With Bloomsday right around the corner, it seems an appropriate time to talk about walking for fitness in Spokane. While a lot of people think about running Bloomsday and watching it from various locations, an even greater number of people actually walk it instead.

I wanted to talk about walking for several reasons, not the least of which being the health benefits that can come from it.

Walking for Fun and Fitness in Spokane

According to an article I found by the Mayo Clinic, walking can produce the following benefits:

• It’s safe and easy (no practice needed)
• It’s low impact
• It can help put you in a better mood
• It can lower your LDL (or “lousy” cholesterol)
• It can help improve your HDL (or “happy” cholesterol)
• It can help lower blood pressure
• It can help you lose weight
• It can help reduce stress

Personally, walking would be worth it for the reduction in stress alone, but then, I have a pretty full household and it’s a great escape when I need a breather.

The Beauty of Walking in Spokane

The beauty of walking is that you can do it just about anywhere without any major special equipment. A good pair of walking shoes, weather appropriate clothing and you’re good to go.

Another great thing about walking for fun or fitness in Spokane is that you can do it with friends. Walking with friends is actually a fantastic way to catch up on each other’s goings on, get some fresh air and exercise and it’s also a terrific way to measure your stride.

When you are walking for fitness, you should be slightly breathless but not completely out of breath and still able to carry on a conversation. When you hit that point, you know you are walking at a good pace that will not only help burn calories but increase the other health benefits as well.

Spokane Walking Clubs

If you look for excuses to do things with your friends because there’s not enough time in the day (believe me, I am so there with you) then start a walking club. It’s a great reason to get together and you can even bring your kids with you if they’re still at home.

Our moms group at church goes to different Spokane Parks throughout the summer with the kids. Walking through some of the gardens is not only beautiful but refreshing and fun too. Everybody needs some beauty to look at.

If you’re working then form a group that can walk at lunch. Even 15 or 20 minutes of walking every day can be good for you. (Help you detox after your boss drives you crazy all morning!)

If you want to walk and don’t know where to start, find a good personal trainer to help you with your fitness plan. Zach Hunt at Physzique in Spokane is great at helping you work out a plan that’s right for you.

That way, you can start your own walking for fun and fitness in Spokane. Make strides!!

Opening the Dictionary On Bloomsday for Motivation

With Spokane’s Bloomsday 2009 quickly approaching, you may be thinking it is to late to get in on the fun and fitness.

Don’t despair, there are plenty of good reasons to start walking or running now to ready yourself for this fun race and below are the definitions of such words from A to Z. So sit back and remind yourself of these words and apply them to your Bloomsday regimen.

• Achieve - to bring about an intended result; accomplish some purpose or effect.
• Believe - to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.
• Courage - the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.
• Drive - to strive vigorously toward a goal or objective; to work, play, or try wholeheartedly and with determination.
• Endurance - the ability or strength to continue or last, esp. despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina.
• Fortitude - mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously.
• Goal - the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.
• Headstrong - proceeding from or exhibiting willfulness.
• Imagine to form a mental image of (something not actually present to the senses).
• Jumpstart - to enliven or revive
• Living - having life; being alive; not dead; active or thriving; vigorous; strong.
• Motivate - to provide with an incentive; move to action; impel.
• Nutrition - the process of nourishing or being nourished, especially the process by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and for replacement of tissues.
• Optimism - a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.
• Perseverance - steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
• Quick - done, proceeding, or occurring with promptness or rapidity, as an action, process, etc.; prompt; immediate: a quick response.
• Resilience - ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like; buoyancy.
  
• Strength - the quality or state of being strong, bodily or muscular power; vigor; mental power.
• Training - the education, instruction, or discipline of a person or thing that is being trained.
• Urge - to push or force along; impel with force or vigor; to drive with incitement to speed or effort.
• Victory - a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.
• Willpower - control of one’s impulses and actions; self control.
• X-ecute - to carry out; accomplish; to perform or to do.  (ok I know this one may be pushing it, but finding a motivational x word is not easy).
• Yearn - to have an earnest or strong desire; long.
• Zeal - a success or triumph over an enemy in battle or war.

After thinking this through I am sure you feel ready to jump up and get training for Spokane Bloomsday 2009. Keep in mind to pace yourself as to not injure yourself and if you are truly dedicated to being ready in time visit Physzique Fitness where Zach Hunt will get ready for race day and keep you full of words to run by.

Are you searching for your Spokane Fitness Freedom?

Have you always wanted to have a fit, toned body but feel trapped in an overweight, out of shape shell?

Do you shy away from doing things that require physical activity, worried that you would not keep up with the other people or that you might embarrass yourself?

Do you long for the energy and freedom that comes with being fit?

Have you made and broke so many fitness resolutions that you’ve lost count? Do you get down on yourself when you break those resolutions?

Have you ever wondered why it has been so difficult for you to stick with a weight loss regimen? Do you beat yourself up for not sticking with it?

If you are like me you answered yes every one of these questions. Its the last one that really haunts my thoughts. “Why can’t I stick to it?”

A Quest for Spokane Fitness Freedom

That question sent me on a quest of self discovery. What I found is that I have this fitness thing backwards. I thought that if I get in shape I will have more self confidence and will feel better. Thinking that being in shape will bring me the fitness freedom I so desire.

In reality, the reason I have not been able to stick with my fitness regimen is that the mental fitness comes BEFORE the physical fitness.

Getting in shape physically starts with getting in shape mentally by breaking the cycle that gets you overweight and depressed. Fitness freedom in Spokane starts with four simple steps.

1. Manage your self talk! Find positive things to encourage yourself with.  Tell yourself “I can and will do this!” When doubt creeps in it is vitally important to manage your self talk and IGNORE the negative thoughts.

2.Build yourself up! Work on your positive self image and self acceptance. Read inspirational books or magazines. Post positive affirmations on your mirror. Do anything that helps you feel good about who you are and what you are doing. Stop being critical and be kind to yourself.

3. Take Action TODAY! Not tomorrow, not next week but TODAY! Set your goal, identify what needs to be done and then take the steps.  If your goal is to run Bloomsday I am not saying to go run five miles today.  I am saying just start. Start small if you need to then work your way up.  Focus your mental and physical energy on what you CAN do! You will feel better about yourself mentally and physically.

4. Stay Active. Be committed to what you set out to do. It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit so form a fitness habit. It takes discipline but consistency is real the key. Develop a routine and commit it to paper or your calendar. It’s better to consistently do something moderate daily than it is to have an extreme fitness routine that burns you out within a few weeks.

Don’t be fooled by these four seemingly simple steps. They are not easy steps so give yourself some grace.

Keep in mind that everyone fails and falls down.  Always get back up and keep trying. 

Remember, tomorrow is another day, another chance to begin again. Achieving your Spokane fitness freedom can be difficult and challenging but it is equally as rewarding.

Finding the Fit You!

I also recommend getting a coach to help you achieve to your fitness goals. All great people have coaches or mentors so why not you? It can be a friend, a family member, a professional; anyone that inspires, you encourages you and holds you accountable to your goals.

I chose to go with a professional, Zach Hunt. He is a personal trainer and owner of Phyzique Personal Fitness.  He pushes me to go harder and farther in my workouts and holds me accountable.

As you feel more confident the more you will do. The more you do the better you will feel. It’s a positive cycle that once started can and will take on a life of its own. You will find yourself climbing upward, out of your despair and well on your way to your Spokane Fitness Freedom.