Walktalk

As we grow older and wiser, we begin to realize what we need and what we need to leave behind. Sometimes walking away is a step forward.   It is time for me to move on, step away from my walking blog. My path is nudging me in other directions. Developing this blog has been one of the most rewarding and transforming experiences I’ve done for myself in quite a long time. I do believe I have become…

Last week the media was buzzing about the ‘strawberry full moon’ destined to arrive in our area on Tuesday night. The farmer’s almanac says it is so named because it signals time for the June strawberries. (Hmm, I  did notice mine are budding like crazy.) My spouse and I were very fortunate because on the very night of the strawberry moon we had the pleasure of dining out with a friend. As it…

walking speed may someday predict longevity

Happy June! I like to think of June as Pre-Summer, when the the days and nights are long and intoxicating. This is a perfect time to change up a walking pattern. My focus this month will be on increasing my interval duration, not a lot, but just enough to keep my heart rate in the zone a bit longer. Last month I started 3 minute intervals of slow walk – fast walk – jog. I’ve noticed my average…

the trees wear sweaters in Evanston

Last weekend, my walk took me through a portion of downtown Evanston. I detoured away from the Lake to see what was going on near the coffee shops. I couldn’t help but notice many of the tree trunks and branches were full of color. Not just the usual spring color, but a fabulous homemade intertwine of rope color. My new route was already proving to be mildly psychedelic! Passing close by one of…

time to make a walking schedule

When the summer breezes begin to blow, they never fail to whisper “tennis” in my ear. I can’t wait for the first warm days, when I can grab my racket and bounce the luminous green ball on the deep sky blue of the court. The sunshine makes my ‘older than the hills’ game seem crisp and new, the boundary lines are fat and white, my shots spin and pop off the racket, my footwork is spry and hopeful.…

life is short, stretch your time with a walk

Walking takes longer than any other form of locomotion except crawling. Thus it stretches time and prolongs life. Life is already too short to waste on speed.  – Edward Abbey We speed through life. (I have sped through life.) In America we can’t help it. Our culture wants us to get going as soon as possible. Babies demolish developmental benchmarks. Toddlers and tweens begin competing for high…

exercise improves sleep improves exercise

Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.  – Walt Whitman

We all enter phases of our life when we can’t sleep. When laying in bed is like listening to a clothes dryer with shoes tumbling inside. When the worries or events of the day continue to circulate, thumping and clunking back and forth, around and around…

thought traps – pause, and walking

It seems we are a culture addicted to positive slogans.

At least, I am. I know this because this is some of what surrounds me on my desk.

my cheerleaders and coaches

More often than not, I seek wisdom on the internet searching for the trendiest titles and positive pins, those which offer as much inspiration as possible in the least amount of words or a picture.  On vacations, I find myself…

definition of moderate and vigorous activity

One way the American College of Sports Medicine defines your workout intensity is by your heart rate. Moderate exercise is defined as working at 64 percent to 76 percent of your maximum heart rate, and vigorous exercise is defined by the ASCM as 77 percent to 93 percent of your maximal heart rate.

To find your training heart rate zone use this link.You will need to enter your age and resting…

stay hydrated my friend!

Water is the most important nutrient for life. Some very important functions include:  the regulation of body temperature, the lubrication of joints and the transport of nutrients and waste throughout the body.

Studies have found athletes who lose as little as 2 percent of their body weight through sweating will have a drop in blood volume which causes the heart to work harder to circulate blood.…

Ever wonder where you’d end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash? ~Robert Brault

Living in a city neighborhood this is a practical impossiblity. Too much traffic, too many other dogs, and lots of little kids. Let’s face it, my dog’s size can be intimidating. What if I could try this somewhere else? Somewhere less crowded during this time of year.

Phoebe loves the car! Whenever we begin our walk to the park she always stops by the car…just in case. She gives it a smell, looks at me, then looks back at the car, and we march on. Imagine her surprise when I opened the car door! Without a moments hesitation she stepped right in and sat down. Today we were taking a field trip, a field trip to the Evanston lakeshore.

For the half hour drive to the lake, Phoebe happily propped her head out the window, jowls flapping in the breeze. As we arrived, parked the car and made our way to the beach, once again, she sat. She seemed to need a moment to look at and take in all of the open space. Little did she know I was not going to pull back on the leash. Today she would walk me. Since she was a puppy, Phoebe has loved sand, water and open space. I could tell she was pleased with our destination! She finally stood up, put her nose to the sand and we were off.

We moved back and forth, over here and over there, around in a circle until we stood close enough to the lapping water. Phoebe froze – looking, smelling, listening and then she began to slowly tiptoe in. I was surprised because the water at the lake is still very cold. She managed to walk in up to her belly.

As I continued to follow her lead, there were many sights that caught our attention – another dog running along the beach, some artwork in the sand, an opening in some boulders along the shore and the big watermelon boat already out for the summer. We spent many long pauses because Phoebe likes to study things.

I was happy in my choice of footwear for this guided walk. It turned out to be the perfect day to wear a pair of boots, because our hike took us through water, sand, grass, crushed gravel, cement, and atop some small boulders.

The natural path along the Evanston Lakeshore leads north to Northwestern University’s Campus. There has been a lot of construction on the campus for the last three years, closing parts of this path. I was happy to see the path reopened. There are two new buildings and a sailing center at the south end of campus overlooking Lake Michigan. They are all beautiful and seem to complement the lakescape. At the end of the walkway, looking to the south – a great view of the Chicago skyline. We continued to the north end of campus and the soccer field, Phoebe paused once when she could hear a flute by the Music building.

When it was time to turn around, we walked back through the open grassy field that runs along the lakeshore. As luck would have it the clouds began to break and the sun came out! We moved in a southward zigzag pattern, from smell to smell. I was still letting her guide us in a roaming kind of walk.  As we approached the car, Phoebe seemed happy to reach a familiar destination. I poured out some water and she had a nice long drink!

What a great 4 mile walk! What an awesome walking partner! I had a lot of fun letting Phoebe walk me for a change.

when to replace athletic shoes

According to the walking expert at abouthealth.com -Wendy Bumgardner, athletic shoes have about a 350 – 500 mile limit and should be replaced or repurposed every 3 to 6 months.

Last week after some of my walks I noticed my feet were feeling a bit cranky. I decided to inspect my shoes. As I turned my current rotation of shoes over, I could see the worn spots on the soles.

Come to think of it, I…

The fog comes on little cat feet.

It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.  Carl Sandburg

This week I spent some time in the fog. Tuesday afternoon the little cat feet crept into my park, right in the middle of my walk. I think it was the first time in years that fog actually descended whileI was outdoors in a static setting. I watched with curiousity as it…

The first part of our walk took us past Daley plaza and east toward the lakefront. Much to our surprise we found out in less than two hours the Polish Constitution Day Parade would be stepping off with a rally to follow. Looking north as we crossed the street, the morning sun was glinting off the aquamarine blue of Trump tower. Fortunately for us, the streets around this part of town were closed because of the parade and rally, it was nice to walk in the middle of the road to Millennium Park. We could see the silver sails of the Pritzker Pavilion in the distance, an el train zooming under the curved metal. We decided to cut through Millennium Park on our way to Draft Town.

Upon entering the park, we were escorted by rows of colorful tulips and a proud line of stout trees bursting with blooms. Of course this meant we made pit stops at Cloud Gate, the Pritzker Music Pavilion, and the BP pedestrian bridge. On this day the gleaming city was boasting beauty. It seemed as if the all the skyscrapers framing the park were in competition, stretching taut for the deep endless blue above.

The pedestrian bridge is a walkway from Millennium Park curving east right into the brand new Maggie Daley Park for children. What an awesome Park!! There is a ginormous playground in the middle with many smaller playgrounds surrounding it. All the playgrounds dip down into their own nature environment. There are trees and gardens everywhere in between. The various play areas have their own themes and they are loaded with movement oriented activities for kids. There is a long loopy skating ribbon and two monolith sized outdoor climbing walls surrounding it all. This park is phenomenal! Free! And, open to the public.

Moving south out of Maggie Daley Park on a walkway behind Michigan avenue, we finally spot the over sized tents of Draft Town. It’s been 51 years since the NFL draft has been in Chicago. Teams and prospects gathered across Michigan Avenue in the Auditorium Theater. For three days they move through many rounds, making their college picks for next year’s professional teams. Fans feel like they are part of the action as they watch on big screens located in huge dome-like tents set up on the closed streets. The 900,000 square feet (an area comparable to 16 football fields!) of outdoor football paradise is spread out along the lakefront Taste of Chicago-style. With booths and activities, food and fun for fans, families and tourists.

My spouse is a huge Bears fan and there was plenty of rich franchise history for her to consume. (I liked it too!)

We ended our Draft Town experience with a calming stroll past Buckingham fountain before heading home. Our trip back to the subway took us on a path along the Lake.

The whole trip was under 10 miles of walking. Everything easily connected with sidewalks, pathways and parks. Today reminded me of how much I love Chicago! What a great walking city!

get active before you retire

Walking got a nice mention in USA today a couple of weeks ago.

Walking is still the most popular exercise. It is easy to do, can be done almost anywhere and does not require any special equipment.

A very good article stressing the importance of preparing physically as well as fiscally for retirement. Let’s face it, all the financial fitness in the world is worthless if we are not physically fit…

the walker, and a catchy whistle

Sometimes a happy song can be inspiring. Here’s a fun new tune with a catchy whistle. The song is called The Walker. (How cool is that?!!)

  Walk to the sound of your own drum!

    ‘Nuff said! Feel it in your soul and have a great walk!!

Thank you Fitz and the Tantrums for this happy walking ditty!