fi tbody
Moveable FEET
How to Make Walking Part of Everyday Life
by Lane Vail H
ippocrates called walking “man’s best medicine,” and Americans agree: According to
the U.S. Surgeon General, walking is America’s most popular form of fi tness. It’s free, convenient and simple. The Foundation for Chronic Disease Prevention reveals that 10,000 daily steps help lower blood pressure, shed pounds, decrease stress and reduce the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Here’s how to rev up the routine and stay motivated.
Practical Tips Breathe. Belly breathing calms the parasympathetic nervous system, expands lung capacity and improves circulation. Inhale through the nose, fi ll the belly and expel through the mouth, advises Asheville, North Carolina, resident Katherine Dreyer, co-founder and CEO of ChiWalking.
Try new techniques and terrain. “The body is smart and effi cient. It must be constantly challenged in safe ways and tricked into burning more calories,”
says Malin Svensson, founder and President of Nordic Walking USA. She suggests taking the stairs or strolling on sand to strengthen the legs and heart. Dreyer recommends ascending hills
sideways (crossing one foot over the other) to engage new muscles and protect the calves and Achilles tendons. She also suggests walking backwards for 30 steps every fi ve minutes during a 30-minute walk to reestablish proper posture.
Push with poles. Compelling the body forward with Nordic walking poles can burn 20 to 46 percent more calories than regular walking, reports Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. Svensson explains, “Applying pressure to the poles activates abdominal, chest, back and triceps muscles, which necessitates more oxygen and thereby raises the heart rate.” The basic technique is: plant, push and walk away.
Mindful Tips Feel the Earth move under your (bare) feet. Improve mood, reduce pain and deepen sleep by going outside barefoot, says Dr. Laura Koniver, of Charleston, South Carolina, a featured expert in the documentary, The Grounded. “The Earth’s surface contains an infi nite reservoir of free electrons, which, upon contact with the body, can neutralize damage from free radicals,” she says.
Notice nature. Alexandra Horowitz, author of On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes, fi nds walking
32 Central Florida natural awakenings
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