November Thoughts

Where has the year flown - my walks keep me posted on the seasons. The trees are certainly shedding their leaves fast this year - had only a couple of days to enjoy the colors (late for the Quad Cities) before the winds started. This morning's walk included a stop to talk with a neighbor about some changes to make in my yard next to the north field (not now - need time to think about it for retirement years).

Then, on my route back - lost in thought, almost missed seeing our resident doe and buck "leaping" across the cornfield. Such a sight really made my day! Haven't seen the blue heron by the Canal - hope he just headed south. Although I have seen him other years all through November.

October Skies

Been doing the 4 miles everyday - sometimes cloudy this week but mostly deep blue October skies (even early in the morning). See all the wild critters getting ready for winter.

Love this weather - hope it stays this way through the first week in December.

Shin splints

Kathy tipped me off to a Walking FB site, and on that I saw this. Shin splints are a huge problem for me (that and hating to exercise), so I might try this. And I love big words--"medial tibial stress syndrome" will be my next "organ concert" topic with the retired librarians.

When we were in Illinois last week, the Chicago station we were listening to in the car said it was the best October weather in 18 years. It's been gorgeous also in Ohio, with cool and rainy just showing up a few days ago. But it's times like these I miss our old neighborhood where I could walk to shopping and the library. I could do that here too--if I were 10 years younger and didn't mind dashing across 4 lanes.

Long time no post - have a little more time to walk now - no changes at work, in fact hours working have been more. But in August and October, managed to get weekend trips to Nebraska and Minnesota to see family.

Today - home and just accomplished the 4 miles after puttering around the whole day. The leaves are really slow in turning here. Some Maples have turned - the Oaks are still green. We haven't had a frost yet. Not many people out this afternoon - I'm surprised becaused it is sunny and fairly warm. The "4" was okay, but I really enjoy my early morning walks more. I guess I like to watch the world wake up.

Met my new neighbors - and a really big dog. Big but very friendly!

Logging for 6 months, pt. 5

The rest of August was fairly predictable. Even when we had rain, it was usually at night, with clearing by my morning walk, which became later and later. 20 minutes a day walking and 10 minutes a day strolling, and about 2 bike rides a week were the best I could manage. A few times I got up to 30 minutes. I only missed one day in August--when we returned to Columbus to take the cat to the vet.

Logging in for 6 months, pt. 4

The view of the Pavilion on August 8 at sunrise, all lit up for "Light up Lakeside."

August 7 50 min walking
10 biking
20 strolling
August 8 25 min walking
20 strolling
August 9 30 min walking
20 strolling
August 10 35 min walking
20 strolling
August 11 40 min walking
20 min biking
10 strolling

Logging in for 6 months, pt. 3

August 4 walking 35 min., strolling 20 min.
August 5 walking 40 min., strolling 10 min.
August 6 walking 40 min., strolling 20 min.

Logging in for 6 months, pt. 2

August 2, 25 min. walking, 20 min. strolling, 10 min. ambling
August 3, 40 min. walking, 20 min. strolling, 10 min. ambling

Wonderful breeze from the lake today. Walking is much more fun.

Logging in for 6 months

No doubt about it. I do hate to sweat. However, recent studies of aerobic exercise show that women and men benefit differently. Women get more cognitive benefits, particularly executive function, than men. But it does need to be at least 45-60 minutes a day for 4 days a week for 6 months to show improvement.

Laura D. Baker, "Effects of aerobic exercise on mild cognitive impairment," Archives of Neurology, Jan 2010; 67(1):71-79

So. . .

August 1, 25 minutes of walking, and 20 minutes of strolling.

It's too hot to do much

Landscapers were supposed to come yesterday, but their employer thinks it's not safe. City has also called off road repairs because of dangers for workers. I've been walking between 7 and 7:30 a.m. at a near by shopping center parking lot, because it's mostly shady at that time, and I don't have to walk on concrete. One day I did maybe 10 minutes after lunch, but it was just breathless. Then I might do 20 minutes late in the day on my spinning bike.

Now I'm Back

Long time since I have posted - needed to change e-mail accounts.

Still walking my route of 4 miles to, by, and back from the Hennepin Canal. Fewer walks so far this year, but that is going to change. My walk this morning was purely for pleasure and not for speed. Saw lots of acquaintances along the way. Too late to see the Blue Heron, but saw and heard robins, cardinals, gold finches, wrens, and other birds, as well as the squirrels and rabbits.

Although we have had quite a bit of rain, the mile stretch of the canal path I walk shows that section of the canal as needing dredging. Don't think that will happen - but, maybe it will someday turn into a wetland.

Break time is over - going out to dig in the dirt and plant roses and other flowers.

Back spasms

I began having back spasms Saturday evening, so I only did a tentative slow walk around the condo grounds yesterday and today. The rain has been so persistent, walking really wasn't on the calendar anyway. Columbus set an April record for rain, and May is looking much the same.

Walking in Tustin, California

What a lovely community! And while Columbus is getting a late spring snow dusting, we're enjoying blue skies and palm trees in Orange County, California. We toured "Old town Orange," and "Old town Tustin," both with wonderful arts and crafts and modest Victorian homes, with tidy restored areas and business districts. I walked about 3 miles round trip to buy a Starbucks coffee to put aside for this morning. Shins hurt a little, and we've got quite an agenda for today. I think I'll need to buy another pair of shoes . . .

New Walking shoes

They feel and look like they have little golf balls on the soles. Can't find the ones I liked so much and have used the past 2 years, so I had to try something different. These are only for WALKING--an entire pamphlet was in the box explaing why I must not run or twist in these shoes. L.A. Gear Walk n Tone. On sale at Meijer's.

Today I walked through a condo community that was one of the first places we visited in 1967, because it had been designed by the firm which was interviewing my husband. At that time, it was still an apartment complex, but later the owner sold out to a community. Trouville. I walked for 30 minutes.

Get out and walk! Vigorously!

"Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory, "
PNAS 2011 108 (7) 3017-3022; published ahead of print January 31, 2011

In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study, "scientists started with 120 elderly volunteers who were relatively inactive but did not have dementia. Half were randomly assigned to begin walking 40 minutes a day, three days a week for a year while the remainder only stretched and performed toning exercises for the same time period. After 12 months, the group that walked showed an average 2% growth in the hippocampus compared with when they began, while the control groups suffered a more than 1% shrinkage in the same region compared with when the study started.

“If you estimate the change at an individual level,” says study co-author Arthur Kramer of the University of Illinois, “a yearlong exercise program can turn back the clock about two years with respect to the volume of the hippocampus.” "

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/31/want-to-improve-your-memory-take-a-walk/#ixzz1Euftky36