Walking is good for you.

Spring is almost here and you should be thinking about getting in shape after a long cold winter. Are you ready to discover the fabulous world of walking? Well, hold onto your walking sticks because we're about to unravel the secrets of this magical activity that's tailor-made for the golden years.

First off, let's talk about the perks of walking. It's the frugal superstar of exercise – it's free! And let's be honest, after a lifetime of budgeting, who doesn't appreciate freebies? Walking is simple; it's like putting one foot in front of the other, which, let's face it, we've had plenty of practice with. Plus, it's gentle on those creaky joints. You won't hear them complaining!

Now, here's the fun part. Did you know that walking can turn you into a lean, mean, body fat-fighting machine? A study from the University of Tennessee discovered that women who strut their stuff have less body fat. You'll be strutting your stuff in no time!

And here's a bonus: while you're out there strolling, your calf muscles are doing their best impression of a Venetian gondolier, pumping blood back to your heart and keeping those pesky blood clots at bay. It's like a cardio cruise for your legs!

But wait, there's more! Walking isn't just good for your heart; it's a bone-strengthening superstar. Dr. Michael A. Schwartz even says it can put a stop to bone loss. Imagine, you could be the next superhero with unbreakable bones!

Now, here's a real head-turner: regular walkers in their fifties and sixties are 35% less likely to shuffle off this mortal coil in the next eight years. And if you've got some health quirks, that percentage shoots up to 45%. That's like a senior discount on the aging process!

But the goodness doesn't stop there. Walking is a natural mood booster, thanks to those delightful endorphins. The more you walk, the happier you'll be, just like a kid in a candy store, but with healthier snacks.

Feeling sluggish? Fear not! A brisk 30-minute walk can torch 200 calories. It's like taking your metabolism for a spin. And while you're at it, your leg and abdominal muscles get toned. Who knew you could sculpt your way to greatness while strolling through the park?

Now, for the best part – walking can even help you sleep like a baby. Forget counting sheep; start counting your steps, and insomnia might just be a thing of the past!

Remember those joints that have been with you through thick and thin? They need some TLC too. When you walk, you give them a little squeeze, sending oxygen and nutrients their way. It's like a spa day for your joints!

And here's the sciencey bit: walking increases your breathing rate, which means more oxygen zipping through your veins, flushing out waste, and boosting your energy. Think of it as your personal fountain of youth on two legs.

Oh, and let's not forget your brain. A study from the University of California found that walking keeps your memory sharp. It's like having your own memory palace on the move! And for the gentlemen, walking more than a quarter mile a day can cut your chances of dementia in half. That's a pretty good deal, don't you think?

So, my seasoned pals, what are you waiting for? Grab your walking shoes and hit the pavement. The world is your oyster, and with each step, you're adding pearls to your golden years. Walk on, you magnificent legends! 

Getting Up a Good Head of Steam

When you were thinking about the life, you would live as a senior, you may have held that idea of sitting on a rocking chair and watching the world go by. That silly idea seems like an ideal situation for people in their golden years by people who did not have active imaginations.

But what is ideal for you from a quality of life point of view is to be active and not to see retirement as a time to stop moving. In fact, there are plenty of good reasons that you should get out and walk every day. If you make it as much a part of your daily routine as your morning coffee, there are lots of significant benefits.

Of course, I have already talked about the benefits of walking for your health. Walking will keep your blood flowing, improve your circulation, do your appetite a world of good and keep your joints and muscles limber and exercised.

What that means is that the more you walk, the longer you will walk. So if you see other seniors around your neighbourhood or in your retirement apartment moving about in wheelchairs or walkers and you don’t like that prospect for yourself, then get out of that chair and get out there and walk.

There are many benefits that making walking part of your lifestyle can bring your way that has nothing to do with health. Getting some fresh air has more wisdom to it than you know. For good solid decision making, there is nothing better than a brisk walk with all the oxygen it will give to your brain.

You should make it a policy never to decide late at night, after a few drinks or when you are upset if you have not gotten out of your home for a few days. Hold major decisions for the walking trail. If you have good blood flow and your breathing is up, giving you good oxygen to your thinking apparatus, you will be at your mental peak to make moral decisions.

There are also social benefits of walking. If you are single, to put it bluntly, walking is a great place to meet members of the different sex. And if you want to meet that gal that has the spunk you have or that great guy who wants to live life to its fullest, you are going to meet those people out walking and staying active. It sounds strange to say so, but the walking trails where seniors go the most are great “pick up” spots simply because it is so easy to join someone interesting on a walk and get to know them in a non-threatening manner.

Use some creativity in where you walk and when. You can work a pleasant walk in with an errand or to see a part of the city you always wanted to explore. If you can still drive, get to know the many walking trails in town and become a regular there.

But more than that, you will get a big kick out of walking every day. The endorphins from this exercise are a great high. And that walk can be great fun and a time to meet new friends and have some interesting adventures as well.  

Walking as exercise

If you decide that you are going to start walking as an exercise, it is a good idea to prepare. So here are some ideas on how to prepare and what to do before, during and after your walk. As always when starting a new exercise program always consult your physician before starting this or any exercise program.

BEFORE YOU WALK

·    Make sure you are wearing walking or running shoes with good support and cushioning.

·    Take your pulse for ten seconds and multiply by six for your resting heart rate.

·    Do at least three minutes of slow walking or relaxed arm and leg movements before you walk.

DURING YOUR WALK

·    Lengthen your spine while you walk. Visualize your head floating up to the sky like a helium balloon.

·    Make sure your buttocks’ muscles are relaxed and your shoulders are moving freely.

·    Warm up by walking at a slow-to-normal pace for the first five minutes.

·    Increase your speed gradually until you are walking briskly.

·   Take your ten-second pulse approximately five to ten minutes into your brisk walk to ensure you are working at the appropriate level (i.e., your target heart rate).

·   Make sure you can talk comfortably while you are walking.

·   Keep walking at a level that doesn’t exhaust you and can be maintained for at least twenty minutes.

·   Work up to a thirty-to-forty-five-minute walk. If you are unable to walk this long at one time, take shorter walks throughout the day.

·   At the end of your walk, cool down with a five-minute slow walk. This safely lowers your pulse.

AFTER YOUR WALK

·   Perform the heel cord, hip flexor, and hamstring stretches.

·   Check your pulse and make sure it is lower than the level you reached during the brisk walk. If not, contact your physician before continuing with the program.

·   Try to walk as often as possible. Walking three times a week is the minimum necessary to improve cardiovascular fitness and increase bone density. If you experience shortness of breath or chest pain while walking, stop immediately and contact your physician.

Walking Routes

I love to walk and find that a short (30 to 60 minute) walk always makes me feel better. Can you think of any walking areas in your area that you would like to share, suggestions welcome. Where I live there are a lot of hiking trails available,  here is a list of 16 walking routes in my area: Enjoy and if you ever come to the Vancouver Area, check these walking areas out. They are great and they are only a small number of the routes available. 

Some of us love to bike rather than walk, so I recommend Colleen MacDonald's book Lets Go Biking" for more Trails. Colleen is a local author who lives in Belcarra, which is fairly close to where I live.

• Coquitlam Crunch...any part of it. The stairs are a good work out, the rest of the trail is an easy walk with nice views. Lots of foot traffic.
• Castle Park, nice walking trail along the Fraser. Public washroom as well.
• Mundy Park, awesome trails for walking, running, biking and wildlife viewing.
• Como Lake Park, a nice little park with a flat trail around a small lake.  See birds in the water, there's fishing available off the small dock. A nice sized playground is fenced off the area is close to water,
• Wellington Park, a great place to meet up with friends or walk your dog or if your a kid good place to hang out
• Riverview Lands where the various species of trees can be seen, the lands also have the following trails
• Home Farm Dyke Trail - most of the trail is 7mm crushed rock (firm) with gentle slopes (< 5%); some areas have potholes. Where it meets Mundy Creek Trail, the trail surface is loose gravel. At the Main Entrance, access to Home Farm Dyke Trail via the roadway is also gravel. 
• Wilson Farm Dyke Trail has a semi-firm surface with some softer sections of loose gravel. There is a small threshold on the bridge to get to Wilson Farm Dyke Trail from Garden Trail. Junctions at the Millennium Bridge and Pumphouse Trail have gravel surfaces. The northeastern exit to Shaughnessy St and the exit via Pumphouse Trail have steep slopes (up to 24.3%).
• Sheep Paddocks Trail is located in Port Coquitlam just off of Lougheed Highway, Colony Farm Regional Park has a number of trails that pass along the Coquitlam River and offer views of the nearby fields. The area is popular with joggers, cyclists, bird watchers and those going for a quick walk who want to enjoy some scenery along the Coquitlam River.
• Mundy Creek Trail has a semi-firm surface with loose gravel in some areas. Some slopes are greater than 10% and the trail narrows (< 810 mm) in some areas. There are steep slopes (up to 19% for 5 m) on both ends of the trail.
• Colony Farm Road Trail is flat with a steep slope (18% for up to 5 m) to access the Mundy Creek parking lot. The trail is surfaced with coarse gravel and is soft/loose in some areas. The path narrows (< 810 mm) in some areas and may become muddy when wet 
• LaFarge Lake, lots of family-friendly activities, and the lights displayed a lot of creativity! 
• Port Moody Inlet Trail (Shoreline Trail), Beautiful trail (6.8 k)any time of the year.  Family/pet-friendly with ocean views. It starts at Rocky Point Park. Treat your self with ice cream or a pint at brewery lane right across!
• Coquitlam River Trail is a 9.2 kilometre out and back trail located near Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada that features a waterfall. The trail is good for all skill levels and offers a number of activity options. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
• Traboulay PoCo Trail, a 25.3-kilometre route that encircles the community. This flat walking and cycling trail is suitable for exploring at any time of the year.
• Pitt Meadows Dyke Trail System, they are well maintained & it is a pleasant place to visit.
• Crystal Falls - Trailhead, Located east of Vancouver in Coquitlam, Crystal Falls is a scenic waterfall that drains into the Coquitlam River and is along a short, easy hike trail. The area is also popular with dog walkers and mountain bikers and the route can be very muddy for several months of the year.

Age-related memory loss.

 Think it's inevitable? Here's why you might want to think again.

Buying into the stereotype that memory function automatically dwindles with age could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, research shows.

At least that's what happened in one study. When older adults (ages 60 to 70 years) were given cues that people their age tend to suffer from memory loss, they actually performed more poorly on memory tests than a control group not exposed to such cues. Likewise, older adults who felt looked down upon -- or stigmatized -- due to age also fared poorly on memory tests. Bottom line: Anxious thoughts about negative stereotypes may disrupt your working memory. So think positive!

Okay, positive thinking is no guarantee against memory problems -- but a positive attitude is always a healthier choice. For a full-court defense against age-related memory loss, here are some other ways to sharpen your noggin:

Stay in touch. Staying connected to family and friends can nourish the connections in your brain.
Eat right. Find foods that will empower your brain, not strain your brain.
Sleep tight. Power naps can help recharge your brain.
Step it up. Walking today means a better memory tomorrow.

Walking a Habit for health

5 Ways to Make It a Habit
  I took up walking when I retired and when I was healthy I was walking 7 kilometres a day every day rain or shine, but when my knee started giving out along with my hip, walking became painful and was moved to the back of the burner. When I finally admitted that I could not walk because of the pain I was frustrated and sad. However, I am back on my feet with my knee being replaced and so I have started to walk again. Here are some ideas of how to get walking back into your routine. 

1. Schedule it.  I would set a time for me 3:00 every day for a walk,  Different times work for different folks, but the key is to treat walking as an automatic "must" on your daily list -- like brushing your teeth or taking your vitamins -- then there's no debate about whether you will or won't do it. Before long, it'll be a rock-solid habit.

2. Get a buddy. This works for some who need more motivation, I walk alone as it gives me time to go over the events of the day and to day dream, but I have my walking supporters who ask me if I walked. Having a friend (human or furry) waiting for you to take a walk gets you out there day after day. Your walking "buddy" doesn't even have to be somebody you see. It can be a pal with whom you check in every day, by phone or online. If your pal doesn't get your daily "I just walked" message, he or she knows to give you a get-going poke. Don't have a buddy? You do now. Talk to other Sharecare walkers.

3. Add some fun. Dying to play Boggle on your smartphone? Head outdoors or hop on the treadmill, and think up words while you walk. Addicted to recorded romance novels? Listen to them only while you stride along (just don't run into anything when it gets steamy!). Whatever makes walking more fun for you, do it!

4. Keep track. A walking log, a pedometer, even a little notation in your calendar -- it's all good. That's because keeping track of your miles and goals increases your odds of sticking to your plan.

5. Reward yourself. We're all for bribery when it comes to exercise. Give yourself a walking goal of, say, 10 miles per week for a month, or 60 minutes a day for a week -- and if you're successful, treat yourself to a massage or a gotta-see-it movie or a new MP3 player for your walking tunes or recorded books. Walking keeps you healthy, it is fun and good for the spirit. 

Walking: Not such a pedestrian activity

An interesting view on Walking, (which I love to do) written by  John Chiramal

One thing you may have noted about our iconic religious figures of the past, like Mahavir, the Buddha, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Bodhidharma, Mohammed, Guru Nanak, Drukpa Kuenley, et al: you name them, they all did their fair share (and some) of walking.

So, the next time you trudge your way to school, work or shop, keep that in mind.  When you walk, one thing’s for sure, even with no one beside you, you’re still in the best company.

There were no cars in their days, of course; still, one gets the sense those luminaries would have sniffed at a lift, and plumped for good old shank’s pony as ever.  The fact is, save for a now and then mule or camel ride (and tiger’s back, in Guru Rinpoche’s case), they went about their (and/or God’s) biz on their own two feet.

For there is no better way to get your message across to the masses – ask any politico – than to rub shoulders with those you wish to reach.  At present, the politician may be the sole (and last) public figure to appreciate the value of pressing the flesh.

Something, in the spiritual context, some say, is not practical today.  Mores the pity, say I.  Though televangelists and globetrottereincarnates may beg to differ.

Still, in my mind, there is no doubt that, with the ascendancy of technology, religion has been made to play second fiddle in the ensemble of modern life.  It almost looks like most of the great souls, who walked this earth, showed a clean pair of heels, either by chance or choice, before the wheels rolled in.

Hikes that changed the course of history 

Two epochal tramps that spring to mind, I’m sure you’ll agree, are Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March and Chairman Mao Zedong’s Long March.

To recap, at the risk of boring you, let me share a brief history lesson.

On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and 78 satyagrahis (exponents of non-violent resistance) set out on foot for the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, over 390km from Sabarmati ashram, their starting point.

He arrived at the seashore on April 5.  The next morning, after a prayer, Gandhi raised a lump of salty mud and declared, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.”

He then went on to boil it in seawater, to produce, what was then, illegal salt.

Mao’s Long March, on the other hand, was a military retreat by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, to shake off the pursuit of the Kuomintang (KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party) army.

There was not one long march, but a series of them, as several red armies in the south escaped to the north and west.  The march from Jiangxi province, which began in October 1934 and covered some 12,500km over 370 days, was the most well known one.

The Long March sparked the rise to power of Mao Zedong.

 A well-known walker and not so renowned one

John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, is closely linked with the domestication of America.  In the early 1800s, he roamed the frontier, planting apple seeds and helping to make the wilderness a home for the spreading pioneers.  He planted over a hundred thousand square miles of apple orchards in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.

Johnny Appleseed was, to draw it mild, an eccentric.  A vegetarian, who walked barefoot, also out of character with his times, he was kind to animals and made friends with the Indians.

He preached a Christianity that had a healthy dose of nature-worship, and embodied two extremes: the rough-and-ready free spirit and the gentle altruist.

This second walker of my choice is Nain Singh Rawat, one of the first pundits to explore the Himalayas for the British.  Hailing from the Johaar Valley of Kumaon, he mapped the trade route through Nepal to Tibet, found out for the first time the site and height of Lhasa, and mapped a large section of the Tsangpo, a major Tibetan river.

Of his prodigious feats of survey, it was remarked “his explorations have added a larger amount of important knowledge to the map of Asia than any other living man”.

He was trained by endless practice to take a pace (in the footsteps of the Buddha, as if it were), which, be it uphill, downhill or on a plain, stayed the same – thirty-three inches.

Next, he learned how to keep an exact count of steps taken in a day, or between any two landmarks.  This was done with the aid of a Buddhist rosary, which had one hundred (as opposed to the 108 that is the norm) beads.  Each complete round of his ‘secular’ rosary, thus, tallied ten thousand paces or five miles.

The intrinsic value of a walk

Not to belabour the obvious, let me mention in passing how walking can act like a tonic to the system.

Walking is a gentle, low-impact workout that can ease you into a higher state of fitness and health.  It’s a form of exercise almost anyone can do.  Safe and simple, it needs no practice.  And the health benefits are many.

To list some, walking can help you:

• Lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol)

• Raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol)

• Bring down your blood pressure

• Reduce your risk of or manage type-2 diabetes

• Raise your spirits

• Stay strong and fit

All it takes to reap these fruits is a routine of brisk walking.  It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

As for the “no pain, no gain” brigade, it’s just talk, a mask for the masochistic bent.  Research shows that regular, quick walks can reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount as more robust exercise, such as jogging.

Pics from my walk

I walk seven Kilometers a day part of it is  along the Fraser River. Here are some pics from my walk. I enjoy walking because it allows me to find a way to reduce any stress and problems that are in my life.
At certain points we cam become stretched to a breaking point and cracks may appear in the armour we wear to protect ourselves. For those who are perhaps a bit less fearful of the world, a seed will insert itself in the crack and new life will eventually make its appearance in spite of the armour we wear, which is meant to shut out the world.

There are those who work feverishly to shore up their armour denying there is anything wrong to themselves and to those who love them. For them the the cracks become larger and larger. Because they have not ability to nuture the seed of new, no new life appears.  They becomes stuck, broken but wtih love and support they will be healed .I learned early that there is beauty in cracks in walls and beauty in the path before and around us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

Walking

The Importance of Walking...

Walking can add minutes to your life.

This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $7000 per month.

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My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60. Now he's 97 years old and we don't know where he is.

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I like long walks,especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

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   The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

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    I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing..

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   I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks.

    Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there.

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   Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise',  I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

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   The advantage of exercising every day  is so when you die, they'll say,

    'Well, she looks good doesn't she.'

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   If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

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   I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years,......

    just getting over the hill.

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  We all get heavier as we get older,  because there's a lot more information in our heads. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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   AND

   Every time I start thinking too much about how I look, I just find a Happy Hour  and by the time I leave, I look just fine.

 

   You could run this over to your friends

    But just e-mail it to them

Saying Hi

I go for a walk everyday along the banks of the Fraser and the Pitt River, I walk for 6 km, one day, the next I walk 9 km and then I walk11 km and go back to the 6 km walk. I enjoy the walk and seeing the changes that occur along the river. Depending on the time of day, I see many other people out, walking their dogs, riding bikes, as well as running. Whenever I pass someone, I smile and say hi, or good morning or good afternoon.

What surprises me is the response, some people say high back, others nod, look surprised, and some do not give any acknowledgement that I have spoken to them. But 95% of the people do respond and smile back. I contrast this to an adjoining community where I went for a walk along the Burrard inlet, I saw just as many people walking, running and walking their dogs, and I smiled and said hi, to my surprise 95% of the people did not respond at all, and I wondered why. Perhaps there is a difference in the community that makes some people so uptight that they do not acknowledge others.

When I  posed the question to my friends, each of them talked about areas in their own communities where when walking people would not respond or acknowledge you and other areas within a few km, where everyone responded and gave acknowledgement.

I wonder why people loose sight of the idea that when another person says hi to you that person is not out to do you harm, so take the time and when someone says hi, say hi back.

Walking in the Rain

The other day I was walking and I was caught in a rainshower; on the wet coast this is not unusual. What was nice is that as the rain fell, the wind blew and the scent of falling rain, mixed with the fragrance of the flowers and the river made me think how lucky I was to be  in this spot at this time. I watched a couple walking towards me, older both in shorts, like me they had not expected the sudden shower. As I watched the man who was wearing what looked like a sweat top, took his sweater off and handed it to his partner, who immediately put in on her head to protect herself from the rain. She was wearing a t shirt and shorts. I am not sure I would have done that as the man was not wearing an undershirt. So now walking toward me was an older man, no shirt and his partner with a shirt over her head. I wonder what the backstory is on this gesture, which I thought was a nice one, but it made me think, would I do the same, so I watched the couple walking in the rain and thought of the song "Singing in the Rain"