How many times have you been ask “What do you want for Christmas?”.  Personally, I’m always a bit conflicted about that question.  I don’t want get too specific since what I suggest may be beyond what the person is willing or able to pay.  Plus, quite frankly, knowing what the gift is takes some of the magic of opening it come Christmas morning.   It seems the best approach to resolve this dilemma is to generate a list.  A list provides the gift giver a range of prices to select from and it maintains some of the wide eyed splendor when it’s finally opened.  So that’s what we’re going to do.  Generate a list of great walking equipment gifts for the exercise walker to forwarded on to your friends, family members or the “significant other” in your life.   That is unless you’re fortunate enough that he or she shares your interest in exercise walking, in which case you can use it as your guide in the gift selection process.

    Ipod or MP3 Player.  This is typically one of the most popular gifts of the season but as a walker you likely already have one.  But if it’s like mine, it doesn’t have much memory and it’s gotten banged up a bit over the years.  So if you need or want an upgrade or replacement, we suggest a flash memory devise with at least 4 gigabytes storage.  You can get flash memory up to 32GB if you have a ton of music to download. 

     A High Visibility Safety Vest.  During the winter months we often find ourselves walking in the dark.  An outer vest with reflective strips will help insure that you’re visible to traffic.  Can never go wrong with a gift of safety.  It says you really care. 

      Walking Socks.  Yes I know that this along with ties are the standing  jokes of Christmas gifts, but not the case for an exercise walker.  Socks are a serious business.  Get a pair or two of a blend of wool and acrylic or polypropylene. 

     Rain Poncho.  An inexpensive stocking stuffer.  Get a thin plastic hooded version, light and compact enough to fit in a pocket or fanny pack. 

     Fanny Pack.  Get one with a pocket for a water bottle plus a good sized pack for storage. 

     Pedometer.  This is a great walking equipment item to help keep track of your walking activity and progress, a real motivator.    There is a wide variety of brands and models, with a myriad of styles and features, so you can stay simple or get real fancy. 

      A Small Flashlight.  Again walking in the dark can be dangerous.  A small flashlight can help get you noticed by oncoming traffic.  A LED style would be best.  They don’t use much energy and recent versions do put out some significant light. 

         Heart Rate Monitor.  Indispensible for someone trying to maintain a certain levels of exercise intensity.  Usually found in a watch configuration. 

       Water Bottle.  You can get fancy or plain here as well.  But be sure to get one with at least a 24 ounce capacity and fitted with a strap in case you didn’t get the fanny pack. 

         Magazine Subscription.  Here are a couple of excellent ones.  Walk About Magazine and Walk!

So here it is, the Walking Equipment Gift List for 2009.  Send in on.  A reminder to the person who receives it…there is nothing like giving the gift of health to those you love and care about. The list probably won’t change much next year so be sure to bookmark this post and send it our again next December.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday to all.

If you have an additional gift ideas be sure to share them below

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Walking Safety is really three separate and somewhat diverse subjects. There is personal safety, how to stay out of or handle any security issues you may encounter on your walk. The second, injury prevention, how to avoid exercise related physical difficulties. Finally traffic safety, how to avert a potentially painful encounter with a motor vehicle. Each has it’s own rules and procedures as well as it’s own list of equipment requirements. I’ll cover the other two in the coming months but for today’s post I’ll focus on the traffic issue.

The Problem

What’s at stake here? Simply put, pedestrian/motor vehicle accidents are a significant problem . When a car and a pedestrian collide, there is high probability of serious injury and death. The United States alone has nearly 5,000 pedestrian/car related deaths (700 of them childern) and another 64,000 injuries each and every year.

Some other sobering statistics from the National Highway Traffic Association and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

- On average, a pedestrian is injured in a traffic accident every 8  minutes.
- On average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic accident every 111 minutes.
- In 2005, the per capita pedestrian death rate was 1.6 per 100,000 people.

- 85.7 % of all non-fatal pedestrian accidents and 72 percent of pedestrian deaths occurred in urban settings

-The vast majority of fatal pedestrian/motor vehicle collisions occur on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in later evening or twilight hours.

Clearly this is an issue that requires a bit of a walker’s time and attention.

The Solution

When these accidents occur, the motorist is often at fault yet the walker too must bear some responsibility for doing his or her utmost in preventing a mishap. That responsibility is – to stay alert at all times and make yourself as visible, as conspicuous as possible. By that I mean paying attention to where we walk, when we walk, how we walk and how we dress.

Tips

The following are some walking tips and equipment guides to help insure that you have a high visibility quotient during your walking routine.

-Walk on sidewalks where ever available.

-Walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic. You’ll be in a better position to anticipate and react to oncoming vehicles. Especially important when you’re physically on a road rather than a sidewalk.

-Be alert at all times and be aware of factors that might impact motorist visibility or ability to stop. For example sun, ice, rain, snow or fog.

-Be exceptionally cautious when approaching blind curves where you may not be visible to oncoming traffic.

-Walk on roads with wide shoulders.

-Anticipate potentially dangerous situations and be ready to take action if necessary. Don’t assume that the car will avoid you.

-Cross a street only at an intersections and always yield the right-of-way to vehicles. Right on red rules can be a real problem for the walker. So stay alert and pay attention to cars in the curb lane.

-Obey all traffic rules and signals.

- If you’re using a radio or Ipod use only one ear bud. Use the open ear to listen to what’s going on around you.

- When crossing a street come to a complete stop and look left, right, and then left again

- Make eye contact with waiting drivers when crossing a busy street

- When walking at night chose a well lit route

From an walking equipment perspective:

- Wear reflective clothing or accessories at dawn, dusk, or nighttime and bright, visible clothing at other times.

- Carry a flashlight when walking in the dark. Swing it side to side when a car approaches. Front to back swinging may cause glare and create confusion with the driver.

Oh, and one final tip, there is one thing you should always assume…that the other guy isn’t paying attention.

Cars and walkers frequently share the same resource. Mutual respect and awareness is the key to a safe coexistence. The walker however is at a distinct disadvantage in any sort of “confrontation” and needs to take extra precautions to avoid them at all costs. Walking safety is visibility and awareness.

Follow the rules and stay safe and secure .

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