OK, let me announce my limits as a walker. I don’t walk where there are vicious animals.I don’t walk on fire. And I hate walking when its below -15 C, especially with a wind chill. Chicken-sh*t? I own that. With that out of the way, let me encourage everyone of us walkers not to give up in such cold weather. We have options.
One is the many “walk-in-the-halls” programs where you can walk in lighted, safe and warm surroundings to your heart’s content. I’ve tried that but its not enough. My choice was to sign up with a local gym where they have treadmills and elliptical machines. I agree with a no-nonsense local trainer who calls this stuff “dog-sh*t”, but, in the absence of an outdoor trail without lethal conditions, you take what you can get.
This offers me a way to walk on an “as-if” path with ups and downs, at whatever speed I care to go. I use the same walking tunes and shoes, so its not totally unfamiliar. Of course I would rather look at trees and ponds than TSN highlights.
What I particularly appreciate about the machines is the pre-sets which give me a simulation of a hill walk, with ups and downs. It is pretty much non-negotiable, so when it tells me to boot it up a slope, either I do that or embarrass myself by dialing down. My pride doesn’t like that.
The other advantage of a gym environment is that I can combine some mat work or rowing machine or weight routines with my walk. This keeps the days varied and increases the strength-building element of my walks. I can hardly wait for warmer weather, but the treadmill is a not-bad alternative.
Yours , on the journey,
Ray
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet
Thich Nhat Hahn
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