Stretch it out – Flexibility Training
Flexibility is an often-overlooked aspect of overall fitness. We remember to work on our cardiovascular fitness, and we remember to work on our strength training…but flexibility training? Most people stop at “a light stretch before the workout” and never give it another thought. A little bit of forethought, however, will point to flexibility being as important as either of the other areas of fitness. When you improve your flexibility, you benefit in a number of ways. You improve your range of motion in your joints, which allows you to do more of whatever it is you do, from working out to shopping, without tiring as easily. It has also been proven that increased flexibility is an excellent way to avoid injury as your body ages.
Below are just a few ways you can incorporate a little flexibility training into your regular workout routine…
Stretch with a purpose: Also known as functional flexibility, what this means is that you focus on improving your flexibility in areas where you actually need it. If you like to play golf, then improving your core muscle flexibility (stomach, back, chest, shoulders) will help you hit the ball harder and with more accuracy, plus keep the post-golf soreness to a minimum.
Get Warm before you fire up the stretching: If you are working on your flexibility by yourself, rather than in a class environment, take some time to warm up before you start stretching. A short 10-15 minute walk is a good way to warm up the body and get it ready for the serious stretching.
Keep at it!: Consistency is the key to any workout regimen, and that goes doubly so for flexibility. Make flexibility training a regular part of your workout routine, and maintain the discipline to work on that flexibility every time you work out.
Commit to the Flex: In other words, take your stretching seriously. Too many people think that a casual stretch for 5 minutes or so is all they really need to improve their flexibility. Wrong answer, folks… Commit to an extended stretching routine, and speak with a personal trainer or physician to help you establish a thorough program that will maximize your results.
Strength in Numbers: Most gyms and workout centers offer classes in flexibility training. By finding one of those nearby, you will be able to get in some serious stretching, with friends (or soon-to-be new friends) and a professional teacher to guide you through the process.
In closing, always remember to stretch it out good, and keep stretching. If you want to get the most out of this world, you really need to be limber enough to reach out and grab it! Never forget that you need to wear comfortable clothing that allows you to stretch without binding, and remember to wear your most comfortable walking shoes or workout shoes, depending on your specific needs.
Motivated to Keep Walking, Part 2
(If you missed part 1, you can click here to start reading at the beginning.)
Walking is a great way to maintain your cardiovascular health, keep your legs, hips and buttocks toned and improve your respiratory conditioning. In part 1, we discussed some of the excuses that people make to get out of walking, as well as a few key areas to consider to help your motivation survive and prosper, as your feet carry you down the road to good health.
Motivation is good…rewarding yourself is better.
By creating a situation where you reward yourself for walking, you will become more likely to get up, put those walking shoes on, and get out there every night (or every other night, depending on how you’ve arranged your workouts). A good way to establish the “reward profram” is, for every milestone you reach in your walking regimen, you get to buy yourself a walking-related present. Maybe it’s a pedometer or other walking tech toy. Maybe its some new walking gear. Maybe it’s new clothes that help you show off that new leaner and more toned body.
Track your Progress
One of the main reasons why women stop walking is that they are unsure whether they are making any progress toward the goals they established for that walking program. Some women want to lose a certain amount of weight, some want to just feel healthier and have more energy to do all the other fun things in their life. Whichever camp you’re camped out in, keeping track of your walking progress can help you meet those goals, and help keep you motivated until you reach those goals. A journal is a great way to track things. When you come back in from your walk, note how far you walked, where you walked, as well as any personal notes that can help you keep a grip on all of the details. If you went for an evening walk by the ocean, and you love the way the ocean breeze smells at night, put it in your journal. If you are walking in the city and pass by a restaurant or shop that you want to visit in the future…note it in the journal.
Picture your progress, and it shall be yours!
From a personal perspective, this is a tool that really helped me keep my motivation level high. If you walk three times a week, take a weekly photo of yourself. Keep all your weekly pictures together, and when you feel your motivation flagging, you take out the pictures and look at them in chronological order. You’d be amazed how well this works to show you your progress and let you know that all the hard work is really paying dividends. Once you see how good you’re looking, then you can go back to the whole “reward” thing again and go treat yourself to something special. After all, you deserve it for being such a self-motivated walking machine!
Motivated to Keep Walking, Part 1
(In this two part article, we’ll take a look at the reasons why many people start walking programs, only to lose motivation and not maintain the workouts for the long-term.)
So, you’ve decided (again) to start a walking regimen, either to try shaking some of those excess pounds or for general fitness purposes. You’ve been at this point before though, and weren’t able to keep yourself motivated in order to extend those good intentions more than a week or two before giving up on it.
“It’s too hard”
“I got bored”
“I couldn’t find the time…”
These are the most common reasons that people who have started a walking regimen note as being the reasons they weren’t able to maintain the activity levels. One of those lines probably passed through your head before giving up on walking activities in the past. You swear that this time will be different… You go out and spend good money on a high quality pair of comfortable walking shoes and some new sweatpants or walking shorts and get ready to try it again.
But how do you make “this time” more lasting…and effective than the times before?
Self-motivation is a tricky business, because all of the conflicts involved are internal, and it’s you battling yourself. Winner-take-all, with the loser probably ending up sitting on the couch with a bowl of Ben and Jerry’s. You can avoid this fate though, if you just take some steps (all puns intended) to ensure that your walks are more interesting, more enjoyable…more appealing.
Here are a few areas to consider before getting started:
Where are you walking?
Cue the “I got bored” excuse… Now stuff that back in your subconscious pocket, because there’s an easy way to get past the boredom aspect. The answer is simply to stop walking in familiar places. You know your neighborhood well enough at this point, so why would you want to spend a half hour or an hour walking around your familiar stomping grounds, looking at all the same old houses and scenery that you see every day already? I know, I know…it’s convenient to just walk out your front door, walk for a bit, and end up back home again. Sure, convenience is good, but it’s three strides past boring. Instead of the same old neighborhood walk, go find a different route! ind a nearby lake and walk around that. Golf courses and nature trails abound in most parts of the country, so you know that you could find a place to walk that you find interesting. Who cares if you have to drive 5-10 minutes to find it? If it keeps you from yawning over the tedium, it’s worth the effort.
Who are you walking with?
Too many times, people start a walking regimen by themselves, walk by themselves, and wonder why they got bored and quit after a few weeks. It probably had something to do with those folks getting bored with their own company. By getting other people involved, whether it is friends or coworkers, you suddenly turn that lonely walk into a social activity. If you are doing longer walks with one or more friends, you can even arrange it so that you have a “halfway point” break at a juice bar, or some other healthy establishment. This will break up the walk into two smaller, less intensive walks, and gives you another “fun thing” to incorporate into your workout.
In part two, we’ll discuss personal rewards and even more motivational tools to help you sustain your walking workouts!
© 2012 Walking Shoes.