Join the Balance Walking Movement™: A fit-for-life program that involves a complete system that will help you adjust to a lifestyle that is right for a healthier, more active you, with as little as fifteen minutes per day.

Over the past 30 years having read countless fitness, sport, health books and periodicals I can say that Balance Walking – Turn Back the Clock, is a read that will impact your health & wellness. No matter your fitness level, this read is a keeper. Why? The Book’s foundation is firmly planted in the Chung Shis unique, patented angled sole which encourages a soft heel strike with a natural, forward rolling action. Chung Shi directs the entire body to move through the proper biomechanical motion into a stable, correct gait with a shortened stride. When standing, Chung Shi puts the body into an aligned position taking pressure off the neck, back, joints and feet.

The Benefits of Balance Walking

• Tone and strengthen your abs, buttocks and back

• Stress reduction

• The shoe forces better posture and targets under-utilized muscles, building more muscle mass

• Increased calorie consumption

• Gain benefits in just 15 minutes a day!

Colder weather can sometimes zap the motivation to exercise. Less sun light hours and the chilling temperatures tend to keep us inside more. However, continuing to exercise throughout the winter is very beneficial.

With winter often comes depression and one great way to combat this common pitfall is exercise. You may think you are too tired and sluggish to exercise, nonetheless after you start moving you will have more energy. Cold and flu season is already starting but studies show that exercising improves the immune system. According to the Mayo Clinic, those who exercise moderately catch 20 to 30 percent fewer colds than the inactive.

With all of these great rewards, I hope you are finding more motivation to get moving to help with depression, energy, and your immune system. Getting outside is also important, as fresh air is good for everyone. Sitting inside all day makes me get a little stir crazy and going outside helps to relieve some of the stress from the day. A daily dose of sunshine is what we all need. To take advantage of these winter months, I found a list from Mayo Clinic that outlines how to get the most out of outdoor activity in the winter.

• The first obvious note that is always included is checking with your doctor. Fortunately cold temperatures are not typical a health concern for most.

• Proper layering is often overlooked, as a major mistake is wearing too much. If you get too warm, you begin to sweat, which in turn gives you the chills. Smart layering is essential to any workout. Start with a synthetic layer that will wick away sweat from your body, not cotton that keeps wetness in. Next you can put on a fleece and the final layer, if you need it should a breathable jacket. With this regime you can take on and off layers to your comfort.

• Warm the feet and hands, as the blood supply will be focused on keeping your core warm. For your shoes, you might even want a half a size bigger to allow for more room so you can wear thicker socks. Do not forget to cover your head too, as a large portion of your body heat escapes through your head.

• Start your walk into the wind. This way when you are finishing and if you have worked up a sweat, the wind will not be as chilling with it to your back.

• Invest in reflective gear. With less sunlight hours and cloudier days, it is important for people and vehicles to see you.

• Do not forget to drink water. Although you may not be pouring out sweat like the summer months, you can still become dehydrated. Give yourself reminds to drink, as you might not feel as thirsty in the colder months.

Finally, stay consistent. Instead of letting the cold get the best of you, have a plan and think about the rewards you will receive from your exercise regime. Before you know it you will be making New Year’s resolutions and summer will be back again. Keep exercising and remember to take time for you.

Have you ever thought about the time you sit, stand and prone in a 24 hour period?
I gave it some thought today and after you read this, take the time to make steps to change the end results. The great news is Balance Walking will deliver the results quickly.

Prior to the 4 months I have had an official desk job with a cubical I had the option to get up, move and be more mobile for 10 years. Yet the gradual weight increase crept in simply due to activity changes. Everyone who sees me says I don’t need to lose weight!. wrong.

Prior to these 10 years there were 20 years of physiology, coaching, training, competing and managing 2 of the largest health & fitness facilities in FL and GA.

In those 20 years I was in peak condition all the time. Near to 300 triathlons, biathlons and endurance sporting events. Competition was the motivation and marketing necessary to coach 1000s to higher levels of lifelong fitness & health. This was my life and it was a blast and I say this humbly, think about your story, we all have one; time to write a new chapter.

Yes, things have change for all of us and the example I have elaborated on above is to show how the pathways we choose can lead to de-conditioning. You will be more surprised when you plug in your hours and activity below.

Daily schedule (insert the time of day and total hours for yourself)

• PRONE – Sleeping 10-5 = 7 hours

• STAND – Getting ready 5-7 = 2 hours

• SIT- Drive to work, sit @ desk minimal position changes. Drive home 7-6 = 11 hours

• STAND – Home with Family 6-8 = 2 hours

• SIT – Home with Family/PC Time 8-10 = 2 hours

Now we can get the picture here which Prone or Sitting = 20 hours. This is almost the inverse of my past over 10 years ago.

The last word is, you need to decide to stand & move or the unhealthy inevitable will become the new YOU! Foot Solutions has developed what I believe is the next wave in Health & Wellness. This as I said above is Balance Walking.

While answering questions at a local American Heart Association Walk in Cobb County Georgia this weekend, I had talked to a young woman who shared with me one of her difficulties when walking. She previously had spinal surgery which impacted her ability to walk up any incline without an extremely hunched over posture. With this posture not only was the gait affected but the fact is that it was near impossible for her to walk a minor incline without reaching fatigue quickly and stopping.

She was able to demonstrate this quickly:

• While walking a sidewalk in a flat area her posture was erect.

• While walking a sidewalk in an inclined area her posture was hunched and when she attempted to stand erect she would quickly come to a stop.

• This lack of function and increased fatigue in the legs were the consequence of standing more upright.

I have worked the gamete of challenges while training and coaching and I wanted to take on this challenge and explore a solution.

She said, “I’ve had all kinds of therapy and training since the surgery and nothing has really altered this challenge, which I have come to accept.”

The teaching progression is the same for all those who begin to Balance Walk. In some cases the circumstances make it necessary to begin with Nordic Pole Walking and move in to Balance Walking by utilizing the rocker bottom soled shoes (Chung Shi, MBT, etc):

• Step one Nordic Poles

• Step two Balance Walking

We began on a flat sidewalk and progressed to an incline without the poles and then with the poles. Without going in to the all the details I will say that for the 1st time ever she made the incline in the erect posture. This was not because she was holding herself up with poles, but because of:

• The arm swing

• A very slight push off with the poles, were creating forward momentum and balance shift created by using the poles.

• The addition of the Chung Shi or another Rocker Bottom is Step

I then followed up with a recommendation to reach out to and join one of the balance walking classes in her area. It’s a great way to learn, maintain accountability, improve conditioning and as important to meet others who are discovering the benefits of Balance Walking.

Young adults, start strength training now.

As people age, their fast twitch muscle fibers begin to atrophy with inactivity. Why is this a problem? As most know, falls are a major reason that people over the age of 65 visit the emergency room.

Although you may be young now and cannot conceive a loss of muscle strength and power, your day is coming. Putting weight lifting off till a later day is problematic. A recent study revealed that seniors are not able to increase their power with strength training as fast twitch muscle fibers atrophy with both inactivity and age. When seniors started resistance training, although they gained some strength, they did not gain power (force divided by time).

The distinction is important, as muscle power is what helps with the loss of balance and walking ability. With age comes, the standard shuffle and a myriad of other ailments. Sadly there is a gap with life expectancy and quality of life, but it does not need to be this way.

Low impact activity can help with the elderly who are trying to maintain muscle power; nonetheless the most important advice to heed is to start developing and maintaining your muscle today. Do not wait till you are having problems or after your emergency room experience.

Get active today and look forward to aging, as your body is prepared and strong. Do not let that future fall diminish your quality of life. Try Balance Walking, which will develop both cardio and physical strength. The poles will help with balance and build core strength while creating a strong natural walking gait.