I took my mom to the SAS (San Antonio Shoes) store at an outlet mall about an hour's drive from home. Mom, at age 86, is still very active and loves her walks. However, she wears an 8.5 AAAA shoe and there are hardly any of those made anymore. SAS has a couple styles that she can wear. So, for an early Mother's Day gift, my husband and I took off the afternoon and drove to the outlet mall. While there, I tried on the SAS walking shoes - and liked them! Will wait a while to buy another pair of shoes - but will give these a whirl when the time is right.
At the checkout, there was this interesting little walking journal pamphlet that I snagged for free. I've been looking at different journals to see if I can design one that will be both practical and inspirational - and cheap or free. This one has some good ideas in it. It is entitled "Walking Sense Serious Walking Information" by the SAS Shoemakers - or by Eric Neveride, the self-appointed Mayor, Philosopher and Critic of Siesta Valley - wherever that is. Turns out that one of the SAS factories is in Conway, Arkansas, about 20 miles from where my mom grew up.
A couple of the little things in this book that I enjoyed I'll share with you here - a shameless rip-off of SAS - but an endorsement, too.
1. Exercise - Intentional and Unintentional (more on this soon);
2. Cars are noisy and dangerous so you should walk everywhere;
3. Roads are paved paths (well, yeah.....);
4. Eat less processed food (makes you walk better???);
5. Jot down things about your walk (hmmm. This idea might have merit.).
So, stay tuned for some updates on these ideas.
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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, May 8, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS??
Yes! Better Homes & Gardens Magazine has created a great website for walkers. Whether you're a beginner or a long-time walker, this site has some goodies for you. One thing I particularly like for beginners is their video about how to deal with potential pain. They have a nice list of easy things to do that actually work!
The site is attractive and packed with good information. Another feature I like is that they have a way for you to enter your regular walks so you can easily find how far you've walked over any given period of time.
So, visit the site and see if you'll find it of value to you. I do! Here's a link to the site:
http://walk.bhg.com/?ordersrc=rdbhg0475
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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, May 2, 2009
PRACTICAL WALKING
Sadly, it's really not practical for me to walk to the work, grocery store, or other errands. St. Louis is comprised of a fairly small urban area surrounded by huge suburbs and what has come to be called exurbia. We have very little mass transit and our streets are not bike-friendly.
My office is a 7 minute drive from my home. You'd think I could walk or, at the very least, take a bus to work. Despite the fact that there is a 4-lane divided 'highway' that leads almost from my front door to the door of my office, there's no bus that runs on that route! And, because it's built like an interstate with a few traffic signals, one can't walk on it or ride a bike.
To make matters worse, the other routes to my office are truly two-lane country roads on which it is hazardous to walk or bike. I'm not brave enough to queue up with cars, trucks, and school buses on these black-top roads. They also take circuitous routes to my office, thus increasing the 'commute' by as much as 100%.
Crazy, isn't it.
There are a couple grocery stores within walking distance - IF i can cross an interstate or walk up The Hill (see my previous post about The Hill) carrying groceries. It can be done but I'm really not inclined. I can even walk to a library - but, again, there's that highway to cross. Quite a hazard. Not for me.
So, where can you walk? Can you walk to work? How about the grocery store? Your other errands? I'm envious of those who have mass transit for these chores. I'd much prefer the commute if I didn't have to drive.
***************************
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.
My office is a 7 minute drive from my home. You'd think I could walk or, at the very least, take a bus to work. Despite the fact that there is a 4-lane divided 'highway' that leads almost from my front door to the door of my office, there's no bus that runs on that route! And, because it's built like an interstate with a few traffic signals, one can't walk on it or ride a bike.
To make matters worse, the other routes to my office are truly two-lane country roads on which it is hazardous to walk or bike. I'm not brave enough to queue up with cars, trucks, and school buses on these black-top roads. They also take circuitous routes to my office, thus increasing the 'commute' by as much as 100%.
Crazy, isn't it.
There are a couple grocery stores within walking distance - IF i can cross an interstate or walk up The Hill (see my previous post about The Hill) carrying groceries. It can be done but I'm really not inclined. I can even walk to a library - but, again, there's that highway to cross. Quite a hazard. Not for me.
So, where can you walk? Can you walk to work? How about the grocery store? Your other errands? I'm envious of those who have mass transit for these chores. I'd much prefer the commute if I didn't have to drive.
***************************
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, April 29, 2009
WALK ON
Despite the often rainy weather, I have been walking almost every day. As I've written about here, Spring has definitely sprung in the St. Louis area. This is the year of the redbuds and dogwoods - both of which are lasting longer than usual because they haven't lost their beautiful flowers to heavy rains and winds that we usually have in the Spring.
Today, even tho' the weather is fair, I ended up mall-walking. Why? Because that's the only good location where a certain friend and I can meet. I'd much prefer to walk outside, but geography doesn't always work out that way. I cherish the times I can walk with good friends, so I make that trade-off - mall rather than trail - to get to walk and talk with a buddy.
I've gotten my longtime friend Betsey back to walking. She's a real outdoorsy type so walking with me is an easy job for her. She breaks and trains thoroughbred horses, raises dogs, and tends to a 5 acre homeplace in addition to having a job outside the home. Whew! Makes my life look like a breeze -and I'm ALWAYS busy.
Usually, Betsey and I walk with another friend. But, that friend is walking in Peru as I write - trudging up the path to Machu Pichu! She's in very good physical shape and she and her husband, also very fit, often have the opportunity to take trips where they hike and climb. If it weren't for our frequent walks, she'd definitely not be in as good shape for her treks ;-). At least, I'd like to take credit for some of that. LOL. She's one of the reasons I got interested in walking 10+ years ago, so I really can't take credit.
***************************
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.
Today, even tho' the weather is fair, I ended up mall-walking. Why? Because that's the only good location where a certain friend and I can meet. I'd much prefer to walk outside, but geography doesn't always work out that way. I cherish the times I can walk with good friends, so I make that trade-off - mall rather than trail - to get to walk and talk with a buddy.
I've gotten my longtime friend Betsey back to walking. She's a real outdoorsy type so walking with me is an easy job for her. She breaks and trains thoroughbred horses, raises dogs, and tends to a 5 acre homeplace in addition to having a job outside the home. Whew! Makes my life look like a breeze -and I'm ALWAYS busy.
Usually, Betsey and I walk with another friend. But, that friend is walking in Peru as I write - trudging up the path to Machu Pichu! She's in very good physical shape and she and her husband, also very fit, often have the opportunity to take trips where they hike and climb. If it weren't for our frequent walks, she'd definitely not be in as good shape for her treks ;-). At least, I'd like to take credit for some of that. LOL. She's one of the reasons I got interested in walking 10+ years ago, so I really can't take credit.
***************************
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, April 23, 2009
AN ALTERNATIVE TO GEOCACHING
It has come to my attention that the 'official' geocaching website I wrote about require a GPS, a relatively expensive device that may not be within the financial reach of all. I know I don't have one!
A great alternative to geocaching is letterboxing. The idea is the same. The fun remains. It's just less involved and cheaper to participate in. Visit one of these sites for more information:
http://www.letterboxing.org/ and http://www.atlasquest.com/
***************************
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.
A great alternative to geocaching is letterboxing. The idea is the same. The fun remains. It's just less involved and cheaper to participate in. Visit one of these sites for more information:
http://www.letterboxing.org/ and http://www.atlasquest.com/
***************************
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, April 21, 2009
ONE MORE IDEA FOR YOU
Did you like scavenger hunts when you were a kid? I did.
Here's a thought for you. You don't have to actually hide anything from yourself or create a long list of items to find. But, you can create your own scavenger hunt in several different ways.
First, pick an object to look for on your walk - red cars, dogs, flower-laden mail boxes. Keep your eyes peeled for these items.
Or, when you walk, count how many sweet gum trees you find. You have to avoid those dratted sweet gum balls or you'll break an ankle. So, they're easy to identify and count.
Find something that you'll be eager to see and go looking for it. You might be surprised how much you'll look forward to your walk.
An even better idea is to take a child walking with you, in a stroller or beside you, and try to see the world of your walk through the child's eyes. That's a wonderful way to look at the world.
Please don't count your steps. That's a job for a pedometer if you want one. Remember that 6,000 steps are recommended each day for all of us.
***************************
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.
Here's a thought for you. You don't have to actually hide anything from yourself or create a long list of items to find. But, you can create your own scavenger hunt in several different ways.
First, pick an object to look for on your walk - red cars, dogs, flower-laden mail boxes. Keep your eyes peeled for these items.
Or, when you walk, count how many sweet gum trees you find. You have to avoid those dratted sweet gum balls or you'll break an ankle. So, they're easy to identify and count.
Find something that you'll be eager to see and go looking for it. You might be surprised how much you'll look forward to your walk.
An even better idea is to take a child walking with you, in a stroller or beside you, and try to see the world of your walk through the child's eyes. That's a wonderful way to look at the world.
Please don't count your steps. That's a job for a pedometer if you want one. Remember that 6,000 steps are recommended each day for all of us.
***************************
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, April 19, 2009
ANOTHER IDEA
http://www.geocaching.com/about/
Have you heard of geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing)? It's a neat concept that might intrigue you. Go to the website above for more information. It's totally free and might be something you would like to participate in alone or with other members of family or friends.
I became familiar with this activity when I was still homeschooling my kids. Now, I just consider myself being 'homeschooled' as I'm a lifelong learner but I don't attend school. So, I won't discuss it at length here because the website above is quite thorough.
Today, despite the beautiful weather, I chose to walk in the mall since it's the only practical location I can meet up with two particular friends. We have such a good time walking our hour together that it's worth it to walk on that hard mall floor.
If you live where it's Spring now, get outside and check out the beautiful blooming trees!
***************************
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.
Have you heard of geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing)? It's a neat concept that might intrigue you. Go to the website above for more information. It's totally free and might be something you would like to participate in alone or with other members of family or friends.
I became familiar with this activity when I was still homeschooling my kids. Now, I just consider myself being 'homeschooled' as I'm a lifelong learner but I don't attend school. So, I won't discuss it at length here because the website above is quite thorough.
Today, despite the beautiful weather, I chose to walk in the mall since it's the only practical location I can meet up with two particular friends. We have such a good time walking our hour together that it's worth it to walk on that hard mall floor.
If you live where it's Spring now, get outside and check out the beautiful blooming trees!
***************************
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.
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