Walking for the Mind, Body and Spirit. Part 1.

Emily Forrest http://www.localtastingtours.com

I had the pleasure of hearing Ms. Forest speak at a conference about her Forrest Walkabout project.  I was interested in her story and inspired to talk about the simplest form of physical activity; walking!  Some of my clients are interested in more intense workouts, but I can tell you, an up hill power walk gets my heart rate up to the same level as a jog, but with less impact.  I e-mailed Ms. Forest to find out more about how walking improves the mind, body and spirit.

Emily Forrest is a local performer, foodie, and long distance walker.  Emily acted professionally on stage for a number of years in the Maritimes and had several of her plays produced before she got the travel bug.   She is an outspoken advocate for a daily walking lifestyle and exploring new places on foot.  In 2004 she walked the 1000 km perimeter of Prince Edward Island, and in 2010 she completed a 3000 km trek of the Nova Scotia coastline to promote the Heart and Stoke Foundation’s Walkabout program.

AA:  Briefly describe your Forrest Walkabout project and it’s meaning to you.

EF:  My Forrest Walkabout was the fulfillment of a dream which came to me without much reason and gave me a great amount of joy and a sense of accomplishment and helped encourage other people to get out and walk for the joy and the health of it and to celebrate and explore their own communities and their province.


AA:  What attracted you to the idea of your walkabout?

EF:  Being on the ocean for 8 hours a day and just moving and taking it all in and covering that distance - that's what appealed to me. I love mapping and planning large walks/projects. I loved it when I met and walked with people and I loved it when I was alone and pondering life and listening to music. I loved the rhythm and I loved being outdoors.

AA:  Did you do any training or preparation for you walking?

EF: I trained by walking two eight hour walks per week for six weeks before I left. It helped build my stamina, but getting on the road and walking for my first 15 days with no days off is what created the blisters. But they healed.

AA:  Did you find your diet changing during your walkabouts?

EF: I learned the importance of protein for energy. I realized that I couldn't go for more than two hours without something, even if it was just a bite. If I didn't take care, I would get to a state where I felt like I was asleep on my feet or very grumpy - those moods were diet-related.

AA: To close part one, here is the response that inspires me the most.

EF:  I believe our bodies were made to walk long distances - it is proven that it is the exercise which causes the least amount of stress on your body. I believe one should endeavor to accomplish the goal which appeals to them, and not someone else's goal, and then it will be truly rewarding.

So enough reading for now, go out side and go for a walk!

I don’t have time for your bulls#*t, or finding time to workout, or motivation part duex.

always good to keep a dumbbell next to the sink when you are doing the dishes.

I don’t know anyone who is not busy; some are just way busier than others.  Here are some tips I use to squeeze in activity.

1. Time that you rest between sets can be filled.  I workout at home sometimes because I don’t have time to go to the gym.  So, the 60-90 seconds I rest between sets, I will put a load of laundry in the machine, gather the recycling, add to the grocery list, or wash a dish or two.  I have some small tasks that I can do between sets, so by the time I am done with my weight training; I have also done some small chores.  I kinda run around the apartment and make my wife nuts though….

1. Sometimes I like to just watch TV or read to chill out.  But, taking a lesson from my ballet friends, you can stretch while you are doing this.  I remember seeing dancers doing homework or even having a quick bite to eat in the splits.  The idea is, if you are ever being just still, might as well stretch.  So I have a couple of stretches I know I can do wile watching a movie or reading.  This has the added benefit of relaxing you too, so watching a little TV in the alligator pose before you go to bed is nice. 

Relaxing, stretching and reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Do you like to watch sports?  I feel guilty watching athletes in their prime competing while sitting on my butt.  So how about doing some squats or curls, or getting on the treadmill during the game?

1. If you need to think about something, think about it during a set.  So before you send off that e-mail, do 15 curls and think about it.  You will collect your thoughts, and if you are emotionally charged about the e-mail, you might calm down a bit and send something more measured. 

1. Don’t wait.  RUN!  My wife gets a shower, and then I have to wait for more hot water before I can get a shower and do the dishes…. Time to run around the block.  Then I will really need that shower!

Easier said than done I know, but over the years, I have squeezed in a handful of workouts this way.  Even if you can’t get your full workout in, anything is better than giving up and doing nothing.

A little quad stretch and some star trek

Motivation, or I really dont feel like doing any of this crap.

Go out running in that? I dont even want to go to my car and drive to the gym!

Motivation!
So last week I got up to go to the gym.  I was having a bad day.  When I got to the gym I was in a bad mood.  Every guy there was bigger lifting way more weight; I caught myself in the mirror and thought, “I hate my body.”  I am just wasting my time here.  I could only think of my faults that day.  So here is the dirty secret that a lot of trainers don’t tell clients.  I have those days, I can be very insecure, and I am not always in the f’n mood for this crap!

Here is what I do.

1. Just start, give yourself permission to quit after you start.  I say, I will just do my arms and if I feel like it, I will do the rest of the routine.  After I get started, pressing on works and I feel better by the end!
2. Know not every workout is great.  Sometimes, you just have a weak or slow day, but getting through your workout at a lower weight, slower speed or only doing half the routine is better than nothing and will help you establish the healthy habit
3. Do something else active and fun.  Go for a trail run, take a zumba class, punch your mattress. 
4. Get in the habit of reducing your excuses.  Pack your gym bag and have everything ready to go.  Have Reduce the number of steps it takes for you to get out and moving.
5. Plan to fail.  Sounds bad.  But build back up plans in your schedule.  As an example, I know I want to run today, but the snow might be too bad, so I have a leg circuit that I can do at home with just body weight.  I got in the habit of working out around 1200, but  that might not work tomorrow, so I am planning to sneak away around 6, see how that works.  I might have to skip Friday, so I look for time on Thursday.
6. Getting off track does not equal failure.   Don’t have all or nothing thinking.  If you miss a day, don’t wait till next week to get back on track.  Get used to making little course adjustments.  If you are driving somewhere and you start going in the wrong direction, you just try to get back on track, you don’t go all the way back home and start over.  Let the little hiccups pass over you and press on!
7. Have some fun!  You will stick with things better if you have fun.  Take some music with you, find a supportive friend (or a really cool personal trainer), switch things up, play some games, try to have some laughs.

Shoes!

Recently, a young and successful friend of mine commented that she may need new shoes but lamented the expense and the amount of research necessary.  A salesperson at a store quickly told her as he ran to help another customer, “you can’t use runners for training and trainers for running.”  So now she needs two pairs of shoes?!?! Coincidentally one of my clients was commenting on shoes and I also have deemed my pair purchased in the summer as almost dead.  So it inspired me to do a bit of research, and recap some of the things I have found.

1-First, the best thing I ever did was visit Advanced Mobility Orthopaedics.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Advanced-Mobility-Ortho-Ltd
http://www.advancedmobilityortho.com/
I cannot say enough good things about this.  My foot had some structural issues that have always made running and walking painful, but having it my entire life, I just stopped noticing it.  After getting some inserts for my shoes, I do 10k no problem.  If you have tried running and your feet hurt at all… might be a good idea to get an assessment.

2- How many freakin shoes do you want me to buy?  Well, a turn out there is reasoning behind buying different types of athletic shoes.  There are trainers, walking shoes, running shoes and sport specific shoes.  At up to $200 bucks a pop, buy a handful and you wont be able to pay me for personal training!  Well we don’t want that to happen!  So just buy what you need.

Bottom line:
Shoes called “Trainers,” flexible mutli-purpose shoes you can use for various activities.  Compromise for buying multiple sport specific shoes.  If you are not a performance athlete, just want to go for walks, mess around on a court for a little bit, maybe take a zumba class.

Running shoes.  Can’t I just by trainers?  Well if you are going to be running a good deal, for more than 15 min and running outside, you should get a pair of runners too.  The big difference, cushioning and impact reduction.  Running creates a lot of impact and if you want to prevent injury (strike that YOU WANT TO PREVENT INJURY), get a decent pair of running shoes.

Also, on the bright side, if you have a pair of trainers and a pair of runners, they will both last longer if you use them for the specific tasks.

3- Just because the soles are good, does not mean the shoe is still good.  In fact, the sole is the last thing to go.  Don’t hang on to a shoe because the bottom part looks good.  Inside is what counts.

4-Your shoe size changes.  I always thought your shoe sized stayed the same when you became an adult but it is not true.  I used to be an 11 and now I am a 12 (I don’t have to buy skis at least).  I guess I have heard that some women like to cram their foot into a small shoe for some reason… I don’t get that, as I guy, I never even thought about a woman’s shoe size.  So get over it, get your foot measured and by a freaking shoe that fits.  Also, shop for your shoes at the end of the day when your foot swells from the day.

5-Not rich?  What to buy?  Shop for type of shoe not brand.  You can get a decent cheap shoe.  If you had to choose between a cheap comfortable new shoe and wearing your old warn out ones until you can afford expensive ones, just get some new shoes.  The old ones are more likely to injure you.  You should not have to “break in” athletic shoes.  Also, don’t get sucked in by the hype.  The most expensive shoes are mostly there to make the mid-priced shoes look cheaper.

Links on the bottom are helpful in making your decisions.  If you don’t have time to look at any of them, just look at the consumer reports article.  Last page has the best quick tips.


Lots more to talk about I am sure, this is just my humble opinion.  Public discussion and feedback welcome.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/athletic-shoes/buying-guide.htm

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/shoes/choosing-a-shoe-the-very-basics/481.html


http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/beforeyoubuy/a/aabyb_shoes.htm

shoes falling out of my closet.