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Walk
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By Judy Heller
Judy
Heller, founder of
Wonders of Walking LLC,
advocates walking for well being and pleasure. Wonders of Walking promotes
Walking Events for Walkers by Walkers. Judy Heller is founder and owner
of EroFit & Associates, LLC, celebrating Fitness for a Lifetime.
Heller offers personalized fitness training and coaching for individuals
and groups.
Contact: Judy Heller
at 503-282-1677:
email judy@erofit.com
jheller@wondersofwalking.com
Also
visit: www.erofit.com
www.wondersofwalking.com
I
only went out
for a walk and
concluded to stay out until sundown,
For going out,
I found
Was really going in.
— John Muir |
A Body in Motion Stays in Motion
Recovering from an Injury
When the mind begins to override the body, people abandon their routines. Often this is due to injury. What I hear is: “I’m determined, and I am not going to let this stop me from working out.” Or, “I should be able to do this if I train harder.”
If this is you, have you considered kinder, gentler approaches? You are in pain for real reasons. Forcing yourself through pain will only exacerbate the problems. I describe any tension, including pain identified or not, as having the emergency brake on: you work harder and harder with no reward for the effort, only more pain. My goal is to help people deal with where they are, to help in the healing process, and then and only then to re-engage in a focused training program. You may be mentally or emotionally struggling, and what you’ve been doing isn’t working; yet you continue. I am not suggesting not walking but tempering when and how so that you are focused on active recovery. |
How quickly these summer months passed, I’m thinking, as we are now enjoying this transitional time of autumn. As you look around, have you noticed how nature responds to this season? The daylight hours are decreasing; our sun is further away from us as it heats up the southern hemisphere. Leaves changing color drift to the ground; the green of our world, in the northwest, is muted. Nevertheless, I see autumn as Nature taking care during these fall months in preparing for winter, a time of dormancy in many places, which leads to preparation for spring and summer months of abundance.
One of the mistakes I see people make is hunkering down during the late fall and winter weeks — waiting for the New Year to leap into action. Newtonian Laws prevail. A body in motion stays in motion; a body at rest stays at rest. Do you want to be faster? Do you want to go further? Or, have you nursed an injury and taken time off for it to improve?
The challenge for autumn and winter is how to take into account where you are with your goals. You keep moving by staying motivated and maintaining the gains made during the past months. If you are injured, you need to take into account where you are and allow yourself time to repair and rehabilitate.
I have observed on several occasions that bodies will adapt, adapt, and adapt to a demand until they can adapt no more. Period. The body has reached the end of the road (mind). If not listening, it will begin to take what it needs in the form of injuries, chronic pain, and or illness. I’ve experienced it and see it time and again with clients who come to me because they are not able to achieve their targets, are injured, or feel broken in spirit. Yet the memories are of past accomplishments, and I don’t hear an acceptance of the reality of today’s physical, mental, or emotional well-being.
Autumn, then, is a time for you to forecast future goals beginning the same process as Nature of taking care and preparing for spring and summer events.
Do you know the three reasons I commonly hear that people give for abandoning their health and fitness walking during fall and winter?
• I don’t like walking in the rain.
• I don’t have people around me who
support my program.
• I am not motivated.
The good news is that life is a continuum; you have never ending opportunities for integrating subtle changes that over time become a habit. As you focus on your walking technique, you can discover limitations of body, mind, and spirit influencing your walking. Adjusting your walking “form” and training patterns, you can work with where you are. Integrating training patterns which offer support to your goals provide consistency of action(s) which do(es) make a difference in results. A key to success is being patient and enjoying all the discoveries along the way.
Consistency Creates a Training Habit
Identify your realistic goal(s).
Identify what you need to be outdoors in inclement and or dark weather.
• This can include clothing for warmth, reflective attire and gadgets (blinking lights), fluorescent vests, etc.
• Perhaps, targeting indoor workouts makes more sense. What do you need?
Identify your support team.
• Coach, family, friends, club, or group are common choices.
Create a plan of consistent training three to four days a week.
• I like to replicate in smaller segments the current training to carry forward into the New Year.
* Disclaimer: The information above should not be substituted for your doctor’s advice. Always consult your physician before beginning any new exercise or treatment. |
