The Oaks at Ojai
Warning: Once you're hooked on walking, other activities may seem mild compared to your love affair with fresh air, forward momentum and the strong, youthful-looking body that comes from this healthful addiction.
20 Ways to Increase Your Passion for Walking
Walk to plan, think, ponder, pray and meditate. A fully oxygenated body in motion frees and clears the mind like nothing else. Walk to look good - a leaner, stronger body and authentic pink glow are just two of the many rewards you can confidently expect when you walk regularly.
Walk to improve your sex life. Yes, studies do show that couples who walk report more satisfying intimate relations. And if you're wondering whether the person you've been dating is really for you - why not go for a walk together?
Walk to control or lower your risk for a galaxy of diseases and conditions. Walking is good for your heart and helps maintain healthy lungs, joints, body-weight and the body's intricate systems and chemical balances. Walking boosts the immune system and healing by increasing circulation of lymph and oxygenated blood throughout the body.
Walk to strengthen your bones. Outfox the slow, silent disaster of bone mineral loss by getting on your feet and walking. Walk faithfully. Make sure you walk for 20 to 60 minutes at least every other day. It's okay to turn down other things to make time for this vital part of your schedule.
Walk in the right shoes, wear them just for walking and replace them after about 500 miles - the cushioning starts to go long before the tread or uppers. (This is not just shoe-company propaganda: sports physicians and trainers agree that wearing old athletic shoes is a bad idea.) Buy the best ones you can afford and have them fitted by a knowledgeable salesperson. Walking in cheap sneakers, sandals, and run-down shoes can lead to injury.
Walk in clothes you like. Flattering clothes that move and breathe make walking more pleasant. Reward yourself with a new outfit when you hit a walking goal (walking every day for month, for example). You deserve a treat.
Walk to cheer yourself up. Walking is clinically proven to help relieve mild depression and the emotional swings many women experience during the monthly cycle. Walk with a friend. You'll keep each other motivated and enjoy each other's company.
Don't just stroll, however, if you want to increase your fitness level. Maintain a quick-breathing (but not gasping) pace of at least 3.5 miles an hour to benefit both heart and waistline.
Walk with your dog, or with someone else's. No one appreciates a walk more. If your furry pal is a serious couch potato, though, he'll need time to build up stamina - just like the rest of us.
Walk with your kids. Or get them to come along on skates, bike or scooter while you walk. You'll be setting a great example, and they'll get to explore their surroundings in safety.
Walk in a crowd and meet new friends. Join a non-competitive walking group.
Walk at work. Brown-bag your lunch so you have time to walk during your lunch hour. Even if you only walk a couple blocks or do a few laps around the courtyard of your office building, you'll return to your desk energized and clear-headed.
Walk on vacation. Visit a great walkable city like San Francisco or New York and hoof it. Walk the endless beaches of Hawaii and Southern California. Check out ads in travel magazines and on the Internet for tour companies that specialize in arranging walking tours throughout the world. Take a healthy holiday at a destination spa that offers hiking and walks.
Walk and read. Subscribe to fitness magazines featuring inspiring stories and helpful advice about getting the most from walking. Walk with a stick, or even two, if you walk on rough, slippery or hilly terrain. Many serious walkers habitually use two sticks and swing them rhythmically almost as if they were skiing cross-country. Do this and you'll get an upper body work-out while you walk. Walk with a tight belly. Concentrate on maintaining excellent posture - keep shoulders back and abs contracted - and you'll add enormously to the physical benefits you get from walking. Walk all over the place. Vary the terrain and locale of your walks.
Walk and help others. Get in on fundraising walks for good causes. Organize a healthy walking group for seniors, kids with special needs, your church group or friend's in your college dorm. Plan walks to interesting places near where you live. When you help promote walk-ing, you're working to improve the health both of individuals and of your community. Walk on!
Goody Two Shoes
You don't need a closet full of athletic shoes - two pair should cover the basic batch of exercises. One pair should serve for straight-line motion activities (such as walking, running, treadmill, stair stepping, etc.) where your heel strikes the surface and you roll off the toe. The shoe turns upward at the toe and has shock-absorbing cushions at the heel and ball of the foot, and a track-like sole.
Your second pair is for lateral motion activities (tennis, racquet-ball, basketball, etc.) that require added support around the entire foot. The shoe actually sits in the base, has a flat sole and strong supporting material around the entire foot. Some activities, such as hiking, require specialized footwear. Speak with experts about what to look for in addition to stability, cushioning, fit and feel.
