Blogpost: Walking for Wellness

We are doing a walking challenge in the practice this month. Walking an hour a day at a vigorous pace is one of the best activities for a healthy life span. It is weight bearing so it promotes bone health. A vigorous gait improves mobility of the hip unlike riding a bike. The risks are minimal in regards to falling or injury. In fact, it is one of the best rehabilitative exercises for back pain, orthopedic injuries, and of course cardiac function. Consistency is key, and there is no reason why we should not walk an hour seven days a week. Walking in the am allows morning sunrise exposure with all the benefits. Walking has been shown to be as or more affective than medications with regards to treating depression. The key is to get out everyday and walk.

I am rehabilitating from an ankle injury after my 100 mile Long Haul finish. My post run recovery was good except for my ankle. I thought it was just a little overuse injury, but it has turned out to have many more layers. I started back running despite the discomfort and made it worse. For the past 3 weeks I have been walking a minimum of 3 miles a day and am gradually increasing the duration with an occasional short jog. For mental clarity, I try to focus on my improvements instead of what I cannot do. I have actually started to enjoy my morning walks and the opportunity to hone the dogs leash walking skills.

Hear are some of my helpful hints and musings over my morning walks. First of all, I check the weather the night before and lay out my clothes. No time in the am for deciding my outfit or what the conditions are like. I wear shorts if the temperature is over 60 to walk otherwise I wear capris. My shirt selection is long sleeves in the low sixties and short sleeves above. If less than 50, I wear a short sleeve under my long sleeve or take a light wind breaker. Shoes are important if you are going to do this consistently. A good pair of sneakers that are not worn are best. I rotate shoes based on stack height to work different muscle groups. My favorites are flat shoes, zero drop form heel to toe and not too much cushioning. I like to feel the road and my foot strike. I gave into more cushioning and heel stack for my 100 mile run and do think it may have contributed to my injury placing too much pressure on my great toe. More about that in future posts. Currently, a lower drop shoe suits me best, and I rotate between a few pairs. I have to just say maybe someday to my cool colored shoes that look good but don’t feel good. If you walk before 7 am, you need visibility. I use a NoxGear lighted vest with a rechargeable chest light for my neighborhood walks. If you are on trails or back roads, I would suggest a headlamp or a good flashlight. I rotate my two german shepherds with me on the walks. Three-o goes first and Sophie is clean up. It is my pace not theirs. Bathroom breaks allowed but no meet and greets for the most part. Certainly, no meet and greets for dogs. Never trust a person that says my dog is friendly. You just don’t know for sure. I do not carry water on my morning walks if under 6 miles.

Today, Three-o and I set out at 6:15 am. Our first mile is complicated by jumping on a censor to get out of my gait. You have to hit the correct spot. I win if it only takes one jump. Next challenge is a bathroom stop for Three-o in his designated area. We did well today on the first mile. He settled in at a good pace and was not pulling. We got Three-o after he had had a some bad life experiences and was was in and out of a kennel situation. I believe those things lead to his dog reactivity so my goal is to walk him early to avoid those situations until he is more comfortable walking in general. That said our first mile is always the slowest. I am also warming up my gimpy ankle. At about the 2 mile mark it is beginning to get light. That is my favorite time of day. To me it is the moment of peace. It seems to be for Three-o as well. Our first loop is usually 2.5 to 2.8 miles depending on detours. I refill the treat bag and off I go with Sophie. It is a much calmer loop. She is great on a leash and is happy to go as long as there are intermittent treats. So my goal for this month’s walking challenge is to get my pain free walking pace up, increase my daily mileage, and continue to make the transition back to running. Everyday is not better than the next or even a good day. But there is good in every walk and I wouldn’t give any of them up.