French Dip, Nice Style

8:00 a.m.  the Mediterrean Sea.  Warm salty water. 

 

I thought we were doing something special.  Just us wandering down to the Sea for an early morning dip. 

No. 

Apparently, this is a daily event for many locals.  Early exercise, followed by a quick shower and dressing on the beach, then off to work or their day.

The water made us all so happy.  We look back on it as a highlight of our time in France. 

Try it!!  If you are so inclined, find a local swimming hole that makes you happy.  The YMCA or community pools offer times for everyone to enjoy the water.  Aqua exercises are a gentle way to move without stressing arthritic joints.


Heading to the beach.
Oh Kev, I missed you on this adventure.

1/2 hour of recreational floating and swimming burns about 150 calories.  But the best part about this exercise is the happiness you feel after.

- Kim Fielding

Exercise - Walking on the Beach

Mid-October at Stinson Beach just before colder weather set in.
Between fresh air, waves breaking, a delicious picnic, and
the absolute joy on our pet's faces, we felt uplifted for days after.

According to several fitness websites and calorie counters, beach walking burns about 30% more calories than walking on a flat surface at the same speed.  The softer the sand, the harder your muscles work and burn even more calories.

The walk from Stinson Beach up to Bolinas and back is just over 5 miles roundtrip.  We didn't even realize how far we had walked because when you have a buddy and are engaged in good conversation, you don't even notice the distance.  Our calf muscles received a gentle workout and our bare feet were massaged by the smooth sand.

Walking 5.25 miles in 1-1/2 hours typically burns about 250 calories on a regular flat surface.  On sand, the calories burned goes up to 325 calories burned in the same time.  Or more.   Enjoy!

- Kim Fielding

www.dailyspark.com
www.fitday.com

 

We walked the dog today...

The loop at home.  Remember to bring the "bags"!

I am so annoyed but thankfully laughing at the same time.  Just around wake-up time, or just before then when I am in a deep sleep, there is a cold moist black nose that very gently lets me know he is there.  I don't want to wake up yet and so want to go back to dream land, but I have Scout.  This big furry thing blinks his eyes at me and I realize I have to yank my stiff body out of bed and get moving.   Everyday it takes me a while to get my joints started.  He understands and waits.  He seems to intuitively know when I need to move.

That is why I am so big on exercise.  We can all do it.  Pain eases through gentle movement.  Yoga helps so many as does Pilates with a good instructor who understands your needs.  With a dog, there is the obligation to walk.  At our cabin, we have a designated "poop loop".  It is a half mile and our dog does his "business".  But the best part is this:  even though I may not always wish to be the walker, I am so glad that I did the "loop".  Poop bags aside, just to get moving is the bonus.

Walk around the block, 15 minutes, 1/2 mile:  about 50 calories burned

1/2 hour Pilates, general workout or 1/2 hour stretching hatha yoga:  about 70 calories burned

- Kim Fielding

Exercise - Hiking

We love good healthy food and we like to write about it.  Dr. Mariam is the expert on what happens to our bodies when we put certain food products into them and she specializes in diabetes and obesity-related diseases among other things.  She brings such passion to informing the public about disease prevention that she conceived this blog.  I, on the other hand, know a lot less about the medical department but my passion is for cooking and nutrition.  With young people around both of our homes, we make it a point to cook consciously for them and with them that they may take their experiences into college and beyond.

Hiking in the Sierras.  For those of you familiar with this site,
Devil's Peak is in the background of this amazing overlook.
 One of our favorite walks - about two hours roundtrip. 
Despite all the snow and cool temperatures, I had to take
my sweatshirt off after making it to the top - refreshing!
May 7, 2012

With that said, what we haven't talked about yet is exercise.  Depending on where you live, hiking or walking outdoors may not be an option year-round.  Fresh air and time outdoors is vital to our health.  But just as important is physical movement.  During the winter in a snowy climate, how do you get enough exercise if you go to work everyday and can't conceive of skiing on the weekends to burn off extra calories?

Dr. Mariam is a firm believer in counting steps.  Walk 10,000 steps every day.  Purchase an inexpensive pedometer and fix it onto your belt or waistband.  Take a week or so to track how many steps you take each day and start to think about increasing that amount.   (I am guessing that most people who meet the 10,000 step challenge don't really need to worry about increasing that amount).

If you work in a multiple story building, try walking the stairs and build up to doing them more and more.  Incorporate walks during lunch and coffee breaks around buildings.  Of course you have all heard this one... park farther away from the entrance to your stores and office buildings.  Personally, I love all the fun videos out there to help you "shake your booty" in the privacy of your living room which allows you tons of giggle moments and burning calories at the same time.

If you have never exercised before and are thinking of trying it out, check with your doctor to make sure you don't have any health problems first.  Go into this process slowly until you feel comfortable with pushing yourself a little farther.

Walking cross-country for 1-1/2 hours burns about 490 calories
Slow-walking (about 2 miles per hour) burns about 2 calories per minute
Walking the dog burns about 3 calories per minute

I am not a fast walker.  I need to pause and catch my breath often
in these high altitude hikes.  The point being, take your time,
enjoy the scenery, drink water often, and just relax.

I love fitday.com where I pulled up these statistics.  Fitday.com helps with everything from goal setting to food tracking and calorie counting in addition to tracking exercise and your weight.  However, if you have another internet favorite that helps you track your exercise, go for it.  The most important thing is to just do it. 

- Kim  Fielding