Modern life can feel so hectic there “hardly seems time breathe”. On the other hand, we may assume that as we automatically breathe we don’t need to think about it. Typically, our activities determine the nature of our breathing. Running up a steep hill will create a greater demand on the lungs than sitting at a desk. Singing, playing a wind instrument, and swimming all require conscious breath control.
  After a recent stay in hospital I was reminded of the value of paying attention to my breath. As pneumonia may be an in patient concern after surgery, it is important to keep the lungs active and the air flowing with 10 deep breaths every hour. The more efficiently one can expand one’s lungs (although not to hyperventilation!) and fully exhale, the better one can remove the mucous and toxins that accumulate there, and thus reduce the risk of infection.
  Luckily, pneumonia is not a daily concern, but efficient breathing is. It helps our brains work better, enables us to feel more alert and energetic, and reduces cortisol, the “stress hormone” in our bloodstream. Plain old breathing is what keeps us alive; deep breathing helps us relax. Practice the following breath a few times throughout the day, especially when you are feeling rushed:
  Basic Belly Breath. Standing, sitting, or lying on your back, put your hands on your belly. Inhale. Exhale. Without effort, slowly breathe into your hands, pause, then slowly exhale. 10 time

Happy New Year 2016.  Resolutions made? Resolutions broken?!  Year end indulgences and inertia may urge us to get moving. Unfortunately, one month into our new regime we may have already missed two weeks of the every day boot camp we signed up for. Better luck in 2017. Not really! In considering life changes, every day begins a new year. I recall my grade four teacher once starting the class with the then curious phrase, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life". Now I get it! Change starts now. The task before us is putting one foot in front of the other, not falling backwards. It is of course useful to reflect where we have been, to build on what we have developed, learn from our mistakes and then consider our possibilities. Sometimes we attempt a 180 degree about face to get on a track that may not be ours. While there are no secrets to fitness success, there are some useful components:
1)  Be reasonable in your self-expectations. First, look back! When was the last time you exercised? What did you do? Did you have fun? Why did you discontinue? It should be obvious by now, but you are not other people. One size does not fit all, so figure out how you got to where you are now and how long it will reasonably take to get to where you want to go in a manner that keeps you going.
2) Utilize available resources. Look around you. The new year personal challenge to chart a fittest-self course occurs at a time of year least conducive to movement. If you live in the northern hemisphere nature may be telling you to hibernate until the mercury rises and the snow melts. Winter wonderland activities such as skiing, snowshoeing, tobogganing and skating may not be right outside our door. Like the gym or fitness studio, we still have to get there.  Your immediate environment may still hold opportunities for a variety of physical activities.  Indoors--empty walls, floors, door frames, stairs, table and counter tops and chairs can be engaged to build strength, flexibility and stamina. The natural environment and landscape features can become our best fitness friend when we consider their possibilities for running, jumping, climbing, balancing, playing etc.
3) Work on the fundamentals. Winter has traditionally been the best time to do repairs and upkeep, and the body need be no exception. Tennis elbow, jumper's knee, plantar faciitis...there are many physical conditions that prevent us from our chosen activity. Consider a program that addresses our injuries, and restores our fitness foundation--one that focuses on breathing, alignment, balance, core strength and joint stability.
4) Have a sense of achievement. Pick one new physical skill that you can work towards and practice it for at least a few minutes every day.  It may be standing on one leg for 20 seconds, doing the splits or a handstand, juggling, shooting a basket, or something more complex, like learning to tango.
Up next, more on 1, 2, 3 & 4...

Earlier this week the sunny autumn weather inspired me to run again after a 30 year hiatus. The fitness I have maintained in the meantime provided me with some cardio base.  Nevertheless, the first day, Monday, I half ran, half walked up the hill that begins my route. While I ran, I set my sights on some distant point to push myself, and resisted the urge to resume walking until I reached it.
On Tuesday, one of my daughters went out for a run she's been doing off and on for awhile. After her foray, she announced that she had run all the way for the first time. High five. That was enough to motivate me to try the same when I ran again on Wednesday. I paced myself, took smaller steps, and managed to run all the uphill section. Not wanting shin splints, both Monday and Wednesday I walked the steep declines, then picked up the pace on the flats.
Today, Friday, the glorious days of variegated green, yellow and gold against blue sky have yielded to a low pressure ridge of grey, which started to unfold itself last night and has now firmly settled in. I almost caved to the urge to keep low myself. Luckily, my energetic son, who runs regularly, was around to accompany me in my weakness.  I was worried that he would find my pace slow, but he was ok with it. Although, one km before the corner we would turn to go downhill, he ran ahead and did 50+ push ups until I caught up.
Going downhill, I ran a bit more this time, thinking of shins, then my son suddenly turned around and started running backwards. So then did I. In my previous blog on walking, I mention the value of walking backwards and upping the ante with running backwards. Running backward downhill confers no less benefit. It takes the stress off the knee and iliotibial band, and both strengthens and stretches the calves and hamstrings, which are engaged eccentrically ie to slow the load of your body as your heel falls to the ground. Once we were off the hill we also did a few stretches-for the gastrocnemius and soleus (calf) muscles, the quads and hamstrings. Thus mitigating the prospect of future discomfort we applied our senses to the splendour of our surroundings, the view of Burrard Inlet, the shore line as we approached it, the playing fields by the beach, then the myriad wood chip strewn paths which we randomly took through the woods. At his point, our run took on the spirit of a small adventure until we emerged back to the street and made our way home.

Hardly my last word on walking, but the last set of exercises in this series. 
6) Heel to floor off a low step. Strengthens hips. Stand on step with both toes of both feet touching edge of step. Lift one foot off step and touch heel forwards to floor. Return to step. 5 times each side. Use support if necessary.
7)Scapular retractions. Improves posture. Strengthens thoracic spine.
 Basic: Stand tall and bring shoulder blades together. Hold a few seconds. Relax and repeat 5 times. 
More confidence: Hold a theraband and pull while retracting scapula. Hold, relax and repeat 5 times. 
It's a breeze: Scapula push-ups. In a plank push-up position, resting on knees or toes, keeping elbows straight drop shoulders so scapula retracts. Repeat 5-10 times.
8) Shoulder circles. Tones and stretch arm and shoulder muscles. Supports posture. Stand with arms at sides. Circle shoulders forward 5 times, then backwards. Touch hands to shoulders and circle elbows forwards and backwards 5 times each. Do full arm circles forwards and backwards 5 times each.
9) Lunges. Stretches and strengthens leg muscles, improves balance, foot placement. 
Basic: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Step forward with one foot and dip back knee. Hold a few seconds and repeat other side. 5 times. 
More confidence: Make a bigger step with a deeper lunge. 
It's a breeze: Hold arms to sides and add dumbbells.
10) Marching. Strengthens hips, legs, knees, improves balance. 
Basic: Sitting tall in a chair put hands on knees and march in place. 
More confidence: Standing march in place raising knees purposefully.
 It's a breeze: Standing raise knees above hips and touch with opposite hand. Start slow for 1 minute. Increase speed for 1 minute. Take 1 minute to gradually slow down.

 Taking a few minutes for this set of exercises will help you go a long way!
2)Lifting our head, arms and legs in prone position works as well as it did when we first tried it to strengthen and stabilize those core postural muscles.
Basic: Lie prone on a mat with forehead supported on a rolled up towel. Extend  arms overhead. Lift right arm off floor for a second, then left, then right leg, then left. Do 5 rounds. End with sphinx pose, ie lift head up using forearms for support. Hold 10 seconds.
More confident: Do one arm and the opposite leg together. Sphinx  hold 20 seconds.
It's a breeze: Do arms and legs together. Sphinx  hold 30 seconds.
3) Remember playing with your toes?! It also helped prepare the core. It's the same by any other name, for now I'll call it touching hands to feet in supine.  
Basic: Lie on back. Extend one leg and bend one leg. Put hand in space between lower spine and floor. Lift shoulders off floor without pressing spine onto hand. 
More confident: With bent knees lift arms and upper legs to vertical. Alternate lowering and lifting opposite arms and legs. Repeat 5 times. It's a breeze: Toss a ball between hands and feet 10 times.
4) Baby dance aka squats to strengthen thighs, gluteus muscles, stabilize knees.
Basic: Practice sitting on a chair and standing up. Try it with more weight on one foot. Alternate. 5-10 times real slow.
More confident: Do squats against a wall (can be with a stability ball if you have one). Alternate with weight on one foot. 5 times/side.
It's a breeze. Stand away from wall. Add dumbbells for each hand held at side, or use one weight held to chest. Feet together, then alternating feet.
5) Hip hike. Strengthens hips. Stand on a step with one foot, other foot dangling. Tilt hip so dangling foot drops further down. Return to neutral. Knee of supporting leg should be straight but not locked. Repeat 5-10 times. Switch sides. Use support if necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 Number 1) on my list for improving walking skills is walking backwards, mostly because it forces us to think about how we move on our feet and hold our bodies. It can help with balance and co-ordination, relieve poor postural habits, and stressed knees, and strengthen shin, calf and ankle muscles and tendons (tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius, achilles tendon). 
Newby: Try a few steps hanging onto a wall. Rest. A few more steps. Rest. Repeat a few more times.
More confident: On a treadmill at slowest speed for 5 minutes. Increase speed with capability.
It's a breeze: Anywhere it feels safe—you won't run into things, trip, or be run into. Keep your senses alert!
Athlete: Run. Many field sports require quick changes of direction. Incorporating running backwards into your drills, if you don't already, will increase your directional stability.  

One foot in front of the other. Simple walking. Sounds simple. It did take about x million years of evolution to get us on our feet. Unlike our four footed friends who tumble then stumble into the world, we humans require an average of a year on the planet before we have all the neuromuscular control to amble independently. The muscles we work and develop to get vertical are the same ones that sustain us throughout our lives. Lifting our heads, arms and legs in prone position, touching hands to feet in supine, rolling over and pushing up, all work our core. 
 
Squats, lots of practice lifting up feet and finding our centre of gravity, support our leg strength and balance. We have this remarkable achievement by the time we are two, but by age five social practices dictate that we pack it away and resume our 6 month old position of sitting for the remainder of our lives. So much for ground gained. Walking type activities are consigned to recreation, if we have time for it. When we finally might have more time for it, our bodies have changed, and simple walking has become a challenge. Things hurt, get tired and become less steady, but what's lost can be regained to some degree. My next few posts will present a few exercises to help re-establish the posture, strength and neuromuscular conditioning to make that walk in the park a walk in the park.