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 <.< 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'hl 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.