Walking and Health

Getting bored with the same old walking routine? Pole walking is the latest craze from Europe that is sweeping the US.  I saw pole walkers the other day in my neighborhood.  So I did a little research.  I thought maybe they were training for the skiing season.  However, upon doing a little research I found out the real reason they are using two poles while walking. 

Using the two poles while doing normal walking increases the amount of calories burned by 46%.  With pole walking, 90% of your body muscles are being used.  Wow! Compare that to 35% for bicycling and treadmill and 65% for jogging. The more muscles used in a workout-the more calories are burned.  That’s simple, yet powerful.  Imagine that, by adding two poles to your regular workout, you get an overall complete body fitness workout and increase the amount of calories burned.  Can you say, “I can do this!”

Do you have aches and pains in your neck caused by work overload, financial woes because of the bad economy, or just too many things to do in a day?  Pole walking uses the upper body during walking and helps to strengthen and relax neck, shoulders and back muscles.  It also helps to relieve stress in general.  If you’re like most people and keep all your stress in your neck and shoulders, pole walking can help eliminate these problems.

Pole walking also helps your posture.  By keeping your body upright and in a positive, natural movement, you build up the upper body, where more than 50% of your muscles are located.  The strengthening and usage of the muscles in your upper body helps in better overall posture.

Internally, there are even more benefits to pole walking than just regular walking.  When utilizing the poles, you strengthen your heart.  Adding poles to your normal walk increases your cardiovascular workout by 20%.  This in turn helps to lower lower cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.  This is beneficial to those with diabetes. 

Try walking with two poles the next time you go for your morning or evening walk.  You’ll immediately feel the extra exertion by your upper body.  Relax and take it slow and soon you’ll wonder how you did without them.  Pole walking takes practice and there are several websites currently available to help with the purchase of poles and guidance in proper technique. Pole Walking Instructions Another website: Pole Walking One more: Pole Walking I’m going to look more into this and update this posting as I learn more about the fitness fun and relaxation benefits to pole walking.

Interested in purchasing your own poles. KEYTZ Nordic Walking Fitness Poles - Lightweight Carbon/Aluminum Shafts (Black, White, or Pink) - Pair

 Read more about Pole Walking: The Ultimate Nordic Pole Walking Book

Love Handles, Belly Fat, Stomach Fat. We all know the area just above our pants when we just finish a meal or sit down and we see the “Muffin Top” or the part of our extra mid section that hangs over.  It normally comes in mid-life when we reach the age of 40 and later.  How do we go about getting rid of belly fat, or stomach fat, or Muffin Top or Love Handles?  Any name you want to call it, the excess fat is there and we need to work on getting rid of it.

You can lose that muffin top by following the three “M’s”.  Check out the full article on WebMD here: Fighting Mid Life Weight Gain . Basically the three M’s are mind, mouth, muscle.

Use your mind to control the stress in your life.   You may become so stressed that you run around like crazy and have no time to sit down and eat a healthy, nutritional, home-cooked meal. 

Watch what you put in your mouth. If you have no choice but to eat out, keep an eye out for portion size, usually you should cut the meal in half and ask for a carry out container before you even start the meal.  That way, you will only eat what’s in front of you and not the portion that is already bagged up.  Eat as nutrionally as possible.  Cook with fresh vegetables and not bagged.  Use fresh meats and not canned.

Workout with a daily walking program to keep your muscle tone.  I found this great DVD that I would highly recommend,  Leslie Sansone: Walk at Home - 5 Mile Fat Burning Walk. Weight training, walking, going to the gym, parking your car farther from the entrance, these all all great ways to work in the extra exercise time that you need on a daily basis.   According to doctors, the fat around your waist is actualy easier to lose than the fat in other places of your body.  If you start a weight loss program you will most likely see results in your waist area first.  “The Visceral fat, the kind tucked deep inside your waistline, is more metabolically active and easier to lose than subcutaneous fat under the skin, especially if you have plenty of it.”  explains Penn State researcher Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD as taken from WedMD article, The Truth About Belly Fat.

Get rid of belly fat by keeping your stress down, watching what you eat, and exercising as often as you can.  Lose the Muffin Top.  You’ll feel better and look better.

More workout videos and MP3 Downloads from Leslie Sansone.
On DVD:

Leslie Sansone: Walk at Home - Walk Away Your Waistline! With 1, 2 and 3 Mile Markers (Walk Belt Included Inside!)
Leslie Sansone: 5 Day Slim Down

Video On Demand:
Leslie Sansone: Walk Away The Pounds: 30 Minute Walk
Leslie Sansone: Walk Away The Pounds: Express Super Challenge
Leslie Sansone: Walk Away The Pounds: Mile High Calorie Burn

MP3 Downloads:
Leslie-Guided 15 Min Walk
Leslie Voice-Guided with “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now”
Respect
Leslie Sansone Walking for Weight Loss - 3 Mile Walk

Muscle Mile on DVD:
Leslie Sansone - Walk Away the Pounds - Muscle Mile One

Tuesday before the traditional Lent season on a Christian calendar is always a celebration of excess as Mardi Gras takes place in the French Quarters of New Orleans and other major cities throughout the world including Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  “Mardis Gras” is French for Fat Tuesday and the Carnival is the three days prior to Ash Wednesday.   Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent.  Lent is the 46 days and 46 nights that lead up to the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. 

Growing up in a Catholic family, we used to go out and purchase extra goodies for the Tuesday leading up to Lent.  In the Catholic religion it is a tradition to give up something you enjoy during the Lent season as a sacrifice and a remembrance to the 40 days that Jesus was roaming the desert. You can give up, for example, cookies or your favorite candy bar, or french fries, or pizza, or soda.  You can also add to your routine by reading a bible scripture every day, or volunteering at the library, or doing something good for somebody that you normally wouldn’t think about doing.  In our family each of us would at least give up something that we enjoyed.  Most of us gave up sweets entirely.  No donuts, no cookies, no candies, no soda, no cakes, no brownies, we did a ban on all sweets.  As a child this was no easy task.   On Fat Tuesday we would usually bake some brownies and buy a few candies and split them up, then go to sleep feeling full of chocolates and sweets.

It’s ok to celebrate, that’s the fun part of life.  As always, do things in moderation.  Go out and celebrate Mardi Gras, or a birthday, or a special event, just do so in moderation.  Fat Tuesday doesn’t have to mean fat you. Where you once would stuff your plate and overdo it, now just trim your eating down.  You’ll feel better about yourself and you won’t have to work so hard to get yourself back to the number you want if you’re watching your weight. 

Check back soon.  My pledge to God to lose 40 pounds in 46 days this Lenten season.  How am I going to do it safe and smart. 

The Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s and any other winter holiday you may celebrate during this time (since my son’s birthday right in their) are now beyond us.  The New Year’s resolutions are either up and going or have slowed down and are almost forgotten. 

If you started a weight loss and exercise program, don’t let the Valentine’s Day romantic dinner spoil all your hard work.  If you are on a diet, work around the Valentine’s Day meal and have a light breakfast and a light lunch, then enjoy your evening.  If you get chocolates from your sweetie, indulge in a one or two then share them with family and friends and even co-workers.  If you feel like you can’t handle the chocolate, kindly ask your sweetheart to not get you chocolates this year and explain that you would rather have something that won’t interfere with your weight plan. 

Other items for that special day that say, I love you:

• A fun night out taking a walk on the beach or somewhere romantic.
• A night out of shopping while the kids are away.
• Stay at home and rent a good movie to set the mood.
• Enjoy a Saturday family fun night of crafts and simple snacks.
• Stay up late and play cards or bingo with friends and other couples.
• Surprise your Valentine with a small piece of jewelry with his/her favorite hobby.
• Order flowers from local shop and hand deliver them that evening.
• Make your own Valentine;s Day card and tell him/her exactly how you feel in your own words.
• Create a personal Valentine’s Day card with a hand made IOU such as a Free Car Wash or a Free Hug.
• Write “I Love You” in Lip Stick on the mirror.
• Slip a single red rose into his or her shoe so he/she will see it in the morning.
• Get red “Post Its” and write single line love thoughts on about twenty of them and put them in places where your sweetie is going to be surprised all day long.
• Write a good old fashion love letter and spray your cologne or perfume on it.  Seal it and place it in his or her briefcase or lunch bag.

The list could go on and on and you get the message here, that Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to involve eating out and falling off your weight loss program.  Valentine’s Day also doesn’t have to shoot an arrow through your wallet.  Keep it fun and keep it simple.  Most of the fun things to do are free.  If you have kids and just need to get away, ask for help from family or friends.  If not, just make a great evening of it and enjoy the moment.  Let the kids see your love for each other and surprise them with fun things, too. 

Walking is beneficial to anybody trying to stay in shape. Even if you have different medical conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, a back injury that flares up every now and then and knee or ankle injuries from the past that act up especially in cold weather. Always consult your doctor first, but most doctors will recommend some type of exercise program that includes walking. Walking is one of the least evasive forms of exercise. Your joints are not likely to get jolted like they are in running and jogging and the stress impact to your knees, ankles, and other joints are minimal so most people are not prone to injury with walking.

I found a great article that I would like to share with you that is found on Arthritis.org. Click here to read the article on Five Strategies for Walking Success. Enjoy the article it applies to all walkers whether you have arthritis or not. It’s main focus is on how to develop a routine and to keep walking day in and day out without losing focus and still stay motivated.

http://www.arthritis.org/five-strategies-for-walking-success.php

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