As with everything in this day and age, even walking is getting technical and you can buy things to make your daily walking trips even better and more state of the art.
I have "sort of" fallen into that trap with my new Fitbit. The last one I had was perfectly fine, but I wanted one with more bells and whistles. So that cost me $226.00. Money well spent as far as I am concerned, but pricey all the same.
I then spent $110 on a pair of decent walking shoes. I could have put up with my other walking shoes, but as I need my feet to be in tip top condition while walking, it was money well spent.
Clothes to walk in. I will say I have not fallen into that trap of buying fancy lycra leggings and tops to strut around in. One, because I have perfectly good clothes to walk in and two, me and lycra are not the best friends. You should be pretty thin to wear lycra. When you have extra rolls of body fat you don't need to squeeze it into lycra so you look like a stuffed sausage!
I will say though I may invest in some fluorescent clothing soon, as the amount of times people have nearly ran me over. I would love to say I am so skinny so they can't see me, but that is not the case, and as the mornings and nights are drawing in, it may be a wise investment. Wal-Mart has a $6 yellow fluorescent man's t-shirt that I can pop over my current clothing!! And yes I walk towards to traffic, so no excuse of me not seeing them either.
A popular item around here are Nordic Urban Poles
If you click on the link above it tells you more about them. It does say this in the information:
"These premium-quality Urban Poles are built for fitness and engineered for performance, safety and comfort. Burn up to 46% more calories than walking without poles, and easily strengthen your core with the help of our unique strapless ergonomic handle that engages your core muscles as you walk."
I haven't got them but will say they do look a handy thing to have when the weather gets icy and I know I have a weak posture.
A lot of people walk around with ear buds in listening to one thing or another to pass the time. I have an ipod nano mini, that I have had for years, that I use occasionally:
Can you even get them now? Mine is a red one. I do like to let my mind wander when walking, so don't need music to keep me entertained.
Do you have things you need to have when walking? Or things that are on your wish list?
Walking stats for Wednesday:
Miles Walked: 5.64
Steps Walked: 13,300
Minutes exercised: 86
Floors climbed: 22
9 comments:
You can certainly get caught up in the money trap. I use a free step counter on my iphone that syncs with a food tracking program I use. I see lots of oeople using fkash lights or those ones that fit on your head for the darker mornings and evenings. I don't use music as I love to listen to nature. Most of my walking is done on trails by the bay. You are doing well with your walking and I bet you are seeing results.
I walk a lot, & particularly as it gets closer to our relay (Portland to Coast). I use my running shoes, my phone for music, & tend to run in the early morning. I do have a headlamp (required equipment for my relay anyway), and use my old Garmin watch for pace/timing. It's 5 years old, and was a huge investment at the time ($300, I think?), but works amazingly well.
Walking is fabulous, although running helps me keep my weight in check more. I definitely prefer walking, but try to mix in with running occasionally for the calorie burn benefits.
I see those safety vests that road workers wear are on sale at Giant Tiger for less than $10. A lot of the walkers/runners and cyclists in my area wear them.
I use an iPod that I love. I spend on good walking shoes. The only other thing I bought were a set of slip on spikes for walking in the winter. They are from Shoppers. I should say for winter walking I have warm mitts and a hat. Great walking.
Poles are very popular here as well. My friend bought a pair to help her get back into walking after knee replacement surgery. She loves them.
In the winter I walk when it is still dark out in the morning, Harvey was worried and so bought me a bright yellow toque. He even makes me wear it.
God bless.
I would look like a sausage to
I've seen walkers here who use the poles. What's essential are the good shoes, but they are going to wear down faster than they otherwise would.
If you follow my posts you'll know I do a LOT of walking :) so a heartfelt congrats to you for getting out there! I carry a small, two compartment pouch over my shoulder that contains my phone and my camera as sometimes I want to take a picture or two as I walk along. I use a walking pole only when I am walking in rough terrain. Once when I was walking I tripped over a tree root and one of my walking poles flew down into a ravine! Never found it; happily I prefer to use only one so that I have a free hand. So, don't spend too much on walking poles unless you stick to even terrain :)
I do a LOT of walking, but as a need, (car-free) not a hobby, so I don't bother with any 'extras' at all. I can see that it definitely adds up though! However, i think supprotive well made shoes are always a *must* and definitely worth the $$!
Post a Comment