UPLAND WALKS--THE BEGINNING OF A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

UPLAND WALKS—THE BEGINNING OF A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

There are more than 100 different walks I have documented in the Upland area, which I will share with you. Some of these are quite short and ideally suited to beginners and those with limitations caused by joint, back and other health factors. Other walks are more strenuous and much longer and should be undertaken in a methodical fashion.

I realize that there are several schools of thought regarding exercise, so here is the approach that works best for me, which you are free to make use of or disregard, as best suits your needs. Not everyone is athletic, but all of us can benefit from the right kinds of exercise, particularly low-impact routines such as walking. There are many who will testify about the benefits of walking, and I can certainly join my voice with theirs in giving my highest recommendation to this form of exercise!

Two years ago I began walking the length of Mildura Avenue and back, which is about 30 minutes for a beginning walker. Although I was about 50 pounds overweight, more importantly, I was desperately in need of a conditioning program that would steadily increase my endurance, tone-up my muscles, tendons and joints, increase my circulation, lower my blood pressure, improve my energy level, increase my resistance, and generally reverse the processes of aging that are common to all of us.

I am happy to report that two years later I have lost about half of my overweight amount and significantly improved my endurance, overall tone, circulation, blood pressure, energy level and resistance, and I have also begun to have some success in slowing down and, in some ways reversing, the aging process.

Walking has done all of this for me with a small investment of time and a modest amount of money spent for a few decent pairs of walking shoes. This is a spectacular bargain that should not be missed if you can muster the will to begin.

Don’t worry about the discipline—that will come naturally as a result of your training, because as you slowly and methodically increase the difficulty and duration of your walks, your energy level will continue to improve and motivate you to continue. There are some days when I can barely wait to go for my walk, and it seems to be unaffected by the weather and other conditions. There are other days when my energy level is lower, and I settle for a slower and shorter walk of more moderate difficulty.

I try to make it as easy as possible to say yes to my resolve and my body, by giving myself a variety of options to respond to whatever mind and emotions, body dynamics and energy are available to me on any given day. This is easier than it sounds, because there are a great variety of combinations available to me that encourage me to go outside and meet the day.

If the day is unusually busy, with lots of items on my to-do list, I will probably settle for a shorter distance that day. If my energy level is low, I will begin with a shorter-planned walk of a more horizontal nature. This is easily accomplished here in Upland by walking east and west instead of north and south, because of the terrain.

Upland is built on the south slope of Mt. San Antonio, (Mt. Baldy), which is over 10,000 feet above sea level. The height of San Antonio Dam is 2260 feet, and Mountain View Park is located at 2000 feet. The dam is about 3 blocks north of MVP, so you can see there is quite a steep rise when walking north. On a low-energy day, I may choose to walk east and west along the foothills, which has a more gradual ascent, and is level in several places. Knowing that this option is available greatly encourages me to begin, and still offers me the option to turn and go south and then north again, should my energy level improve during my walk.

I mention this because it is often the case that after walking for 30 minutes to 1 hour, my energy level is increased to the extent that I want to continue or even increase my level of activity. This led to the discovery that for me, at least, going uphill goes even faster than downhill and that longer strides are actually easier on the joints, even uphill, than shorter strides. This is just an example of what may work for you to increase your motivation and to work with your mind, body and emotions to increase your activity level and improve your overall energy and health.

What began as a feeble attempt, that was not highly motivated and lasted for only 30 minutes, has developed into a daily routine which typically lasts from 2-4 hours, depending on my energy level. I find that it is no longer as much of an effort to begin and continue my chosen route as it was just 2 years ago.

For most of the past 2 years I have averaged about 3 miles per hour, but after recently discovering that I can lengthen my uphill strides, I have improved my pace to between 3 ½ and 4 mph. When you do the math, I averaged walking about 7 miles per day my first year and about 8 miles per day the second year, with the average increasing rapidly for the last 2 months of 2009, by increasing the length of my uphill stride.

Sometimes I walk 6 days per week, but usually our weekends are busy, so I normally only walk Monday through Friday. Your abilities and needs may be different, and I am not telling you my results to persuade you that only my method is the correct one. Whatever motivates you and best suits your needs is the right routine for you.

I want to mention four interesting observations over the past two years: It is often imagined that it is thoughts and motivation which inspire activity and endurance. I have discovered that the opposite is actually more correct. You begin activity, not knowing the result of your effort, and through persistence discover the thoughts and motivation to continue. Action precedes thought and motivation, and not the reverse. In other words, “Just do it!” and everything else will follow.

A second observation is that exercise has a profound effect on your mood. You may begin your walk in a foul mood, thinking only negative thoughts about yourself and your fellowmen, and some time within the first hour, you will notice that not only are you feeling better, but you may not even remember what caused you to be in a bad mood in the first place. For some of us, this factor alone is worth the whole routine.

Another observation is that diet and exercise are often spoken of in that order, conveying the impression that a healthy diet must precede exercise. In fact, in my experience, when you begin to exercise, it is activity which has the greatest impact on your diet, and not the reverse. When my body begins to respond to exercise in beneficial ways, this creates a hunger and mental motivation for a healthier diet and lifestyle, which had not been there before beginning my exercise program.

Lastly, I cannot say enough about the overwhelming value of being methodical about whichever exercise routine you adopt. Your methodical pursuit of a healthy exercise routine begins slowly and increases daily and weekly, with occasional exceptions, until you are surprised with your progress. It is the good habits we get into that are life-changing, and you will be amazed when you look back in a couple of years at the progress you have made. I wish you the best as you begin whichever exercise program seems to work the best for you. Stay active and enjoy your Upland walks!

Mark Overt Skilbred