Aloha, friends in fitness.
I can hardly believe that it’s been a year since our first Super Sunday Sunset Stroll. Time marches on, huh? Mahalo to all who have enjoyed the scenic coastline with us during our monthly “commute and communicate” community congregation … aka “Walk & Talk.”
So far, our participants have ranged from 7 years old to 91 years young, and have included individuals very speedy with their walkers, some quasi-professional speed talkers, and everybody in between. We warmly welcome all of those looking to connect in celebration of fitness and friendship.
Tomorrow, March 3, is a perfect day to march forth! Special guest, Kaua‘i resident Dr. Judy Brunstad, Ph.D. (holistic nutritionist), will be providing her expert advice to any and all walkers and talkers. In addition to being Dr. Mom (yes, she’s my mother), and consulting with hundreds of my fitness transformation clients over the years, she has also logged literally millions of steps on Ke Ala Hele Makalae: The path that goes by the coast.
We’re meeting tomorrow, March 3, at 5:30 p.m. sharp, at the Kapa‘a Public Pool on Kou Street. It’s free!
Strolling and speaking engage our bodies and minds, strengthening muscles, boosting cardiovascular health, and nurturing mental clarity and emotional well-being. The following seven steps to wiser walking will help you to keep moving in the right direction.
• Variety is key: Walking is certainly foundational but, to truly maximize your level of fitness, you must incorporate variety into your routine. If you walked yesterday, challenge yourself to do something different today … to help prevent plateaus, keep your body guessing, avoid boredom, and target different muscle groups. If you walk today, consider rotating your cardio mode tomorrow to keep your journey fresh and engaging.
• Maximize your walk: Capitalize on each and every step. Vary your pace, incorporating fast and slow intervals to burn more calories. Seek out inclines, stimulating cardiovascular adaptation. Alternate stride length, taking short, quick steps followed by longer, deliberate strides to engage a multitude of muscles. Mix up terrain, transitioning between pavement, sand, grass, and rocky soil to enhance stabilization and proprioception.
• Burn copious calories: Though walking expends approximately 100 calories per mile, this can vary based on factors, such as weight, pace and terrain. Slower speeds are not necessarily preferential for burning more body fat, a topic that I’ll fully expound upon in columns to come. Increasing your pace, even if periodically, significantly impacts your caloric expenditure both during your workout and long after your session is completed.
• Weight-bearing woes: Studies indicate that relying solely on walking may lead to a reduction in lean muscle tissue. Surprisingly, walking (or running) alone can actually lead to a decrease in both fat weight and muscle mass. Regardless of the type of tissue, your body doesn’t want to carry extra poundage around the block. Therefore, weight lifting exercises for strength must always be performed in addition to weight-bearing exercise for stamina.
• Pick different targets: For perpetual progress, consider using a variety of goals… such as total time spent walking, a specific number of steps per outing, fastest walking time over a given distance, farthest distance over a certain time, or objectives related to terrains, stride lengths, or even the number of people you pass. Make it fun! By changing goals regularly, your routine will remain dynamic, ensuring continued progress and enjoyment.
• Stamina before strength: Warming up before working out is vitally important, and even brisk walking should be preceded by a walking warm-up. And, for those of you who want to perform a few strength movements during your outings (such as push-ups or squats or chin-ups), it is best to do this at the finish, after your muscles are primed and prepped. Also, please don’t walk with dumbbells, in hand, or arm-in-arm. More on that later.
• Stretching after stamina: Warm up to stretch; don’t stretch to warm up. Full-body flexibility exercises should be performed at the very end of each walk to help counteract the myriad muscular contractions occurring with every step. Stretching all of the major muscle groups is important, and this includes the upper body. As important as it is to stretch after exercise, it is even more important to not stretch before exercise.
Walking with wisdom can enhance our mental well-being as much as our physical, enhancing our lifelong journey down the road to good health. Let’s all march forth, starting tomorrow, March 3. We’ll be looking for you at 5:30 p.m. sharp, meeting at the Kapa‘a Public Pool on Kou Street.
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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.
