The Wide World of Walking Equipment

Walking or hiking staff do you really need one?  Assuming for the moment that you’re not into Nordic walking or don’t require one because of an infirmary of some sort, the answer is, not usually.  Your daily walks are most likely in an urban environment with plenty of paving and has little in the way of strenuous climbing.  But if you’re lucky enough to be able to get out into a more rugged setting with a fair degree of frequency, a hiking/walking staff is something you might want to consider as part of your assortment of walking equipment.

A hiking sticks or staffs come in a wide array of configurations and a wide array of materials.  They can be as simple as a stick you pick up along your walk to a complex, hi tech piece of equipment.  If you find yourself selecting a stick from the first, improvisational, category here are a couple of tips to help you find a walking stick that will work well.

•   Find something that isn’t too heavy.  Of Couse you could throw it away if it got too much of a burden but if it works, you may want to keep it around if for nothing more than as a memento.

•  There is a bit of a debate about the height that a stick should be.  At a minimum, it should be 6 inches taller than your elbow.  At the most, a bit higher than your shoulder.  Your preference, however the taller version would be more helpful in rugged country.

•  Before you decided on a particular stick you need to be sure it can handle the job.  You don’t want to rely on something that is going to give way when you need it the most.  So put your full weight on the stick.  If there is excess bending or obviously it snaps then toss it and look for something else

•  Make sure the business end…where the stick meets the ground…is sturdy.  No splits, cracks, missing portions or uneven surface.  Nothing that is going to throw you off balance.

•  Make sure the hand grip area is smooth, free of knots or a potentially abrasive surface.  Insure that the grip area is not too big or too small.  You going to be carrying it for a while, so a comfortable grip is key.

• Finally, find a stick that’s already on the ground.  Don’t go tearing branches off a healthy tree.  Likely it will be too green to do you much good anyway.

A good walking stick can be of real benefit when walking on uneven or difficult terrain.  It can be that third leg that will help you maintain your balance and prevent a fall or twisted joint. In the right circumstances, a walking staff has its place among important pieces of your walking equipment assortment.

Technorati Tags: exercise walking, fitness walking, hiking staff, walking, Walking Equipment, Walking Gear, Walking Safety, walking stick

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Many fitness walkers rely upon the pedometer as their primary piece of walking equipment/gear when attempting to measure and monitor the intensity of their exercise activity.   Fewer used an equally important devise, the heart rate monitor.

What are they and what do they do?

Obviously, as their name would imply, they are a devise similar to the electrocardiograph at your physician’s office.  A piece of gear that monitors your heart rate, measured in beats per minute, taken during your walking or other exercise routines.  This provides you with a standard to measure the intensity level of your work out.  More than simply a recording devise, a monitor can help you design and structure your exercise routine to maximize its’ efficiency, enabling you to get the most from the time you spend.

How do you use one?

The best way to use a heart monitor is in conjunction with your own personal “target heart rate zones”.    A target heart rate zones start with establishing your “maximum heart rate” (MHR) which is a somewhat theoretical but useful measure of the fastest rate at which your heart can beat.  I say its’ theoretical because it is based on math formulas, although there is a procedure for verification.  The most commonly used formula is 220 minus your age.  So if your 40 years old you MHR is 180 beats per minute.  There are more precise formulas but I’ll save that for another post.  Once you’ve determined you MHR, the zones are simply a percentage of that number.  In our example a 50-60% zone would be 90 to 108 beats per minute (180X50%/60%).  Training experts generally establish 5 target heat rate zones and associate them with specific exercise goals.

1. 50-60% Zone – heart strengthens, you reduce your body fat and   blood pressure.  Overall health improves but not strength or endurance.
2. 60-70% Zone – At this level your fat burning increases significantly strength and endurance begin to improve.
3. 70-80% Zone – More body fat burning and increased strengthening of the heat and lungs.
4. 80-90% Zone – Here you’re beginning to burn muscle since the heart can’t pump enough oxygen.
5. 90-100% Zone – You don’t want to go there.

Most exercise routines focus on numbers 1,2,3 and don’t venture into the last two.

Again, in our example, Zone 1 would be walking at a pace that gets your heart rate into the 90 to 108 beats per minute range.  Exercise walking at that rate would improve your overall health but wouldn’t do much for your endurance.

Developing a Heart Rate Based Exercise Routine

The idea here is to design a walking routine that varies its’ speed to increase or decrease your heart rate to help you quickly achieve your overall exercise objectives ie. lose weight, increase endurance, etc. For those who are interested in simply improving their overall health and those just starting out, Zone 1 should be the target.  For anything more, a variation of 1, 2 and 3 would be appropriate.  For example, a third of your total exercise time spent in each of the first three zones.  Changing the zone allotment as your strength and endurance goes up or down. Note:  During a routine it’s always best to break them into some sort of a warm-up, increase, max, warm-down configuration.

Once you’re established your target heart rate zone and programed them into your heart rate monitor, it will do the rest.  Informing you when you’ve reached your target and how long you’ve maintained it.

Brands

There are a wide variety of monitors on the market with a wide array of features, at a wide array of prices.  Have a good idea of what type of routine or goals you want to pursue and then match them the brand or model as best you can.  Consumerresearch.com ranks the Timex T5G971 Unisex Sports Personal Heart Rate Monitor Watch and the Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor as two of the best monitors on the market.

Monitoring your heart rate can give you the tool you need to maximize the effectiveness of you fitness walking activities.  It helps you better plan your walking pace to get maximum effect for each minute your out on the road.  Thereby helping you achieve your goals with less time and effort.  Its’ a piece of walking equipment that gives you a real bang for the buck.

Technorati Tags: beats per minute, exercise, exercise walking, fitness walking, heart rate, heart rate monitor, traget heart rate zone, walking

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Snow, Ice, Sleet when will it end?  But perhaps a more important question is,   Will our concerns about walking safety end our walking routines?

Walking during the winter months can be difficult.  Many of us resort to walking indoors or employ walking equipment (treadmills, etc.) of some sort to maintain our exercise routines until spring arrives.  Right about now we are likely bored to death and yearning for the outdoors.  Just a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery.  However, walking in snow and ice can be a challenge, no question about it.  Slipping, sliding, falling and the potential for injury are real dangers and should give us a moment’s pause.  However, at the end of the day, we can’t let a bit of ice and snow or an overpowering sense of boredom erase all our time, hard work and effort.

There are steps we can take to minimize the likelihood of us ending our walk on our derriere or in traction.

• The first rule is don’t overdress.  Although you need to stay warm don’t overdo it.  Too much clothing, particularly if you’re not use to it, can negatively affect your balance and mobility making you more susceptible to a fall.  So dress warm by all means.  Follow proper layering guidelines but don’t dress like the Michelin Man.

• Wear walking sneakers with a gripping tread design, not smooth surfaced.  Be sure that your sneakers have adequate tread and not too worn to give you an adequate grip.  Most quality walking sneaker tread is designed to handle navigating slippery surfaces.  If you live in wintery climes and are uncertain about the traction you shoes provide, a good source of information is your local athletic shoe store.

• In the way of specifically designed walking equipment, there are traction cleats that you attach to your sneakers to give you extra grip and support.  Yaktrax is among the most popular.

• Slow down you walking pace a bit and keep an open eye well in front.  Plan your walk a few steps ahead to avoid potentially slippery areas.  If your walking route takes you on blacktop watch for “black ice”.  I was introduced to this phenomenon one frightening day when I found my car moving sideways down the highway at 60 miles per hour.

• Walk with your feet pointed outward slightly.  It helps with your balance.

• Walking on snow is easier than ice, so stay on snow whenever possible.  It will surely make the walk more difficult of but you’ll get the added benefit of an extraordinary cardio workout.

• Keep your hands free.   Lean forward slightly and keep your arms out away from your body a bit more than usual.  This should provide additional balance and a brace should you in fact slip and fall.

• Shorten up your pace.  Take short steps rather than your usual long stride.

• Sidewalks are a bit of a problem.  Walking is easier but if they are shoveled clean they will usually have periodic ice patches.  If they’ve been salted it probably best to use them.  If not, snow depth permitting, it would be best to walk besides them.  As with all things you’ll need to exercise a little judgment when deciding which way to go.

Hey no one said it was going to be easy.  Walking safety in snow and ice can be troublesome.  But if you need to “get out and about”, just do it.  No need to be overly concerned.  Simply take a few extra precautions.  The important thing is to keep going.   Spring will be here before you know it.

Technorati Tags: exercise walking, fitness walking, ice, snow, walking, Walking Equipment, walking sneakers, winter walking

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