Nov. 6 looms large. As your most personal trainer, I'm always badgering you to exercise — running, swimming, pingpong, whatever. Today, I'm being uber-specific: Exercise your right to vote.
Why? Because feeling powerless, hope-free and deeply cynical stresses your health and attacks your well-being. Taking action is the antidote. Let your voice be heard, even if it's singing "The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow."
Vote "Yes" on healthy lifestyle issues: clean water, untainted food and a health care system that is based on patient care, not corporate profits. And if you think that's too political, then I still say go to the poles ... the hiking kind. They are another good way to boost your well-being and let go of whatever is distracting you from supporting what you value.
—WALK IN NATURE! Minimal equipment, maximum joy. Wherever you go — up mountains, down trails, into the light-filled canyons of your wildest dreams — a hike in nature is a wonderful way to revitalize your body and your mind. It wakes up your muscles, energizes your spirit and, yes, it helps give you the strength to stay positive, vigilant and in charge of your own well-being, no matter who wins.
—HAIL THE HIKING POLE. Hiking poles — one or two — give you leverage when you're climbing up and greater stability when you're walking down. They improve your balance, lighten the load on your knees and back and provide resistance and support so that your upper body can grow stronger and more flexible. (No one is paying me to say this.)
Don't confuse the new high-tech hiking poles with cumbersome, old-fashioned wooden sticks. They're now made of strong, lightweight materials. They're adjustable to your height (and terrain) and collapsible, so they fit easily into a backpack. Some come with spring-loaded tips that act like shock absorbers as you press down on them — especially useful for people with arm or shoulder issues. And please note:
—POLES AREN'T CRUTCHES. Hiking poles aren't dorky or just for seniors. Serious hikers of all ages, fit and experienced, use poles to work their upper body, gain balance and support better posture.
—POLES PREVENT ACCIDENTS. It's easy to lose your balance coming down a rocky or slippery trail. Why risk it? Using poles also reduces fatigue by taking a load off your knees and back. And when you prevent the wobblies, you prevent falls.
—POLES IMPROVE POSTURE. An upright posture — not crunching forward or leaning back — is at the heart of conscious walking. It opens your chest and allows for easier breathing. You are remembering to breathe, right?
Q & A: How Much Rest Time Between Strengthening and Stretching?
DEAR MARILYNN: I find your column to be extremely encouraging in my fitness quest! I'm currently walking four to five times per week and doing strength training two to three times per week (using 8- to 10-pound dumbbells). I wait 48 hours between weight training sessions. I want to add a couple of stretching sessions (doing Pilates, ballet, etc.) per week. My question is this: Can I do a Pilates/stretching session the very next day after strength training with weights, or must I really wait longer? — Brenda L., via email
DEAR BRENDA: Bravo! You walk, you lift weights and now you want to add some stretching sessions to your routine. Give yourself a big kiss.
You do not have to wait a day in between, because it's unlikely you're knocking yourselves out with your weights. (The reason for resting between workouts is to give exhausted muscles a chance to recover.)
Pilates, ballet classes, yoga and tai chi are excellent ways to deepen body awareness and improve your flexibility, balance and core strength.
Do keep in mind that continuing to use lighter weights (8 to 10 pounds) will keep your muscles toned, but if you want to build strength and muscle, you want to lift heavier weights, with excellent form.
Why? Because it's the last two to three repetitions that really count for building strength. You want to work with a weight that feels pretty easy for the first few repetitions but requires you to really dig deep and come close to exhausting your muscles in the final two to three reps.
Persistence furthers. Which is also true of elections.
ENERGY EXPRESS-O! TO NOT VOTE IS TO VOTE.
"In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: You either vote by voting or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some diehard's vote." — David Foster Wallace
Marilynn Preston is the author of "Energy Express," America's longest-running healthy lifestyle column. Her new book "All Is Well: The Art {and Science} of Personal Well-Being" is available now on Amazon and elsewhere. Visit Creators Publishing at creators.com/books/all-is-well to learn more. For more on personal well-being, visit www.MarilynnPreston.com.
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