Sitting is Bad For You

I came across this TED lesson while I was sitting at my computer this morning.  I posted it and got out of my chair.

Stay on your feet.  Move.  Your body wants to!  Needs to!

Life is NOT a Battle

People are taking up the fitness craze in droves.  But, as it turns out, the mentality of working out to exhaustion every day is super UNhealthy.  To live with the military attitude that life is a battle is not good for your body or your mental well being.  It's all about balance.

So next time you get off your chair, be kind to yourself.  A gentle walk will take you further into a healthy old age than an overkill workout will.

Read here about the militarization of exercise!  Yikes!!!  Bad trend, I say.

How to Live to be 100

As it turns out, our bodies have a capacity of about 90 years.  But our average life expectancy is 78.  Dan Buettner explored "blue zones" - places with a high rate of longevity - to try to figure out how to live long.  Here's what he found:

Move naturally.  Don't exercise.  MOVE.  Build systems into your life that make you move.  Walk.  Garden.  Take the stairs.  Just move.

Have the right outlook.  Take time to downshift.  Have a purpose.  I like the Okinawan concept of "ikigai" - the reason you wake up in the morning.

Eat wisely.  Don't diet.  People in blue zones drink a bit of wine every day.  They eat a mainly plant based diet - some meat, but not much.  And they limit their portions.

Connect.  Social connections are likely the most important aspect of longevity.  People need to belong.  Family is important, but, more than that, so is your "tribe" - the people you surround yourself with on a daily basis.

Watch the video.  It's interesting!

Running Makes You a Better Walker

I like walking.  It's easy on my feet and gets me outdoors.  Check backward on this blog and you'll see lots of support for walking as a way of life.  Or at least as an essential component of it.

But runners are better walkers.  Turns out that walking into old age isn't so great at holding off your ability to move with ease and agility.  Running is.

This is a great article that outlines the research that was done into both running and walking in your mid 60''s and beyond.  Runners have a similar "fitness" to sedentary college students!

Looks like I need to pick up my pace.

Read:  Run to Stay Young

Walking Should Be Your First Choice

Walking has been compared to "super foods".  It's required for health.  This article makes a great case for making walking your first choice.

This exercise is the superfood of fitness, experts say

Extend Your Summer

We've had a fantastic summer here on the west coast.  Long sunny days in abundance.  It's the second half of September and we're still swimming in the lake!

I thought I'd share some of what I've been up to...

Fishing has been spectacular this season!

 Tofino has had great beach walking weather.

And the rowing has been awesome, of course!

Get outside and extend your summer.

Hippocrates Believed in Walking

Yep.  The same guy the Hippocratic Oath that doctors take is named after.  Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, told us to walk.

Reasons to Walk

New Society Publishers has been publishing books to build a new society for over 30 years. They are an activist, solutions-oriented publisher focused on tools for a world of change.  Their list of titles is impressive and inspiring.  And they are based in BC.

Today their post was from Kevin Klinkenberg, author of Why I Walk: Taking a Step in the Right Direction.

Ten Reasons to Walk

Get out of your chair!  Get walking.

New Milepost

So today I thought I'd test out where 10,000 steps takes me.  Back to the SeaWalk, I walked 5000 steps in one direction then home again.  Again, I began at Willow Point - very close to Frank James Park - home of the Canada Day event "Transformations on the Shore" - where huge logs become this:

photo by Norm Hamilton

And here is 5000 steps away!  (Actually 4,973.  But close enough!)

This walk took 1 hour and 23 minutes.  It was 8.38km.  Good one!

Where do YOU walk?

10,000 Steps a Day

I discovered that my older model iPod nano - which clips on to my shirt - has a built in pedometer.  Great music and a bit of accountability, too.  So today I tried it.

They say you should walk 10,000 steps every day.  I always think I walk quite a bit.  Turns out 10,000 steps is a long, long way!

According to my iPod, today's walk was 4.76km.  I took 5529 steps.  (And burned 239 calories, apparently.)  In order to make 10,000 steps today I need to go back and do it again.

Check out these walking resources:

The Walking Site

The Mayo Clinic's Walking Advice

Walk Where It's Beautiful

Today I set out on a walk I take quite frequently and, part way through, I realized I was walking with a huge smile on my face. Sunshine, fresh air, good tunes in my ears, and some of the most gorgeous waterfront views in the world. Campbell River Sea Walk.

I start the walk at Willow Point and head north. It's 2.3km to "Big Rock", making a 4.6km round trip.

Thank you, Michael Moore, for reminding me how great it is to walk! 

Where is YOUR beautiful walk?

Take a Walk!

A few months back I posted about sitting being the new smoking.  We're simply not active enough!  Here's a great TED talk encouraging us to take walking meetings.  Walk and talk.  What a great idea!

Hiking on a Beautiful March Day

The sun came up this morning on Discovery Passage with a morning temperature of -1.  But by 10am the sun had warmed up the air enough to make it a t-shirt and light hoodie hike day.

Ripple Rock in Campbell River is a great hike!  8km round trip.  3.5 to 4 hours - depending on how often you stop at the spectacular view points along the way.  Diverse, moderate hiking trail.  Some big uphills.  And the view at the end of it is amazing.

Hiking.  What a great way to get fit, get outdoors, and feel great.