Tag: fitness

Today’s Facebook Live was about 10 benefits of walking. There are more that could have been covered. Just get up and start moving!  Here are the 10 benefits:

1. Burn Calories

Burning calories will have a few variables. The faster you walk, the better your body will burn calories. Add to that some hills and go for a while and you will have some serious calorie burn. However, don’t just get up off the couch and speed your way out the door and up some hills. This is going to take some time. Start out slow and work your way up in speed, distance and hills. 

2. Strengthen your Heart

You can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease by walking just 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week. As you continue to increase your walking you will strengthen your heart even more.

3. Eases Joint Pain

When you are walking you are doing a few things, first you are lubricating the knee joints, secondly you are improving your blood flow and you strengthening the muscles around your knees. So, the more you walk, the easier your joints move and less pain.

4. Boosts your Immunity

It’s a great way to stay healthy.  Exercising for just 30 to 45 minutes a day will increase the amount of immune system cells in your body. You can get more details at this article: https://www.jonbarron.org/article/walk-away-colds

5. Boost your Energy

Walking also increases your oxygen flow which also helps increase your hormones. Instead of reaching for an energy drink or cup of coffee, put on your shoes and get out there and walk.  Even if you are just walking around your home or office, it will help you instead of doing too much sitting on the couch or in front of a computer.

6. Tone your Legs

The one thing that people are looking for when starting any exercise program is to lose weight. However, that scale can be deceiving.  You can tone up your legs and not see the scale move. However, your clothes will fit better.

7. Improve your Mood

Walking is shown to reduce anxiety, depression and even a negative mood. I know that I find I am in a better mood after I am done walking, no matter what the pace. I also find it improves my mood even more so when I walk with a friend. We walk and talk and get all those thoughts out. It’s amazing how having a friend to walk with and vent will improve your mood for the day.

8. Creative Thinking

Yes, walking will get your creative mind going, whether it’s personal or business. If you have writer’s block, go for a walk. It will help you to be able to think things through. While you are walking do NOT answer your phone! If you need to, record your thoughts, especially if it’s something you want to write about when you get back to your computer. If you do bring along the phone, only use the recording and picture taking features. These will help for later on.

9. Help you Sleep Better

What keeps you up at night? Stress? Pain? By walking on a regular basis you will lower your stress level and your pain level. You also increase your energy level during the day along with your body temperature. Then at night your body is more willing to rest and let you sleep. 

10. Help you Obtain Other Goals

You have just successfully implemented a new routine with adding in walking into your daily routine. This has boosted your health and your creativity. It will also help you obtain other goals because you have boosted your mood and your confidence. 

Are you ready to get walking? I can help you achieve your goals through walking, find out how HERE.

This is a question that I have heard many times over.  It’s important that if you are going to spend the money on the gym that you get the right fit for you and your budget.  So, let’s dig into the various types of gyms that are out there.

One that I see advertised a lot is Planet Fitness.  They really push that their cheap price of their gym and that they are a no judgement zone.  Their price is cheap. If you are looking for a manned 24-hour gym at a very low price. This would be a great option for you.  As far as the no judgement zone, well, they have a dress code and no grunting or groaning policy. Then they have what they call the lunk alarm for when someone is grunting or groaning too loudly.  So, it’s no judgement for only certain people? If you are super worried about price though, they are very cheap.

The next type of gym I want to talk about is your unmanned 24 hour gyms. There are a bunch of them out there by various names, such as Snap Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness.  These ones vary in cost, but all are open 24 hours. You won’t be getting a locker room with them, your stuff is in a cubby like when you were little. I have found that the amount of equipment really varies from location to location.  You won’t get the same equipment nor the same amount of equipment between locations. They are franchises and typically is strip malls, so the locations vary but are generally on the smaller size.

Then you have the specialized gyms, these include boot camps, yoga studios, and karate dojos.  A lot of times these are at premium prices and you only get that specialty. However, if all you want is yoga, then it could pay off to go to just a yoga studio instead of a gym.

Quite a few towns and cities also offer a local recreation areas that offer a cheaper pricing for those that live in the town/city versus those that are in neighboring cities.  The thing to watch out for these is the classes that they offer. Quite often the classes are separate from the cost of the membership, also at a higher price for those that live outside the town/city.

There is one more type of gym that I want to cover.  This is the very large club/spa type of gym. You will pay a much higher price, but you also get a lot of amenities included in the price plus a lot of times there are even more services on-site that you can purchase such as a hair salon, nail salon, massage, chiropractor, physical therapists and a cafe.  Quite a few of the classes are included in the membership price. These gyms are for those that want a premium service. If you are interested in trying out a membership at Life Time, you can check them out here: http://bit.ly/ltfitness

What’s the right gym for you?  That’s a question that only you can answer now that you know the different kinds and what to expect at them.

It’s a popular question, what do you drink?  This can be in reference to while you are walking or running, while you are at work, while you are at home, while on vacation, etc.  I have my favorites and I’ll explain what they are, when I drink them and where you can get them for yourselves. I have hyperlinked the names of the beverages so that you can purchase them if you wish.  Yes, I do get compensated when you purchase through the links.

Crystal Light Sugar Free Wild Strawberry With Caffeine Powdered Drink Mix – this is kept in our refrigerator in a gallon container.  We drink this while at home and I also put it in my bottles that I use when out walking.  It also goes with us in our cooler when we are traveling. We like this because we get it in boxes of 30 packets and put four of them in the gallon container.  It’s a nice refreshing drink, especially over ice that I take with me to work and drink after my morning smoothie. Plus, the flavor holds up when it is in the little bottles on my water belt for training and racing.

V8 +energy drinks – These are natural energy drinks in a variety of flavors.  My favorite flavors are orange pineapple, raspberry vanilla, black cherry, and honey crisp apple berry.  I like the size of the cans – just 8 ounces, which fits nicely in the small cooler or my purse. I like to have a variety of flavors in the refrigerator, so that I don’t get bored with one flavor.  These do contain caffeine, 80 mg and it gets its caffeine from green tea, not artificially added.

Phyzix Zero energy drinks – when wanting something that is a bit more neutral in flavor, this is my go-to.  To me, it tastes like Squirt. Also, contains natural caffeine, this one gets its caffeine from green coffee beans.  Phyzix Zero is a bit bigger than the V8, coming in at 12 ounces.

Propel Electrolyte Water Beverage – another beverage that I like to keep stocked in my fridge.  My favorite flavor is grape. I drink these after my workouts and around the house, especially when it’s extra hot and muggy outside.

Cherry Republic Black Cherry Cream Soda – this is my ultimate favorite that I savor when I drink it.  Available only in glass bottles and through Cherry Republic themselves, no commission for me on this one.  You can order them online, but my favorite way to get them is to visit their store in Frankenmuth River Place Shops.  When you visit their stores you get to sample all their beverages and some of their food. These are all Michigan made with Michigan cherries.  A treat for any day.

These are the beverages that I keep stocked in my refrigerator.  Leave in the comments what your favorite beverages are.

Have you added walking to your exercise regimen?  Are you thinking about adding some walking in?  Let’s get you stretching.  I advise that you do these after you have done some walking around home.  Just to get the muscles warmed up so that you don’t pull a muscle.  Stretching without warming up at all is like trying to stretch an old rubber band.  It could very easily tear.  Now that you have walked around home a little bit, let’s get stretching.

1. Squat with a Reach – standing on both legs with feet just wider than shoulder width and chest tall. Squat by sticking your butt back and keeping your chest up.  At the bottom of your squat reach forward with both hands.  Repeat 10 times for 2 sets.
2. Warrior II – stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointed straight ahead. Turn your right foot to the right, keeping your pelvis facing the front.  Raise your arms out to the sides and lower your pelvis to the floor by bending the right knee until it is positioned over the right foot.  Gaze over your right middle finger and take 4 deep breaths.  Repeat on the other side.
3. Walker’s Arms – standing with one foot in front of the other with soft knees, draw in your belly button and alternate forward and backward movement with the arms. Elbows should be bent at a 90⁰  Repeat 20 forward movements on each arm then switch so your other foot is in the front.
4. Plank – assume the top of a push-up position, making sure your hands are directly under the shoulders and legs are held hip-width apart. Draw in your belly button and hold your back in a straight position.  Hold this position for 30 seconds for 3 repetitions.
5. Super Hero – assume a four-point position on your hands and knees. Hands should be directly below shoulders and knees hip-width apart.  Extend your right arm out front and left leg behind you.  Hold this position for 20 seconds, then switch to left arm out front and right leg behind you hold for 20 seconds.  Repeat five times on each side.
6. Walking Knee Hugs – standing tall, walk forward while hugging one knee to your chest. Alternate knees with each step forward.  Be sure your back stays straight and allow the foot on the floor to raise onto the toe.  Repeat 10 knee hugs on each leg.
7. Triangle – stand with your feet 3-4’ apart, toes pointed straight ahead. Arms out to a “T.”  Keeping your belly facing forward and turn your right foot to the right.  Bring your right hand towards the right big toe while the left-hand points towards the ceiling.  Look up towards the ceiling for 5 deep breaths.  Return to the upright position.  Repeat to the left side.
8. Downward Dog – assume a four-point position. With shoulders over hands and back straight curl the toes under while lifting the hips up and back as you straighten the legs.  Breathe in the pose while allowing your head to in a relaxed position and attempting to bring the heels to the floor.  Hold the pose for 5 breaths, can also add in walking your feet in place.
9. Supine Spinal Twist – lying on your back, lay your arms out in a “T,” bring your right knee up to a 90⁰ angle and drop it to your left side, turn your head to look down your right arm to your fingertips. Hold this for 6 breaths.  Bring your right knee back up and lay down your right leg.  Repeat with the left leg.  Alternatively, you can bring up both knees to a 90⁰ angle and drop them to the left and then the right.

Now that you have your morning stretches done, you are ready to get your day going.

You have picked out your shoes and fitness watch. Now what do you wear for clothing? I am glad you asked. You will want to be comfortable, but not too warm or too cold. Although, chances are greater of you being too warm then too cold. There are so many choices on the market, how do you know what to choose and when to wear it? Here is some helpful advice on what to wear when.

1)     Dress for a temperature that is 20⁰ warmer than what is on the thermometer. For example, if the temperature is 50⁰ on the thermometer you would dress as though it says 70⁰. You will warm up as you walk. You don’t want to be too warm and overheat.

2)     Dress in layers. Have a light weight jacket for when it is chilly or raining to start out and then tie it around your waist after you warm up and quits raining. When in really cold weather, wear a moisture wicking layer against your skin and then thicker, warmer layers on top of it. This goes for when it is raining out also, make sure you have rain gear on that you can take off and carry when the rain clears. Light weight ponchos are great for rain gear and can be easily folded up in a carry bag.

3)     Do NOT wear cotton. “Cotton is rotten” is a phrase that you will hear in the running & walking community.  When you sweat or get rained on and the cotton gets wet it will keep all that moisture against you. This is especially true with socks. The moisture can give you blisters.

4)     Wear moisture wicking material. This will keep the sweat away from your skin. They now make everything out of moisture wicking material: tops, bottoms and socks.

5)     When walking in the warmer climates and if your thighs rub together I recommend a longer inseam short with spandex that will stay in place. This will save you the pain of chafing and then having to buy chafing cream.

6)     Get a good sports bra! Women, make sure when shopping for a sports bra that you look at the support level. There are three: light, medium and high. You want to have the proper support level so that you aren’t bouncing too much along your walk. For those really hot days make sure you have a nice colorful one that holds everything in and you can wear just your bright colored sports bra.

7)     In the winter and you have a lot of ice, be sure to get traction cleats for your shoes. These will keep you walking across the ice instead of slipping across it.

You can buy just a few items and make it through all of the seasons by layering up in the colder season. Watch for sales at your favorite local running & walking shop and you can get quite the clothing collection.

As you go along in your walking career and you lose weight and/or take off those inches and you find yourself with clothes that no longer fit, look for a charity that accepts running and walking clothes.

You see people out running and walking.  You hear of races and fun runs in your area. You may even belong to a gym.  It can be very intimidating to get a gym membership or even to go out for a walk, let alone run.  So, where do you begin?

First, check with your doctor before you start anything new.  Let them know you are going to start walking on a regular basis.  Your doctor will let you know if you have anything that you need to be aware of when exercising.

Second, get a good pair of shoes.  I don’t mean for you to go to your local discount store or sporting goods store.  I mean you need to go to a running and/or walking store. These stores will help you find the right shoe for your foot.  They will have a variety of brands and prices. Although, I have a favorite brand, Mizuno, they may not fit your foot the best.  You need what will fit your foot the best. Your feet will thank you.

Third, what do you wear besides your new shoes?  That will depend on what the weather is like in your area.  Dress for 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than what the temperature says on the thermometer.  If it says 60 you dress for 80. You will warm up as you go. It’s better to dress in layers that easy to remove and wear around your waist.

You’ve gotten the ok from your doctor.  You have a new pair of shoes. You even know what to wear when.  So, now you have to get out the door. It doesn’t matter how far you go or how long it takes you to go there and back.  It matters that you are going faster than anyone sitting on the couch. Just open the door, put one foot in front of the other and keep going.  The first time it might be to the mailbox or the car.

Go the distance that feels comfortable, but remember you have to walk back to where you started.  Continue to cover the comfortable distance and then extend it further.

I can assist you with a schedule. Click on the Buy Now button below and get your own copy of my couch to 5K schedule.

Do you take fish oil?  How are your omega-3’s?  Have you thought about it before now?

It wasn’t that long ago that I had not given it any thought, even though I have trained for half marathons and marathons.  Then I found out what omega-3’s can do for you.

It helps your cardiovascular health – you always want a healthy heart.  Plus, it’s brain food to give you healthy mental function.

Another great benefit of omega-3’s is that it will help with healthy glucose and insulin metabolism.

My favorite plus side about taking fish oil is that it helps with my arthritis.  I was starting to have problems with my fingers where they’d get really sore and stiff.  However, I started taking fish oil. I found out that the arachidonic acid-derived eicosanoids in fish oil contain anti-inflamatory functions.   Basically, this helps with the swelling and makes it easier to move my fingers – gotta have that so I can type.

How can you add omega-3’s into your diet?  Those fish would include salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring.  There’s only one fish on that list that I like and that is salmon. I enjoy eating salmon, but also enjoy other foods.  So, I will take a supplement.

Have you taken fish oil and it made you burp?  Did it taste fishy? Guess what that means? It means that your fish oil was rancid.  Yuck!

How do you find a quality fish oil?  Do your research on where the fish is from and what testing they do on the fish oil.  Also, is there a certificate of analysis that says it is what it says it is. I know this sounds like a lot of trouble, but I can help you.

I found a fish oil that the fish comes from Norwegian waters, which are the cleanest waters.  It is tested for mercury, lead and PCB’s and is found to be free of them. Also, this fish oil is in the monoglyceride form, which is the highest bio-available form.  Plus, it comes with a certificate of analysis.

Here’s an information sheet on Omega Max fish oil.

Here’s the certificate of analysis for the Omega Max.

Where do you get it?  Click here to buy your own.

For more information on the arachidonic acid-derived eicosanoids and arthritis, please visit here.

#fishoil #arthritis #omega3 #omega #cardiovascular #health

Welcome to Mandy Jo’s new blog – Adventures and Walking.  I am excited to bring you along for this new journey, which is this blog.  My journey is in two parts that intersect. Part one is my adventures across Michigan and the USA.  I love to travel and look forward to doing more throughout the years to come. Part two is my walking.  I started walking competitively back in 2003 and have “only walked” in races since that point. This part will include my training, my races, and walking and fitness tips.

You will see reference to TripAdvisor, which I do get compensation for the links, but not the reviews.  I will also be including offers for various places, services and products that I may get compensation from, but at no additional cost to you.

I have found a new app & website for trails. It is called Trail Link https://www.traillink.com/ It is USA wide and is free or you can upgrade for $29.99/year for unlimited map downloads.  I am looking forward to using this and finding all kinds of awesome trails. I’m not sure if I need to upgrade yet or not.  This is not an affiliate link, so I don’t get any compensation whether or not you decide to upgrade.

Most of the photography that I will be using in my blog will be my own personal photos.  I will be putting a watermark/logo on my personal photos, this way you will know when the photos are mine or stock photos from the product, place or service.

There was a pop-up to sign up for my email list.  Be sure to sign up so that you know when I have new blog posts.