Less Pain, More Cain
Hf Kninn ( Ltrir
I ike many of my college ape pern, ! grew
up with the idea that any toll of legitimate
rxeti. ive hail t«»
1 Hull
2 I ***k like it hurt
\ Kcvjuire va*t amount* of time aivl energy
So you *an imagine my turpritr when I
Mi^ovcrcJ walking Hiving
j|w4yi bren an avul runner. 1 wai
tine of wjiking'i bi^c»* ikiNium
To me. walking, was sin*, fly a
wimpy a«.i»vicy (hat any
one could do. whereas
running wit a nuiho
ulimy lhal «>«•« everyone
<.<<ulJ <1«> proficiently
Kunnmg lepiiatej the
weak from ihe itrong. m to
tncjk
After several year* of wn
ning however. 1 realized that
! had a maned far more
in|uriet than trophies,
and on top of that. !
was just plain
burned'out I
icih! to be
tompultivel
type. and
what was tup
potnl to hr an raiy Vmiler often turned info
i gioeliitg 7-mile raic agimtt the ckxk < lol
ly, it w4i time to change my way* before I
began to lute oretcitc completely and Hopped
clomp it altogether I-met walking
Once I decided to give it a fur shot, I tell
t/cd what a valuable ami yes, legitimate, sport
walking irally ** It breathed new life into my
exercise plan, and 1 found that it even toned
more than running What s more. 1 enjoyed
it You can too. if you ait willing t«> expand
your exercise repertoire and dispel the follow
ing walking myths
I “Walking nn‘t ai good an aerobic work
out ai running I Al M ^ alkmg is every bit
as good for you aerobically as running u
provided you keep a brisk pace A stroll
through the park isn't going to iui it |uit as
jogging leisurely won't cut it Many fit
. ness walkers cover a mile in about I S
minutes (4 mpb). burning roughly 3(»S
calorics jki hour Hut hump your speed up
to a 12* minute mile mph), and vour calo
ric burn gt*es all the wav to about ^8^ for the
same hour
( ompaic this to jogging an I I minute
mile, which burns approximately S calories
with a much higher risk »>f injury In general,
most people can walk for a longer period of
time than they can run I he longer you are in
motion, the more calories you are going to
burn Also, your muscles will he under resis
tance longer
2 "Walking isn't that much better for
you if an running with respect to
injury " hAl SI When running,
you leave the ground with every
stride, only to land again with an impact
of 3 to 4 times your body weight Walking,
however, requires that one foot be in constant
contact with the ground at all times, which
causes you to land with only 1 to 1 1/2 times
your body weight Hus can save a tremendous
amount of wear and tear on your body
^ "Walking is simple and enjoyable to
be effective ’ I AI M Walking IS effective,
and m toning benefits even surpass those of
running When walking, especially speed walk
mg. you're using a less efficient method of get
ting somewhere at a certain sjxxd than if you
were to jog lhus you re having to work bard
cr and rev run more muscle groups in your
effort You end up toning your arms, buttock*,
hip*, shins, tightening your hip flexors, and on
and »»n 1 found that 1 actually but a couple of
inches and toned a couple of key places when
1 began my walking regimen Not only that,
hut when I went hack to running about 3
months latet, I was able to pkk tight up where
I left off
4 ‘Walking n a great method of cross
training " FRUR Alternating speed walking
dav* with running days or w ith any other kind
of activity is a great way to keep the interest
up and still stay in great shape In fa* t. it s hern
shown that people who incorporate walking
into their fitness program tend to stick with
rxrn ue in the long run (pun intended)
But before you start walking, you will do
well to invest in a good pair of walking shoes
Running or cross-training shoes can he used,
hut leave the flimsv dress tennis sh<»c* and acr
obic shoes at home If the shoci you have are
worn down and are causing your ankles to roll
in or out. it is time for a new pair
With these ideas in mind, hopefully you'll
he less likely to overlook walking and see it
instead as a truly legitimate, thoroughly enjoy
able hum of exercise that can benefit you for
the rest of your life
A new
approach to
^ physical and
5=gy mental fitness
tty C st'u ttaroru 4*1
Your days arc structured 1 hr
agenda i» ter by duKl. meetings,
office and building hours, due dales,
meal rimes and homework It is no
wonder you dread “ihe workout It
has become |ust another structured
discipline offering little room for dot
ation from the rules without scrutiny
I challenge you to abandon the
gym. track or aerobics room once a
week and complement your struc
tured "workouts" with spontaneous
playful activities such as brisbee tool
ball, hacky sack, paddle ball, dorm
Nerf basketball, toggling, rollerblad
ing. skateboarding, hiking, lake swim
ming. windsurfing, snowshoeing or
just a good old game of kick the can
The addition of play in our daily
lives awakens our spontaneous tide
and offers a new approach to physical
and mental fitness This spontaneous
fitness can be acquired by choosing to
make drill activities more en|oyahle
and replacing your old ways with vari
ety
Start by turning up the volume
and listening to your favorite music
while washing the dishes Pu*h in a
comedy tape while you ate driving
Make a moving meditation out of
folding your clothe*, at the time pra*.
tmng the art of mindfulne** Stage a
grocery shopping scavenger hunt with
your roommate*. Run up the itair*.
taking two steps at a time Let looic
and iingout your rock »tar fantasies
while taking a shower
Challenge your habits by sitting in
a different part of the room each time
you go to class Choose a different
restautant or break spot at least once
a week Buy one unfamiliar fruit, veg
etable or other food product each time
you go shopping. Alter your route to
sc'h<H>l and between classes Add a
variety of recreational and times*
activities to your schedule Dare your
self to seek entertainment away from
the T V and videos lake off on a
weekend adventure without intense
planning
Playful activities sharpen your
senses and allow you to stay in the
moment It is hard to plan for the
future or dwell on the past when your
spirit is playing in the now!
Strength training for everyone
Adtfttd fnm /*/ U C Bttktify
Uftrr N*+rmt*T J 991
Bf T*m B**rt
In year* put strengthening
muscle* was something that con
cerned only bodybuilder* and w«
done out of vanity Bui recently
nx>fe and more fa net* efperts have
been recommending strength (rain
mg for health rea*on* — for
women a* well aa men. the elderly
a* well as younger people In 1990
the influential Amencui CoJIcy of
Sport* Medicine altered n* exercise
guideline* for the first time in 12
years, recommending a ’well
rounded*’ program that include*
strength training along with aerobic
workout*.
cam of tomaioea You can alio use
youi body weight aa resistance, aa
m calcathcnica such aa push-ups,
pull-ups oc sitpupt
Strength teaming u not |un for
men. In the paal many women
nefleeted strength training became
they did not wane to look muscle
bound. They needn't wotry. A
moderate training program won't
create obviout muscle bulk in men
or women, but instead a fumcr,
trimmer physique Women have
even more to gain from strength
training became they are more
pione to osteopcroaia than men,
and weight-bearing exert lie may
help delay this disease
Strength training can help
work against the aging processes
that are partly a consequence of
inactivity. Strength training can
alto increase bone Jcniity.
ttrengthen muscles. help prevent
injury, reduce back pain, improve
athletic performance and help
make a well-balanced fitnett pro
gram
Strength training itn't body
building. it doesn't necetaarily
mean lifting mauive wcighta in
order to build bulging muscles.
Strength training, at generally rec
ommended. calls for working out
againtt moderate reauiance in order
to tone muttlet and build muacle
endurance. The reuitancc can be
provided by free wcighta (dumbelli
or barbells) ot weight machines —
but also thick elastic bands or even
It u not only a myth that mod
erate weight turning causes mukle
bulk, but alto that weight training
causes body fat to turn to muscle,
and that when you atop training for
a while the muscle turnt back to
fat.
Muscle and fat celli are com
pletely different, structurally and
functionally. However, weight
training can help you lose fat by
burning calories: A nonstop half
hour workout burns about 200
calories. In addition, by building
muscles you increase the rate at
which your body burns calories
(metabolic rate). Muscle is active
tissue that requires energy to func
tion.
So what are you waiting for?
The addition of strength training is
the ideal way to create a balanced
fitness program.
Addicted to
Exercise?
By Aimre CinMty
Arc you a person who feels the need to exer
cise every day? Do you feel guilt or anxiety if
you do not get in a daily workout? I hen you
could lie addicted to the "feel good" phenome
non often associated with exercise.
There is no question about it that exercise
increases die feeling of being healthy. Kvidencc
has shown that exercise can improve your self
concept and lower feelings of anxiety and
depression. But sometimes this general feeling
of well-being can cause a person to exercise
excessively.
A sports psychologist at the University of
Mwichuscits, Connie Chan, treat* a lot of ath
lete! who may he "addicted." Chan explains
that "if someone is unable to function in their
customary way on a near daily basis without
exercise, and if that exercise is not an enhance
ment but a necessity, the person is likely to he
addicted." She also says that if some athletes do
not exercise for 2-3 days, they may feel less sat
isfied with themselves. If they go for more than
3-7 days, they may actually experience depres
sion.
So exactly who is vulnerable to exercise
addiction! Surprisingly, ( han believes that the
highly disciplined, competitive recreational ath
lete is more likely to become addicted than the
professional athlete. However, the addiction is
usually only realized when the activiry is inter
rupted, most often because of injuries.
Some psychologists do not like the term
addiction because of the negative connotations
often associated with it. They agree that depen
dency is a better description of the behavior.
They also feel that just because you want to
exercise everyday docs not necessarily mean you
are addicted or dependent. Ordinarily, there
only seem to be problems if you start compro
mising your life and daily schedule so you can
exercise.
Exercise has many physical and psychologi
cal benefits for an individual. But, if you think
you are becoming too dependent on exercise,
take a break and use that time to let your body
relax. Possibly evaluate the reasons why you
exercise and then set up a program to fit those
needs. Try substituting relaxation or meditation
techniques occasionally to fill the space in your
life. Most likely your body will feel better and
perform more efficiently.