What’s Your Holiday Fitness Plan?
Our Walk New York to L.A. fitness challenge is drawing to a close, but it was only the jumping-off point for your next goal! How are you keeping it moving through the holidays? The first readers who tell us in the comments section below will get a fitness DVD, gadget or workout clothes until the Heart & Soul fitness closet is empty! Say it in a couple of sentences, and don’t forget to include your clothing sizes! Read More
Slash Your Risk of Dying From Breast Cancer
Breast cancer still claims the lives of about 40,000 women annually (180,000 will be newly diagnosed this year), but there is a simple way to lower your risk of succumbing to this disease: exercise. Recent research from the University of South Carolina found that just five hours a week of walking cuts your risk of death by more than 50 percent. Don’t have five free hours? Twenty minutes a day trims the risk by a third. The study, the first to connect fitness levels and the risk... Read More
Walk New York to L.A.: Take Care of Your Knees
Having knee pain? Here are some tips to take care of this joint: Check with your doctor to determine what’s causing your knee pain or discomfort. Choose Softer Surfaces Try running and walking on padded indoor and outdoor tracks, sand, grass and packed soil. If you have a choice between concrete and asphalt, opt for the blacktop; it’s got a little more give. Do Lower Impact Exercise Walking, swimming and other water workouts, indoor or outdoor cycling and working out... Read More
Walk New York to L.A.: Dogs Are a Walker’s Best Friend
Looking for a walking partner? A recent study found that those who walked with a dog walked faster than those who had human strolling buddies. The study, from the Research Center for Animal-Human Interaction at the University of Missouri, has its limitations. It was small and limited to participants 54 and older. But the numbers are clear: Dog walkers walked 28 percent faster over the course of the study. Humans walking with humans sped up only 4 percent. Dogs can’t say, “Let’s... Read More
Walk New York to L.A.: Best Stretches for Walkers and Runners
Keeping your whole body limber is a good idea, but walkers and runners often need to pay extra attention to their hips, hamstrings and calves, especially when just starting out or adding more distance or speed to a workout. Warm up. March in place. Do the electric slide. Try a simple standing yoga pose (see the chair pose below) to get those muscles, tendons and joints warm. Don’t bounce. Bouncing tells your muscles to tighten. If you want to expand or deepen a stretch, take... Read More
Walk New York to L.A.-Food: Healthy Snacking
Need a little something before a workout to take the edge off or afterward to hold you until dinnertime? Grab a bite, just keep it small–around 300 calories or less. Need some nosh ideas? Try them alone or combine two or three for a carb-and-protein balanced snack: a small piece of fruit yogurt oatmeal half a sandwich string cheese canned tuna, water or oil packed peanut butter on whole-wheat pita chips hummus baby carrots turkey or beef jerky small frozen entrée a cup of low-sodium... Read More
Walk New York To L.A.: Tips to Keep You Moving
When rubbed the wrong way… As the weather warms and you log more miles, avoid getting sidelined by chafing and blisters with a few precautions and remedies. Check the fit Be sure your shoes, bra, top and bottoms fit comfortably, especially in hot spots where your thighs rub together, where your swinging arms rub against your sides and where the back of your shoe rubs above your heel. Avoid cotton Silkier feeling synthetics are a smoother choice. Cotton traps moisture, despite... Read More
2010 Fitness Challenge: Walk NYC to L.A. With Heart & Soul
Are you ready to shape up, get healthy and accept a challenge? Then lace up your shoes, put on your jacket and grab your iPod. We’re walking to Los Angeles! Over the next 12 months we’ll cover 2,462 miles—the distance between New York City and Los Angeles. That’s right. New York to L.A. We officially kick off in January—just in time to help you to keep those New Year’s fitness resolutions. But don’t wait. Start logging your steps now. The steps you take after you... Read More
