If you’re looking for a simple and accessible way to improve your overall well-being, the answer may be as straightforward as taking a walk. In fact, there are many symptoms you might have experienced that can be alleviated with commitment to a regular walking practice. In this article, you’ll learn how nine common symptoms can be made better with walking.
I woke up my sophomore year of college to discover two seemingly unrelated issues. First, I had gained not just the freshman fifteen, but more like the freshman thirty, and I’m barely 5’3”. I blame dorm food and a steady stream of 11:00 p.m. pizza runs. Second, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life or even who I really was. I felt like I was constantly in reaction mode, and between classes, homework, and living with dozens of people on the 8th floor of Denton 8 (my dorm), well, the picture wasn’t pretty.
A long staple of military training, in its most basic form, rucking is simply walking with a loaded pack. The term comes from “rucksack,” the durable pack the military uses to carry equipment. Recent research has confirmed what our military has long known: rucking is a powerful form of fitness, whatever your mission.
Highly versatile, the weight you carry can vary based on your fitness level and training goals, and the right pack makes it easy to increase the weight as you get stronger. And get stronger you will, along with a host of other benefits that make rucking something we should all add to our walking practice.
If rising temperatures have you sweating about how to keep up with your walking practice, find relief with nine tips to keep you cool and crush your miles.
It is said that variety is the spice of life, a lesson you should consider applying to your walking style. Varying your routine helps to keep you from getting bored and presents the opportunity to challenge your body in new ways that can lead to stronger muscles and a healthier you. Here are nine ways you can switch things up and add a little spice to your walking workout.
Winter walking does a body good. It fights inflammation, burns extra calories, fires up those endorphins and clears the mind. But winter walking does present some challenges and requires a little extra effort to stay safe. Here are eight things to be mindful of:
A deep freeze has gripped much of the nation. Yesterday, the temperature in Sag Harbor was 7, there were patches of ice where an earlier rain had frozen and branches continued to be brought down by the howling wind. A friend in Michigan reported it was -19 and even in Florida, my mother abandoned her morning walk because it was just too cold.
When it is cold, millions of years of evolution tells us to seek shelter and stay in the cave. Don't expend any unnecessary energy. And eat up because the cold is taxing on your body and you don't know where your next meal is coming from.
We need to fight that urge. We need to push ourselves to remain active. In fact, walking in cold weather has a slew of benefits. Here are five:
We’ve all rediscovered the fanny pack. In Style Magazine reports that “Celebrities Celebrities Are Obsessed with This Retro Accessory.” As an incredibly busy working mama, 99 Walks’ Pack Leader, I couldn't be happier.
I bought a simple black Herschel fanny pack (okay, they call them “hip packs” now but we all know what they are don’t we?) from Urban Outfitters. Herschel. Urban Outfitters. Cool by definition right?
My 13-year-old-fashion-conscious teen was horrified when I told her what I had done. But then I modeled it for her. “Well, it’s not as bad as I thought,” she conceded.
January is a time when many jump on the New Year’s Resolution bandwagon. I’ll admit I’ve done it, too. But, to be honest, I have my doubts about those pesky resolutions. Why? They never seem to work out for me. It’s a lot of pressure and expectation and if you let yourself down even once (becausee we all know it’s going to happen. None of us are perfect,) it’s like you failed. And failure shouldn’t be an option.
Playing the long game? This is a smarter option.
Setting goals is important because if you don’t know where you are going, you are likely to get lost.
Effective goal setting takes practice. Set the bar too low, and you won’t achieve as much as you might. Set it too high and you set yourself up for failure. Make your goals too ambiguous and you’ll be unable to track your progress or know when you have achieved them. And, perhaps most importantly, setting goals that are not deeply, truly and profoundly important to you is a waste of time because you will never be inspired to do the hard work it will take to get there.
My son was born on January 17, during the heart of winter in New York. An emergency C-section left me more bruised and battered than I had expected. Sitting in the blue nursing chair in the baby’s room two weeks later, I called Judi, my C-section mentor (she’d been through two), and cried, “when does it stop hurting?”
My life is busy. We are all busy. Often too busy. Yet we keep adding to our plates. Saying yes. Taking on new projects. Why? I don't think it is simply because we "can't say no." I think it is more complicated.
