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My early morning walk is a very important part of my daily routine. I love walking in the midst of nature and the whole experience acts as a real tonic that sets me up for the rest of the day. As well as boosting my heart and soul, it puts 3000 steps onto my Fitbit and that spurs me on to be more active throughout the day.
As many of you will be aware, I live with arthritis in my hands and feet and more recently I have been suffering with a painful knee which has meant that walking had become even more uncomfortable. Thankfully, I had a partial knee replacement in early June and was fully recovered after just three weeks, which was wonderful because I could get back to walking in the woods again.
Before you think ‘how on earth did you do that?’ I need to explain that a partial knee replacement is significantly less traumatic than a full knee replacement. Recovery is much quicker, but only if you put in the effort with the physiotherapy exercises – which I did. And whilst everyone was amazed at how swiftly I returned to walking normally again, and achieving good flexibility in my ‘new’ knee, I am told by my physio that this had only been possible because I was a regular exerciser.
My daily 30-minute walk, which I have done since lockdown, as well as my regular strength workouts, thankfully gave me the fundamental strength enabling my legs to be fitter. This, in turn, enabled me to recover more quickly and effectively from my operation, and after four weeks I was back teaching aerobics at my classes again.
So, when Mary and I constantly bang the drum each week in this Newsletter for you to go for a 30+ minute walk every day, and to do three strength workouts every week, there is a reason: It is fundamental to our overall fitness.
In her Fun, Facts and Fitness section this week, Mary explains the very best way to walk to maximise our health and fitness. After reading it, I have put her ideas into practice and I can definitely feel the difference.
Whilst I appreciate that not everyone finds walking easy, it is a basic necessity of living independently. I would encourage everyone who can walk to make the effort to try to go for a walk every day, even if it is only for a short distance. See how far you can manage. If you are able to add a few extra steps every day, progressively, you will be amazed at the difference it will make to your general health and wellbeing. That’s the great thing about any form of exercise, our body responds remarkably quickly if we keep on practising.
Walking is a fundamental part of our being able to enjoy ‘high-quality living years’. I don’t believe anyone would want to live to a ripe old age if they had no quality of life. For many of us, we are fortunate enough to have a choice and we really shouldn’t waste a moment in trying to keep ourselves fit and active.
If you are not sure which shoes might be the most comfortable for walking it is wise to select those that are cushioned and offer some support. Personally, I wear sturdy walking boots for my early morning walks in the wood but for everything else I wear Skechers as they really work for me. You might like to see our video on Fashion Trainers. They are quite an eye-opener.
As a Chief Medical Officer commented some years ago: ‘Exercise is like investing in a super-saver bank account that pays double dividends!’
It burns calories, burns fat, makes our body less likely to store fat and helps us to stay healthy. So let’s do it!
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Fashion Trainers
Rosemary explains why she is a fan of the brand ‘Skechers’ as they are fashionable and super-comfortable as well as practical!
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Serves 4
Per serving: 303 calories, 3.5g fat
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
900g sweet potatoes, peeled
2 leeks, washed and sliced
100g thin ham, chopped
2 - 3 tbsps semi-skimmed milk
100g low-fat mature cheese, grated
pinch of nutmeg
4 medium-sized tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, Gas Mark 6.
- Boil the potatoes in a large pan of water with a vegetable stock cube until soft. Drain the potatoes, then mash them, adding the leeks, ham and milk.
- Using a wooden spoon, fold in half the cheese with a pinch of nutmeg and season to taste with black pepper, then pile the potato mixture into an ovenproof dish.
- Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve with unlimited fresh vegetables (excluding potatoes) or salad.
Chef's tip: Slice the leeks very fine, so they don’t need pre-cooking before adding to the potatoes
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Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
I am inclined to say I am a bit of a people watcher and I think most of us probably are to some extent. Someone really interested in fashion may look at what people are wearing, or a hairdresser may focus on someone's hairstyle. But for me, being concerned about a person’s health and fitness, I look particularly at the way people move!
I frequently find myself feeling concerned for either runners or walkers who I observe, who are in the habit of using such poor technique that they run the risk of injury. The activity that is meant to keep them fit and healthy may ultimately be causing long-term damage to their body. For example, runners are most at risk due to poor foot placement and by the high-impact nature of running on a hard surface.
Even with those of us who just like to go walking regularly, it is possible that our technique needs some adjustment, allowing the joints and muscles to work in harmony and therefore reducing our risk of injury.
So, for this week I am thinking it is worth exploring the techniques needed to help you get the very best out of your daily walks. For me, it comes down to the three 'P's, Posture – Placement – Pace and I will explore each one in detail in the hopes that on your very next walk, you will be whispering to yourself... the 3 ‘P’s... the 3 ‘P’s... Concentrate on the 3 ‘P's!
1. P is for Posture
An older lady who lives near me walks past my house fairly frequently and at quite a pace, intimating that she is a regular walker (which of course is brilliant). But I have observed that both her arms are pulled back behind her as she walks because she has such a pronounced forward lean from her hips. This means that she needs the arms in that position in order to counterbalance her weight to prevent her from falling. Now this is extreme, I admit, but it does demonstrate just how poor posture can become. Poor posture over time will create problems from mal-aligned joint positions, which in turn affects how the muscles work that are attached to the bones. Not good news!
Poor posture is often a result of hunched shoulders which tighten the chest and inhibit our breathing, or dropping our chin to look down at the ground. This has the same effect by inhibiting airflow,
- Relax your shoulders - pull them down and back, as if trying to draw back our shoulder blades into our back pockets. By doing all of this, we can’t help but to engage our core which is great for toning our tummy as well as providing valuable back support.
- Think tall - keep your head up and glance down with your eyes to look 10 feet ahead, checking the surface underfoot.
2. P is for Placement of the Feet
Some large major muscles in our lower body work to power us along as we walk, and if we use our feet as they are designed to be used, then that will ensure the muscles ride across the joints in the correct alignment. Walkers should hit the ground squarely on the heel with toes lifted high in front of us. That allows our ankle to move through its full range of movement. We then push off the big toe behind us to complete the stride.
- Ensure you have good footwear - this will give you good cushioning and the right amount of support. There is plenty of variety on the market but I have to say that, like Rosemary, for choice, quality and a good price I tend to buy Sketchers. The ones I like are designed specifically for walking.
3. P is for Pick up the Pace
If we are walking regularly, we will find that we naturally walk quicker than we did when we first started. This is great news because we will be increasing our overall fitness, challenging our cardiovascular system more and burning more calories. To pick up the pace does not mean taking bigger steps but more of them. This means that the number of steps we take per minute goes up but the length of our stride remains the same. To over-stride is not comfortable and would put a strain on our joints that we simply don't need.
There are three levels of walking pace to explore and it all revolves around how long it takes to walk a mile. It is called the One Mile Walking Test. The exact distance of a mile is 4 times round the inside lane of a running track but I'm sure your Fitbit will be able to measure it for you on your daily walk.
The Health-Walker
- Male - More than 16 minutes
- Female - More than 17 minutes
The Fitness-Walker
- Male - 12 - 15 minutes
- Female - 13 - 16 minutes
The Power-Walker
- Male - Less than 12 minutes
- Female - Less than 13 minutes
It is well worth timing yourself occasionally, particularly if you want to move up a fitness level. If you are increasing your intensity by walking at a faster pace, it is worth having your arms bent at a right angle. This will help you, for as you move faster, you will find if the arm isn’t bent, you cannot complete the swing fast enough. It also avoids swelling in the hands, as bending your elbow will help avoid the blood being pulled into your hands by gravity.
So hopefully all this information may inspire you to take good note of the 3 ‘P's on every walk you take. Not only will you improve the way you walk with your posture and your foot placement, but you will also significantly improve your health, fitness and calorie spend by upping the pace. I wish you well!
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This Week's Fitness Challenge
- On your daily 30+ minute walks this week check the 3 ‘P's. Walk tall (Posture), purposefully do a good heel-toe foot strike (Placement), and add some extra intensity when you can (Pace).
- Strong muscles help to power you along on your walks so ensure you do 3 Strength Workouts this week.
- Remember to do the Post-Walk Stretches from our website and ensure you stretch after every walk and exercise session.
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Did you know... 
A four-minute mile is the completion of a flat one-mile run (1609m) in four minutes or less.
It was first officially achieved in 1954 by Roger Bannister, at age 25, in 3:59.4. As of June 2022, the "four-minute barrier" has been broken by 1,755 athletes, and is now a standard of professional middle-distance runners in several cultures. In the 69 years since Bannister set the pace, the mile record has been lowered by almost 17 seconds and currently stands at 3:43.13 achieved by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999 at age 24. Running a mile in four minutes translates to a speed of 15 miles per hour.
 In June 2011 the watch used to time the original record was donated by Jeffrey Archer to a charity auction for Oxford University Athletics Club; it sold for £97,250!
No woman has yet run a four-minute mile. The women's world record currently stands at 4:12.33, set by Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands in July 2019.
Photograph by user:Jonathan Bowen - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1725293
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And finally...
Whether we are a regular walker or someone who is about to have a try at a gentle morning stroll, anything we do that causes us to move is fantastic for our health.
Let’s all do our best this week to make a big effort to move more!
Have a great week.
With love and best wishes,
Rosemary Conley CBE DL
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LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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