Archive for walking

The 1st law of physics: A body in motion remains in motion!

body in motion
Ever take a few days off from exercise?  It feels good to get back to it, doesn’t it?  Ever take a few weeks off from exercise?  It sucks to get back into it, right?  Ever take a few months off?  Then, after your reconnaissance exercise class, you declare, “Oh my God, I am so out of shape.  I should’ve never gone off my program! I’ve got to get it back.”

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Stepping, or How to Walk

 

feetThe first thing that Nia students learn is a heel-lead step.  The body was designed to step heel first.

If you look at the skeleton of the foot, you will see that the structure suggests which part would be most likely to bear a strike and weight, and which part would be suited to providing a greater surface area to help with balance. 

Try this: Take some careful steps; one foot after the other.  Just notice how you step.  Then, become super conscious about leading each step with your heel.  Your steps should repeat this: Heel, whole foot, and then push off the ball of the back foot. Right foot: heel, put the rest of your foot down, left heel rises, you push through to the ball of the left foot, and so on.

The second lesson in Nia choreography is the clock.  The easiest way for students to move the same way all together is to have them stand on an imaginary clock face.  Standing feet together, twelve o’clock is straight in front of you and six o’clock is straight behind.  The rest of the numbers on the clock fall where they normally do between twelve and six, no matter where you are in the room.  Read More→

Dreamwalker – Healing

 

articles_clip_image006I had a pulled muscle in my left calf.  I was unsure if I could dance on it, but rather than skip the classwork, I decided to explore the healing possibilities that Nia offers.

We started class by rubbing our hands together and creating some heat from friction.  We placed our hands on the part of our body that we felt needed some extra healing.  From there, we used the moves of the routine DreamWalker to continue sending healing energy to our in need parts.

Having the focus of healing helped to determine the language I used to deliver the instructions for dancing the routine.  Every move I invited the students to do was directed to comfort, adjust, and heal their bodies.  The attention to healing through movement caused awareness.  I asked, how can you tweak this move so that it feels good in your body?  What does your body need right now to heal?. Do smaller moves make you feel better?  Is having both your feet on the floor a better sensation for you?  How can you adjust your moves to be more exact in technique so that your joints will be used in a way that allows the most ease?  Do you like, need, or want the sensation of dynamic energy – strength? Do your muscles yearn to be challenged by resistance? Read More→

Libraries

 

booksPart of overall wellness is social wellness and one way to boost it is to get out and walk.  Walk to the bank or the post office – that is, if you don’t do that on a regular basis.  

·       Get and give smiles. 

·       Have a little conversation with a new face. 

·       Make a new face into a friendly person in your neighborhood.

·       Take the time to be engaged with your community.  Seek out your neighbors.  Visit in the doggie park, even if you don’t have a dog.  Dog park people are like modern day smokers.  You see them all hanging out because they have something in common, but they are just regular people too.  Go and meet the dogs and the owners in your neighborhood.   Read More→

Weather

 adelie-penguinWhen it snowed earlier this month, I took a walk into Cleveland Park (into town sorta-like) to go to the post office.  Not only was it a joy to see everything freshly covered with white, but it was a nice chance to take a walk rather than just rush around doing errands. When do I ever go to the post office? Never.  Almost as infrequently as I go to the bank.  I never actually stand in line to deal with a teller at the bank anymore.

It is slightly harder – or more challenging – to walk on snow or ice.  Even slush presents a little “situation” that challenges you physically.  I think it’s a great idea to get a workout when weather is happening.  Whatever you decide to do, walk run, garden, do errands, it will change if there is weather to contend with.  Rain might make you walk faster.  Wind might make you tighter and burn more calories. Heat can make you sweat more. Snow will change how you step and balance.  Whatever the case may be, there is benefit in having to engage mentally in your physical activity. 

What do you do with a snow day?  It’s like a free well day.  Do you relax all day and be grateful for the extra handful of hours when nothing is awaiting your attention and nobody is expecting any work from you?  What a nice concept: a true day off from all things that fall into the labor category.  Or do you get up and make a list of all the things you can knock out since you were served a handful of extra hours to get all the stuff done that crowds your to do lists?  

Why are free days off so much better for getting things done? It might be the unexpectedness of the free time.  It’s like putting time money in the savings account.  You do your laundry, answer personal emails, dust and vacuum, make dinners in advance, or rearrange your linen.  You get some work done on your taxes, make a doctor’s appointment, reconcile your checkbook, cook chili, wash lettuce, order some stuff on line, talk to your mother and change your sheets and pillowcases.  You even meet a friend for lunch and walk to the Post Office.

Suggestion: if you don’t get snow days in your area, take one anyway…it’s sooo worth it.