Aloha to the faithful readers of “In Health &With Hope” here at The Garden Island. After a full year of sharing my thoughts about exercise and eating with my Kauaian community, I think it’s about time that we put a little more action behind my biweekly column.
Thus, I am excited to announce the launch of Doug’s “Super Sunday Sunset Stroll.” These biweekly (every other Sunday) outings are 100 percent free and will be 110 percent fun. Starting tomorrow, I welcome you to join me for a walk (and a talk) on the day following each of my columns in The Garden Island Newspaper. You can ask me questions about my most recent column. We can all just talk story, so to speak. Or, we can stride in silence.
Beginning Sunday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m., I am encouraging my friends in fitness (you) to join me on Kaua‘i’s Multiuse Path in Kapa‘a. This is also known as the Kapa‘a Bike Path or Ke ala Hele Makalae (Hawaiian for “The Path that Goes by Coast”).
I always choose Sunday as my day of rest. My goal on Sundays is to give my body a break from formal, on-purpose exercise (i.e. Eccentrics in Strength, Stamina, or Stretching). In my book, physical activity is always encouraged on Sundays; intense exercise is not.
Sundays are supposed to incorporate fun, calorie-burning activities … not formal, cardio-busting exercises. I don’t perform any on-purpose intervals (Swings of the Stamina Scale) and don’t care about when, or how long, I work out. I just have fun doing a whole body activity and enjoy it for as long as I see fit.
In general, as long as an activity utilizes at least some of the largest muscles in the body, in a rhythmic manner, it qualifies. If you have access to a treadmill, rowing machine, stair climber, elliptical machine or an arc trainer … use all of them. If you don’t have access to any of them, that’s fine too. Kaua‘i offers an abundance of my personal favorites: swimming, biking and hiking. For now, and for a while, let’s choose walking and talking.
On my Super 7-Week Shape-Up System, Sundays are designed to be a day of casual activity, not formal exercise. Therefore, the intensity is always going to be low and slow; after all, it’s our day of rest, where smiling surpasses straining.
If you aren’t currently doing much in the form of regular physical activity, then a few minutes of walking along the ocean is surely a step in the right direction. Remember, the difference between doing nothing and next to nothing is tremendous. This is definitely not a race and you can most definitely set your own pace.
So, regardless of whether you are a resident or a visitor, you are cordially invited to join me for my non-record breaking Sunday saunters. Please note, I am already juggling too many full plates and I am definitely not trying to bolster my business or cultivate new clients. I just love walking the Kapa‘a coastline at sunset and thought this might be a fun way to bring some like-minded folks together. And, I would appreciate the company.
If you happen to be completely unfamiliar with this amazing nonmotorized coastline route, you would benefit greatly from watching my video journey of the complete trek, up and back, via bicycle. Please go to YouTube and search for “Kaua‘i Bike Path … a Fun &Scenic HD Tour of Paradise!!” I think that you’ll enjoy my 30-minute roundtrip musical sprint to the very end of the path. Hopefully, we can do that as a group someday soon.
Again, I will not be leading you through exercises, stretches or anything specific. We will all be walking on our own, yet together. If you can only move so fast initially, that’s fine with me. Pace yourself according to your specific condition and preconditions. Starting off slowly is preferred. For most, it’s mandatory. In the long run, the turtle always wins the race, right?
We will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 23, in the parking lots of the Kapa‘a Swimming Pool and Kapa‘a Neighborhood Center, right behind Chicken in a Barrel BBQ on Kou Street. I’ll be there, whether the weather is whatever — rain or shine, and always on time. Look for the guy with the smiley face hats. If you arrive by 6:30 p.m., one of them has your name on it. Yes, my smiles are always free!
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Doug Jones earned his Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Maryland and has served professionals and personalities as a concierge fitness trainer for decades. As a resident of Kaua‘i and Connecticut, he has helped millions of people learn the secrets of fitness and fat loss, both online and in person. To submit your questions, or for more information, call (808) 652-6453 or visit www.DougJonesFitness.com
