's Walking motd Mon Aug 16, 2010

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PICK UP THE PACE!

Monday, 16 August 2010

Many thousands of years ago, our earliest ancestors were walkers. There were no bicycles, cars, trains, planes or automobiles back then. To get around in those early days, prehistoric men, women and children used their legs to get from point "A" to point "B."

And except for the time in their caves, they lived outdoors. It wasn't because they were camping either. They simply had no choice. They wandered around their landscapes to find food. They walked down to the river to get water. The men were on their feet all day hunting while the women where on their feet tending crops. And sadly, back then, there was no Dr. Scholl's either! LOL. (Oh, my feet hurt just writing about all this.)Years later, our ancestors had a stroke of genius and invented the wheel. They figured out how to add a cart onto the wheels and put a dinosaur up front to move it around. (No wait, that was The Flintstones! LOL.) But seriously, they used beasts of burden like oxen and donkeys to help them move their goods around on their newfangled carts.Over time, the invention of the wheel led to much more advanced inventions like the bicycle, the train, the automobile and all of the modern forms of transportation we depend on to get around today. And unfortunately, with all of these new modern conveinces...the walking just about stopped! And as we humans stopped walking so much, something else happened. Many of us became overweight and obese.

But by the 1960s, the walking trend took hold. Walking, as a form of exercise, became very popular. All over the country, walking clubs formed. Later, jogging became all the rage. In many cities, those famous jogging suits became fashion statements, as much as anything else. (I guess some people just wanted to look like joggers.)I'm glad to say that walking as a form of exercise is still popular today. And oh yes, walking really is a great exercise. Back in the 80s & 90s, I did a series of walking audio tapes. I did Take A Walk, Take A Hike, Take A Classical Walk and I walked everyone across the USA with my really fun tape, Walk Across America. I filled each of my audio tapes with happy music to make them fun. And on the tapes, I encouraged and motivated everyone on how to have a really beneficial walk.

So are you a walker? And are you feeling the benefits of your walks? I watch people here in Los Angeles walking around the city. In fact, right across the street from Slimmons, there's a beautiful linear park that has a spectacular walking trail. I sometimes go there and take walks myself.

But I've noticed that a lot of the people walking aren't really "walking." It's more like they're going for a leisurely stroll. And let me tell you, with that kind of walk, you're really not burning a lot of calories and fat. If you wanna walk and really burn those calories, you've got to pick up the pace.

First of all, you have to really move your arms. Because when you do, along with your legs, you're moving and working out all four of your limbs. And let me tell you, your heart really loves it.If you're only taking little baby steps as you walk, you've got to improve on that. Take bigger steps. Hold your head up high as you walk and really breathe.

Have you ever used a pedometer and wore it as you walked? That way, you can check your distance and even keep track of how many steps you've taken. You'd be very surprised how all of those steps you're taking add up. A lot of you reading this message may have just begun a walking program. And maybe in the beginning, you could only walk for ten minutes or so. Burt I promise, if you keep it up, you'll get up to 20 minutes, 30 minutes and later, even a whole hour as you build your strength and endurance.

And oh, it feels so good to take a walk, with the wind in your face and that healthy stride as you take in all of the scenery around you. And by the way, before you get started, be sure to bring a towel and a water bottle with you. You can get a little fitness belt at a sporting goods store to store all of the things you need to bring along on your walk. After starting your walk, when you've worked up a good sweat and you're all exhausted, you'll know your walk is over. To cool down, walk in place for a little bit then find some place to take a seat and give your body a well-earned break. Even our very early ancestors would give us a big thumbs up!

Hey, they're shooting a remake of the movie, Chariots of Fire. Let's all audition for a part, shall we?Love,