By Joan Praver—Beit T’Shuvah Board Member
One of the best ways to exercise, that needs no expensive trainer, is getting up early to go for a fast walk. Though I play golf and do yoga, I get something more than aerobics from a brisk walk. We live on the Wilshire corridor and I strap the cuffs of Nordic Walking poles on my wrists (one reads right, the other left). They resemble ski poles but have rubber shoes, rather than steel points, and I keep them close to my body using their motion with steps that strengthen legs, upper body, and arm muscles.
I have a particular path that takes me about 2-2.5 miles in 3/4th of an hour. Many pet owners are out walking their dogs, some with two or three animals, at this time of day and I make a point of greeting them along with their masters, saying good morning. People usually reply with a smile as we pass.
Walking at a fast pace I am rarely cognizant of buildings or speeding automobiles and trucks. I forget my feet and move into my brain and relate to my responsibilities of the day or week, the same place runners and swimmers go while exercising their bodies. Time simply goes by and it is your head that takes over and answers your most puzzling problems and the best part is that no one sends you a bill at the end of the month.
