the moment my neighbor had exhausted her repertoire of Good Samaritan behaviors (she has the benefit of being the daughter of a minister). No accident. I was able to make a terrible situation a bit less awful. The policemen behaved well - and I think they would have had I not been there. But, she got what she needed. AND she didn't drive any farther in her terribly impaired condition.

I don't normally worry too much about being the target of drunk drivers in the mornings or afternoons when I typically walk. I'm pretty careful anyway. I never have my Ipod buds in both ears nor do I have the volume high enough that I can't hear ambient noises like a car engine. I look both ways before I cross the street and try to be a polite pedestrian, not making cars stop for me when they might get rear-ended at a turn or light.

I think all of these things are important for pedestrians. We have to be alert to our surroundings to remain safe and to keep others save. No one can account for a drunk driver. The unpredictable nature of the illness and its incompatibility (to put it politely) with the ability to properly operate a vehicle make them hazardous to themselves and others. I'm glad I could help keep one off the street for a few hours or days. I wish the woman well, but she doesn't need to be driving a car until she has dealt with her addiction. Better that she curses me from the backseat of a police car than smile at me from the driver's seat of any car.

***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

DOING THE MATH

If you've been reading this blog for a bit, you'll have discovered that I talk about time walked as well as distance. I express walking endurance in both ways for a good reason. If you are one who cannot or will not walk out doors, you'll often find it easier to determine the length of your walk by checking the time.

For most adults, a 15 minute mile is applicable. If you work up to walking 3 miles, you'll find that your first mile will be a bit faster than 15 minutes, but that you'll probably average 15 minutes a mile over the 3 miles. This is not for marathoners or for those with extremely long legs. This is an average.

If you care to invest in a pedometer, start with an inexpensive one and follow the directions for its use. Each one that I've seen requires that you set it to your own stride. If you wear one all day long and you're a fairly active person, you'll probably have walked about 6,000 steps by bedtime. Most references indicate each mile to be about 2,000 steps. Have you ever thought about your walk in terms of how many STEPS you take?

A lot of us, especially those who work on their feet all day, will walk far more than 6,000 steps - a nurse, delivering mail on a walking a route, a salesperson at a superstore, a counter person at fast food.

So, here's the math:
2,000 steps = 1 mile = 15 minutes.

Unless you are a true purist, these numeric guidelines will work for you nicely. If you walk for 3 minutes, you've walked 1/5 of a mile or 400 steps. Keeping that pace for a few weeks then accelerating it by 30-60 seconds each day for a week, will bring you to a full mile of walking pretty quickly. Quicker than you knew you could get there! Before you can remember to write a thank you note for that awful fruit cake Aunt Queeny sent you for Christmas, you could be walking a mile each day - IN FIFTEEN MINUTES.

Here's another equation. Benefit = intensity X duration. Benefit equals intensity times duration. What does that mean? The longer you walk and the faster you walk, the more benefit you'll derive. That doesn't mean - DOES NOT MEAN - that a brief, slow walk is not beneficial. It means - that's what you can do NOW - IF that's what you can do now. Accept that for what it is. Make a goal to increase your duration before you attempt to increase your intensity - walk longer before you walk faster. Increasing your endurance will pay off much more quickly in terms of how well you feel. Feeling better is what it's all about.

So, remember your equations. Write them down where you can refer to them often. Track the amount of time you walk each day - or as many days as you can. Increase that time by seconds or minutes each week. Write that down so you can SEE your steady improvement. It'll come before you think it will. I promise.

This is not rocket science. It breaks down nicely. It adds up QUICKLY.

***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

WHO'S FIRST?




An earlier post asked 'ARE YOU WORTH IT?' Have you answered that yet?

I heard something on TV the other day that made me think about this question. How do we know if we're worth it?

Are you a parent? A child? A worker? Are you responsible for the welfare of any other being, human or otherwise? If you are, then here's something for you to ponder.

When you're finally seated in your jumbo jet for your flight to see Aunt Biddy or whomever, you have to watch the flight attendant's demonstration of the safety features of your jet. S/he points out the emergency exits and the seat belts. Then, they demonstrate how 'should the cabin lose its air pressure' (or a similar dire expression), the oxygen masks will automatically deploy from the ceiling. In that event, each passenger is to place the mask ON HIS OR HER OWN FACE before attempting to assist anyone else with an oxygen mask. Even if you're a parent and your kid is turning blue!

Why? Because if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone else! How easy is it to understand that concept? Apparently not so easy for most of us. My first instinct would be, I think, to assure that my small child had her oxygen mask on. Wrong! If I lose consciousness from lack of oxygen, I can't make sure my kid will be safe. I MUST TAKE CARE OF MYSELF FIRST.

So, here's your new mantra. I MUST TAKE CARE OF MYSELF FIRST. WHAT'S GOOD FOR ME IS GOOD FOR MY ___________ (family, kids, coworkers, colleagues, students, etc.).

That's it!


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

ON WALKING - THOREAU'S COMMENTARY

Ok, so I have this degree in English, but I never really read Thoreau. You know that guy who wrote about Walden Pond. He was one of the first ecologist or naturalists, if you prefer. I have read excerpts of his writing, but can assure you that I never read an entire work of his.

I recently ran across an article on 'Walking' written by Thoreau. I got sucked right in. I must say that it was an entirely enjoyable read and one that I recommend. You can see it here:
http://www.transcendentalists.com/walking.htm

I don't get much into those philosophical categories - transcendentalist, surrealist, realist, pragmatist. Too hard to keep them all straight.

What gets me is that Transcendentalist or whatever, HE REALLY GETS IT! Or, maybe it's I who finally 'gets it'. But, I especially like the part where he writes, "...shopkeepers stay in their shops not only all the forenoon, but all the afternoon too, sitting with crossed legs, so many of them--as if the legs were made to sit upon, and not to stand or walk upon...." I THOUGHT I came up with that line - that legs (feet) were made to walk on. But, I guess Thoreau beat me to it. That's okay. He was a Great Thinker. I'm just a blogger who would like nothing more than to have the entire world go for a walk every day. Maybe Thoreau and I have more in common than I ever knew.
***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

PERILS OF WALKING??

It's been too cold in the St. Louis area even for ME to walk and I'll usually walk in any weather. But, when the chill factor goes below zero Fahrenheit, I stay inside. The wind, especially, is a killer for me. I've also been working longer hours this week, so it has mostly been inside workouts. Here's some food for thought:

I always thought of the perils of walking being more in the line of icy paths or crazy drivers, but this site offers a larger view of the perils awaiting the hapless pedestrian. Check it out - then go for a walk and forget about most of it. Please.....

http://www.pedestrians.org/

While this is really a TV show in Maryland, I believe, the episodes are available on the internet as webcasts. If you can't get those, well, you might survive anyway. I think most of these perils are those more commonly faced by folks walking in heavily trafficked urban areas or maybe on interstates - where you aren't supposed to walk anyway. Let us know what you think.

BTW - this is for bikers as well as pedestrians.
***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Friday, January 9, 2009

MIX IT UP

Getting bored with just walking?

Do you have a Walkman or Ipod? If not, you might consider getting one. Off label models of the older styles of Walkman radio and disc players can be obtained for about $10. Older Ipod and similar MP3 players can be found on sale for a fraction of the price of the newest models. If you have a teen, borrow one. Share one with a friend or your significant other (SO).

Other things to do to vary your walk. Simply walk at a different location. Pick a new park or a new mall, a new street or a new TV show. Walk with different friends.

Another idea is to vary your speed. Walk as fast as you can for 2 minutes, then resume your normal pace. Or walk really fast for two driveways, for the length of a commercial, or for the duration of one song on your radio. Resuming your regular stride will make it feel s l o w.

Throw in some upper body movements. Okay, I EVEN DO THIS OUTSIDE. I'm pretty daring when it comes to this stuff. I sing along with my Ipod outside at the top of my lungs and I swing my arms around when the mood strikes me. If I were younger and more flexible, I'd skip down the street to some songs. But, since I'm older and less flexible, I'll just throw in some jumping-jack like movements with my arms, some upper body twists, some march type movements with knees higher than usual. I'll make my stride longer for a few steps or tip toe around dog-doo for a few feet. Any or all of these things may be just enough to take the 'routine' out of your routine and make it special for the day.

Whatever you do, just do it. Keep moving. Walk, talk, sing, think, dream, walk, walk, walk....

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

FUN FACTS ON WALKING - WICKI IT!

One of my major sources for information on the internet is www.wikipedia.org. Are you familiar with it? If not, you should be.

I hadn't thought to check wikipedia for information on walking, but today when I googled something about walking, a link to wikipedia popped up. So, I clicked on it and quickly read the brief article there on walking. It's pretty interesting - and amusing. Maybe tell you more about walking than you ever cared to know.

So, walk your fingers on over to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking and see what they've written. You won't be sorry. And, you'll have learned that one thing (or twelve) that you're supposed to learn every day!


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Monday, January 5, 2009

MORE ON GETTING THE BORING OUT...


If you find your walking routine becoming, well, routine, find a way to spice it up. Chose a destination - real or imaginary. Set a goal of miles, time, or driveways. Count the number of red cars or brown squirrels that you see. Try to see 3 more tomorrow than today. Of course, adding a friend - a walkandtalk buddy to your routine almost always takes the boredom out.

Here's a thought. If you have no walking friends available but you have a cellphone, set up a walkandtalk date with someone. Both of you can walk and talk or you can walk and talk while your friend does laundry or rides a stationary bike.
Beware of the Boring Walk! As I wrote earlier, there are some ways to assure you don't get into a rut and lose your joy in walking - or lose your motivation or momentum. It can be done!

Remember that you need to keep your Attitude positive. You might need an AA. How do you get that AOG (Attitude of Gratitude)? You adjust your Attitude (Attitude Adjustment). Don't forget to write down that one thing each day for which you are grateful. If all else fails, try to find one thing on your walk for which you are grateful - a sunny day, crisp autumn leaves, bunnies and squirrels, puddles to walk around (means no draught, right?), toddlers at the playground (or being grateful that you no longer have to wipe runny noses of toddlers)! If you look, you'll find things for which you are grateful. Write down one each day.

So, no excuses for being either a bored walker or a boring blogger. If you want to read about some aspect of walking that I haven't covered, have a suggestion of some other nature (remember to be kind), or a comment, please feel free to post it here. I'd also be happy to have people post their gratitude lists here. How cool would that be???


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

BORING WALK, BORING WALKER, BORING BLOG?

I hope I'm not a boring blogger. I love to write and have been writing all my life. I love to walk and have been a real 'walker' for the past 10 years. I did quite a bit of research about walking blogs before deciding to write my own. Why did I make this decision? All the other walking blogs I could find are either:

  1. designed for marathoners and other aggressive walkers - OR -
  2. dry recaps of the 'right' way to walk and shoe reviews.
This blog will not be particularly informative for the marathoners. You know, those folks who participate in the Walk for this and the Walk for that. Nothing wrong with those charity and awareness-raising events, but that's not what I'm about. Locally, I'm a supporter of the Susan B. Komen Walk for the Cure (Breast Cancer) although I've not walked with them. Six AM (start time) is just too early for me to work up enthusiasm for much of anything. Not my style.

As for walking style - well, I guess there's a right way and many wrong ways to walk. At least, that's what I gather from some of the other blogs. I think (and I'm not a medical professional) that the RIGHT way for me to walk is the way I have walked since I passed the toddler stage. One foot in front of the other, arms swinging at my sides. What's complicated about this??

I guess one can make a 'case' for walking properly - good posture, good stride, good speed. My plan is just to MOVE and continue to move. To me, walking is completely natural. All of us with two functioning legs - and many with less than that - have been walking for eons with no professional input. What we need here is some encouragement to get moving and reminders to keep moving. Toddling along, strolling, or striding at a good speed - they're all walking.



*****************************************

Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

HILLS AND VALLEYS

I wrote about the best cities for walking and deterrents that keep us from walking. I listed weather and hills as two deterrents.

When one is a 'beginner' at this healthy walking, it takes some time to build up heat tolerance. But, it can be done! St. Louis has very humid summers. I'm not an early riser, so my outdoor walking often occurs in full sunlight during some of the hottest hours of the day. That used to really bother me. No more. I have built up my endurance for walking in heat and humidity and find myself much more tolerant of the heat. I sweat like anything, but I can keep going for my full three miles with temps in the 90's and high humidity. It doesn't look pretty - but it feels great when you hop in the shower.

Same goes for terrain. I started my walking 'life' on fairly level terrain. My subdivision didn't have many hills and I could walk a good distance without encountering much of a grade. Once I lengthened my walks and got into the groove, I began tackling hills. Now, as with the heat tolerance, I am able to walk up fairly steep hills and keep up a steady conversation. I get winded, but I don't run out of steam.

Hills are especially good for our hearts. But, they are not the first or most important part of our walking work-out. If one never tackles hills, that's okay. The main thing is to get out there (or in there) and put one foot in front of the other for 15-20 minutes every day. More if you can.

If heat and humidity are issues for you - and they may well be enduring issues if you have health concerns - then stick to a temperature controlled environment like the gym or a mall or your living room with a fan blowing right on you.

There is no one right way to do this. The only wrong way is to not do it!


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Friday, January 2, 2009

WALK DON'T RUN

Everywhere outside you'll see joggers. Joggers on tracks, joggers on the street. Jogging is great. I used to jog when I was much younger. It's pretty hard on the knees and hips unless you are a person built for it - slight frame, no extra fat. I'm not built like that. I was jogging and playing racquetball. Fast forward 20 years - actually, limp forward 20 years - into the tender mercies of an orthopedic surgeon and two knee replacments in the past 5 years!! Now, I walk!

There are two advantages to jogging that I know about. Takes less time and you get into the mental 'zone' quicker. That's it. You don't lose more weight, get a better workout, or become more virtuous - no matter what the joggers tell you. LOL. You don't feel better. Anything a jog can get you, a walk can get you - and safer. Safer for your knees, your hips, the traffic....

I've got nothing against jogging. Some days, I wish I could just take off running like I did when I was in my thirties. But, those days are gone - and should never have occurred! Walking for the past 10 years or so has given me a better appreciation for what my body needs and can endure, what I want to get out of a work-out, and how I view the world around me. I was a competitive racquetball player - which meant I was a competitive jogger. I didn't want anyone to beat me!

Walking slows all that down. Slows down my innately competitive nature. Slows down the mad, mad, mad world. Give me a chance to appreciate what I'm walking past so I can view the kiddies, the animals, the flowers, the people. I like to walk at a fast clip and keep my heart rate up - but if I have to stop for traffic or a neighbor, that's okay. Nothing bad will happen. I'll just build it back up again and continue on. Nothing lost.

My advice to anyone who wishes to start or supplement any sort of exercise plan is to, simply, walk. It's so easy, so natural. So much to gain and so little to lose. Walk it off!


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS - better to have resolve than make resolutions!

I'm not a huge fan of New Year's Resolutions. Seems like everyone starts off all enthusiastic with some shiny new promise to change one's behavior. But, then the shine dulls, the new regime gets old, the old ways set in. Weather doesn't cooperate. Money gets tight. Jobs and Kids and Spouses and Not-Spouses and Life all get in the way.

Stop the Insanity!! Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is INSANITY. If you want a different result - you MUST do something different.

So, think of January 1, 2009 or next Monday or your birthday or RIGHT NOW as being the moment you turn away from Insanity and move toward Sanity.

You make that move by WALKING away from the Insanity. Walk TOWARD sanity, calmness, serenity, good health, feeling good. The Journey is so much fun. Sometimes stressful - but always wonderful when you KNOW you are doing the right thing for yourself.

Keep on walking.......


***************************
Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.