Live Healthy By Walking

This sweety pie fell off her bike while going down a hill.  She forgot to put her brakes on.  She had to go to the hospital and get three stitches in her upper lip.  The question was:  will she get back on her bike?  Of course she did!  I always learn from kids with their energy and mindset of “what’s the big deal?” 

Many of us adults, including me at times, when something happens we take longer than we should recovering from the problem.  If my face looked like this, I would be in bed taking pills to relieve a headache and I would tell all of my family about it and complain and complain. 

I have heard people complain when they are walking that their back hurts or their neck hurts and they want to stop walking.  It may be a great idea to walk through our pains and start feeling good about our ability to walk!  So, remember when you are in pain you may be able to walk through it and feel better.

This little sweetie pie is my 5 year old granddaughter and I must admit I cried when her mommy emailed me this picture.  While grandma was crying, she was outside riding her bike and having a super fun time.

“It’s not what you do once in a while; it’s what you do day in and day out that makes the difference.” Jenny Craig, Diet Specialist

Our guest author is Karen Shackles from Healthy Summit. I interviewed Karen on her success as a walker, losing 100 pounds, and nutrition.  You can get an audio of this interview when you become a part of the Healthy Walking Help program.  You can get a complimentary report on the 22 Different Types of Walking at http://www.healthywalkinghelp.com

“People tell me all the time, “I hate to exercise!” We all know that exercise is important for our health and well-being, yet so many people do their best to avoid it. What is the solution?

First, work on adjusting your attitude. Instead of thinking of exercise as just another chore that has to be squeezed into your already too-busy schedule, think of it as a vital part of your life that can’t be shoved aside.

What I have discovered about myself is that I love to walk. I mean, really love it. Especially trail walking. So I finally gave myself permission to exercise the way I love, and to not worry about trying to do what everyone else is doing. I’m back to my trail hikes, and loving it.

When you are first starting to exercise, don’t worry about all the rules of what you are “supposed” to be doing. When I started exercising, the idea of 30 to 60 minutes three to five times a week was overwhelming. I didn’t have the time and I didn’t have the ability. So I started with 10 minutes of slow walking. It wasn’t even aerobic. The important thing is to just get started. You can increase the variety, length and intensity of your workouts after you get into the routine of regular exercise.

 It may take you some time to get to the point where your body likes how it feels to be moving. For me, it took a couple of weeks until I noticed that it wasn’t pure torture, and another couple of weeks after that until I started wanting to exercise. So be patient with yourself. Your body was meant to move and be active, and it will remember that if you give it the chance”.

 You can find Karen at http://blog.healthysummit.com

Tags: exercise, Healthy Walking, Improve your health, never give up, Rosalie Lynch, Walk, walking

I have discovered there are several things a person needs to do when preparing for training in a marathon.   I knew it was important for me to check in with my doctors to get their approval.  So, I made a check list to guide me through the process Here is my check list:

• Purchased the appropriate layer clothing – no problem! A reminder:  do not spend a lot of money on training clothes…go to discount stores.
• Check the soles of my shoes – they were OK for training
• Go to foot doctor – he was happy I was in the training program. No neuropathy in my feet and my circulation in feet was excellent.
• Go to pulmonary doctor – I had increased my lung capacity by 100%.  I have had problems in the past, because of my past life of inactivity and when tested I had improved.  He was very happy – walking outside in the fresh air really does help the lungs.
• Go to diabetes doctor – There was a problem!  My blood sugars were in the 400’s and it appears my pancreas may be shutting down.  He pulled me out of the marathon training until we can see what is happening with my sugars.

My heart sunked.  Trying to think of positive thoughts; such as: “Things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they’re right” and “good things fall apart so better things can fall together”.  As my daughter said “the doctor didn’t say you couldn’t do it in the Spring, he just said you can not do it now until you get your diabetes in better shape. 

I will never give up my dream of walking in a marathon and I do not want you to ever give up what you want to accompish when things stop you temporarily.  Look for the positives and look toward the future when you can follow your dream.  I’ll try it in the Spring!  I continue to walk every day to build my strength and endurance and to continue to create a healthy body.

Tags: exercise, Healthy Walking, marathons, never give up, Rosalie Lynch, Walk, walking, Walking Goals

For years we have heard that exercising will give you more energy and that is true.  However, a lot of people do not even get started walking because they are too tired.  If people would understand all it would take is a fifteen minute walk to relax their brain and their body and they would be energized.  Reducing fatigue will help to enhance your performance and endurance to accomplish your goals. 

A planned walking exercise program plays a consistent and significant role in reducing fatigue.  It does not make a difference if you walk in the morning, afternoon, evening or late at night.  It is doing it regularly that your body and your brain will soon demand you take a walk for it to feel good.  Your body was made for movement rather you are tired or not tired.

Tags: exercise, Fatigue, feeling tired, Healthy Walking, Improve your health, Rosalie Lynch

The last three days I have been so excited about starting the walking marathon training.  At 5:30 I entered the Field House to sign in and gathered with new people.  There were runners, walkers and pacers gathering together and giving each other pep talks.  I was having a super great time.  I had purchase a new hat, new cool max material tops, checked my shoes and socks, had my gloves on (The weather was 34 degrees) and my excitement kept building. 

Finally, it was time for our group to start walking.  When we got outside one of the leaders said “We can do this – Let’s go”.  Everyone cheered, including me, and the group took off like they were flying with the wind!  I had worked and planned for this moment.  At the quarter mile marker, I was at the back of the pack, along with one of the pacers who was appointed to bring in the back end.  I asked him “are they walking the 15 minute mile or are they going faster than that?”  He told me they were walking the right pace and speed to accomplishment the goal.  I was shocked.  I could not keep up with them!  We got so far behind I told him I learned so much tonight and I have to spend this week working on SPEED!  I did not have the speed to keep up with them. 

This week I have to work every day on Interval and Power walking to build my speed.  We were to walk 3 miles last night and I had done that many, many times.  It is obvious I had not walked my path with any type of speed or I would have been more prepared.  The thing I like about walking is there are always athletic challenges and I am in one right now.  I will do this!    

Tags: Healthy Walking, marathons, never give up, Rosalie Lynch, staying focus

We have been taught that strong muscles give our bodies energy.  We hit the gym and lift weights and do what I call “machine exercising” to stimulate them make us strong.  Some people are so enthusiastic about this that they go once in the morning and once in the evening not realizing that our muscles have to have a “recovery” period.  When a person is in the recovery period, this is when the real building of muscles takes place.  More is not better and could be the reason so many people do not success in any real results year after year.

It really doesn’t matter if you are lifting weights or going for a walk, it is important that a person gives their muscles time to recover.  For example, there are 22 different types of walking styles representing different muscles we use.  It is not advisable to use the same muscles day in and day out and not experience results.   You may want to incorporate Interval, Power and Beach or Backward walking styles and a Stroll into your weekly schedule.  It is important to use various options of building your muscles in order to be successful to live a healthy life. 

Stop doing the same things over and over again when they are not getting the results you are striving for in the first place!  Doing the same things and expecting different results is not the answer.  As a result of varying your exercise program will let your muscles recover and because you are not doing the same exercise everyday it will be more fun.

Tags: exercise, Healthy Walking, muscle recovery, Rosalie Lynch

Our Beginners Walking Coach Program starts in a few weeks and I wanted to share with you one of the daily motivation emails our clients receive.  Each day they are assigned how many minutes to walk, a motivation quote and my encouragement to them to never give up.  You will be intersted in this coaching program if you want to begin your walking program to build strength and endurance and be successful in reaching your goals.  Watch for more information over the next two weeks. Here is one of the daily emails they receive during the program:

“I am here to coach you through this walking program so you will never “give up”; but, “try it one more time”.  At a luncheon one of the ladies asked me why I think she would start walking and then after about two weeks she would quit.  I had only one question for her “why did you think you wanted to walk”.  She had not answered.  Then I asked her “what is your motivation to walk”?  Last question:  “What were you seeking to solve when you started your walking program”?  Her response was “I never thought of it in any of those ways”. 

 I explained to her unless she understands the “why to walk” and make a commitment to a walking program she will continue to give it up.  Is she lazy – absolutely not!  She just does not have her motivation statement that she can read over each day and form her commitment to this healthy activity.  If you do not have your motivational statement completed, do it now and never give up on yourself!”

Tags: baby boomers, exercise, healthy kids, Healthy Walking, Improve your health, Rosalie Lynch

Most people exercise regularly to keep their weight under control and just to feel fit.  However, exercising does far more than simply looking good and being healthier. People overlook one the largest benefits of regular exercise and that is it improves our mental and emotional state. And, because of this it is easier for all of us to handle a stress situation and we can make better decisions in our lives. 

Walking is one of the greatest stress relievers. It has the power to change your mental or emotional state, thus making you more productive and able to meet the challenges in your life.  Many studies provide proof that walking is an excellent exercise to relief stress.  I call this the B & B (brain and body) walking program.  You do not have to knock yourself out by exercising to the point of exhaustion to achieve these goals.  A brisk walk in your neighborhood is a great beginning and you will see the results very quickly in your brain and your body.

Living a lifestyle of movement and activity will get you through the difficult times.  But, like most things in life this only works if you are willing to make a commitment to it. If you are not taking care of yourself during the difficulty times in life you will notice your energy levels will go down, your drive to tackle life goes down, and your emotional state of mind goes down. This is the road of depression and a direct road to medical diseases.  When you notice this happening to you, go outside and take a walk for as long as you need to for the purpose of feeling better.  You are responsibly for taking care of your brain and body and you can not fix anything by sitting around feeling sorry for yourself.  If that sounds harsh, I choose to believe it is the truth and you need someone to tell the truth when you are heading down a depressive lifestyle.  Because we are designed to move and when we do provide movement to our bodies, and our brains, on a daily pattern we handle life far better.  

Tags: exercise, Healthy Walking, Improve your health, motivation, never give up, Rosalie Lynch

I want to tell you a story that I experienced last year.  Many of us go through challenges in our life and quit whatever we are pursuing because something became hard!  Meeting challenges in life is the foundation in building our lifestyles.  Our lives would be empty without the challenges we face everyday.  Everyone has experienced simple challenges that are easy to conquer as well as challenges that nearly dropped us to the ground.  Some of them we have no control over when and why they happen.  And, believe it or not, there are some we sign up for because we want to accomplish something important in our lives.

I signed up for a challenge and had the confidence that I could complete it.  However, I made a mistake which took me out of the challenge for 10 days.  I got very discouraged and down in the dumps.   It did make a difference to me and my lifestyle; more than I knew.  I just could not throw in the towel and it was always on my mind.  On the tenth day I felt helpless so I took an afternoon nap to make up for the sleepless nights I had been having.  When I awoke, there was an announcement that I had been reinstated in time to finish by the deadline of the challenge.  I was totally shocked at my excitement.  I had no idea that completing a challenge was so important to me and my lifestyle. 

I know some people never enter a challenge because of their fear of failure.  I have never experienced this because usually when I sign up for a challenge I complete it.  However, this came mighty close to being a failure because of a mistake I made.  I experienced the fear of failure and how it effected my life and my mental stage of happiness.  However, saying that, I can not imagine going through life without creating challenges for us.  It gives us self confidence, happiness and a sense of well being.

I will continue to sign up for challenges as well as balance the ones which come my way unexpected.  I encourage you to do so as well.  You will experience the highs and the lows of completing what waits before you.  It is thrilling and you gain satisfaction knowing you can meet your challenges and their deadlines. 

I’m telling you this story because many of you tell me that you are challenged by health issues and know that you must walk to lead a healthy lifestyle; however, it is too easy to quit!  I am offering a coaching program starting the third week in January that will keep you going in your challenge.  Watch the announcement and sign up for this valuable four week course and meet your challenge without the feeling of failure.  

Tags: exercise, Healthy Walking, Improve your health, motivation, never give up, Rosalie Lynch, Walking Goals