My funky shoes have become my trademark, and rightly so.  I adore them.  Given my ‘druthers, I’d wear nothing else (well, nothing else on my feet, that is..).  They are just the greatest thing to have on your feet, though they won’t help you win any fashion points!

With the Frostbite, I’ve had to switch to something different when the temperatures are below 0°C to prevent frostbite from happening again, but I’m not happy about it.  This is the case at least until Vibram gets caught up with their world-wide back orders.  They do have winter shoes, but none in stock in my size anywhere in the world, apparently.

Everyone thinks you need all this cushioning and support for your feet.  The research now shows that the more you pay for your shoes, the more likely you are to be injured.  When you buy shoes – especially for exercise – the rule of thumb is, “the less the better” if you want strong feet, and if you want to avoid injury.

According to the Vibram site:

The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised.

That’s why we recommend wearing FiveFingers for exercise, play, and for fun. Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.

Want more information on getting the best shoes for your feet?  Check out this excellent article

Still not convinced?  Read this: Athletic Shoes & Supports: Facts & Myths

Want to risk trying the Vibram Five Finger shoes?  Get them here -but you’ll probably have to wait until Spring.  Sigh.

Happy Walking!

Darlene

Ok, so it’s a week since my Sunday Frostbite fiasco.  Winter walking will never be the same.

First of all, there seems to be some permanent damage – especially in the fourth toe on my left foot – the one that went gray.    Dead as a doornail, that one.  The rest are tingly at the tips, some are still a little tender, but not bad.  Yesterday I was able to wear my normal shoes without pain, though, so that was great.

Last night I visited some “new” friends – well, I was actually his Gr. 12 prom date, and haven’t seen him since… I found him on Facebook, connected with his brilliant wife – who seems to be my twin separated from me at birth – and she’s into Essential Oils.  Last night while we visited at their lovely country home, Sue offered to massage my feet with some Essential Oils (not many people have offered to massage my feet EVER, let alone after knowing me for fewer than 12 hours…).  This morning my toes felt irritated more than usual, which gives me hope that this oil mix/massage might be waking up some of those dead nerves.  We’ll see what happens over the next few days.

I saw the doctor on Friday and he made it clear that I must now be extremely cautious for the rest of my life as I am now 10x more likely to get frostbite again.  As someone who has freezing feet even at the height of summer, I felt somewhat doomed by that statement, and knew I had to re-think winter walking.

SO…

Today my most-generous-of-all-wonderful-husbands drove me down to Gord’s Running Store to check out some different options.  The problem is that Vibrams strengthen all the foot muscles and allow your feet to work the way they were designed to.  “Normal” running shoes don’t – they support everything to the point that the muscles in your feet atrophy, and no longer work the way they were designed to work.  By switching between the two you end up living in a place where you go from body-builder to wheelchair-bound and back again – at least as far as your feet are concerned.  WAAAAY too much work!

I explained my dilemma to the incredibly helpful saleswoman, and told her I don’t want to spend six weeks during the peak training season re-strengthening my feet when the snow goes and the temperature warms up, and I can be back in my Vibrams.

She directed me to Biom Shoes.  You have to sacrifice your first born to afford them (Simon’s a good kid, he won’t mind…) but they apparently encourage natural motion in your foot and they keep the foot muscles strong. Not everyone believes they achieve that, but my options are limited at this point in time.

Knowing that the real key is keeping my feet warm at all times, I bought the shoe two sizes too big after trying them on with double socks – one very thick hiking sock and a standard fitness sock – and insoles, because I’m also going to be investing in thermal insoles.

While I was there I got two pairs of Injinji Outdoor socks made with micro-fine Merino wool to make sure my toes don’t rub together and get lesions that get infected without me knowing it (when your toes are numb, you don’t know there’s a problem…) and also to keep my feet warm, as Merino wool is “excellent at regulating body temperature, especially when worn against the skin. The wool provides some warmth, without overheating the wearer. It draws moisture (sweat) away from the skin, a phenomenon known as wicking. The fabric is slightly moisture repellent (keratin fibers are hydrophobic at one end and hydrophillic at the other), allowing the user to avoid the feeling of wetness” (according to Wikipedia)  And, of course, I can wear these in cooler Spring/Autumn temperatures in my Vibrams and still keep my tootsies warm.

Finally I got some ice-grips.  A few close calls made me realize that adding a numb head to numb toes would make walking impossible (though I’m sure many of you think the head’s already numb…) so I decided to not take any chances.

And there went the second child – thanks, Tina!  LOL!

So now I have cool gear on my feet to keep the toes toasty, I’m all set to go!   I’m breaking in the new shoes over this weekend, and I’ll do an easy 1 hour on Monday to test them out.

Wish me luck!

Darlene

(PS – who was it who said that walking is a very inexpensive sport?)

(PS – and never fear! I’ll be back in my beloved Vibrams once the temperatures are above 10˚C!)

(PPS – Oh, and just kidding there about exchanging my kids for cool gear.   The kids are here and safe…)

I was so proud of myself for getting out for my 3 hour walk yesterday in spite of the -19°C/-2°F temperatures. I bundled up, set up my technology, and headed down what was actually a beautiful pathway with fresh snow that sparkled in the sun.

As usual, my toes got pretty cold when I started out, but I knew that once I hit training speed, they’d warm up and be fine. Or, so I thought. Yesterday was a “ladder” walk, a kind of Interval walk where you jump around into different heart rate zones, several of which are quite slow. At times my feet felt fine. Other times, my toes were quite cold, but not painfully so.

On the way home, however, I began to feel quite uncomfortable and about 1km from home, when I should have been in HR Zone 2 (HR in the mid-90’s) I just kept it up in HR Zone 5 (HR in the mid 130’s) because my right foot felt numb, and both feet were feeling uncomfortable.

I got home and found a hot meal waiting for me, so I peeled off my shoes and snow gear, and sat down to eat. My feet began to thaw over lunch, but my toes were still numb. After lunch and a cup of tea I finally got my socks off – and realized how wet they were. I looked at my feet and discovered 3 toes were an odd grey-colour, and all my toes were bright red. One was swollen. My feet, however, were very warm.

It was then I realized I had frostbite.

Thankfully it wasn’t really serious frostbite, but I quickly did some research to treat my feet to make sure I didn’t damage them further.

Following instructions to continue to keep them warm and dry, I had a quick, not-too-warm shower, put on clean Injinji socks to keep the toes separated, wrapped those in fuzzy warm socks, and then slipped on my hut booties. Feet were toasty, but as the toes began to heal, the pain started. By dinner time I could no longer walk – it felt like a 200lb someone was standing on my bare toes with work boots on. There was no place to “put” my feet. No place brought release – raised, down, with weight on them, without weight. The only relief came from walking so I walked around the dining room table for about 40 minutes trying to cope with the pain. I have no idea what serious frostbite feels like, but if this is mild, I never want to find out.

Finally at about 6:30 I took some ibuprofen and crawled into bed. It was after 7:00 before I could tolerate covers.

This morning I’m still in quite a bit of pain, but it’s tolerable. I don’t walk too well, but at least it’s not excruciating when I just sit. Toes feel like they’re soaking in “too hot” water.

The real dilemma is, where do I go from here? Looks like new VFF’s won’t be ready before March (!!). I don’t have any shoes to walk in other than my regular day shoes which will get totally wrecked in the snow and salt outside. Do I pay $160 for shoes that will “do me” until the VFF’s are back in stock?  I do have my Sketcher’s (which I stopped wearing almost right away because they “re-activated” an ankle issue I used to have), but with the lack of feedback from the thick soles and the rocking soles on sheer ice, I’m liable to end up in the hospital with a concussion wearing those.

ARGH.

Well, one thing is for sure – no walking this week! I’m not sure what I’ll do with all that extra time…

Darlene

Every now and then I hit a place in my walking where I need to take about a week off.  Because I’ve never had problems starting up again, I allow myself this grace.  It happens about once or twice a year.  No biggie.

About a month ago, such a time had arrived.  I just needed a break, so I took a week off.  That weekend I got the dreaded flu, and the following two weeks, while there were no messy flu symptoms, I was so tired as to be useless.  I did do a couple of walks, but not enough to brag about, and each one left me drained and exhausted.

Following that my husband and I took a week off and went to Montana.  Training wasn’t even slightly in the picture.

In the meantime, due to complications with getting the winter version of my “funky feet” I succumbed and bought a pair of Skechers.  Since having begun with my Vibram 5 fingers, I’ve really only worn shoes with next to no support or cushioning in them, and my feet have loved it.  When I got the Skechers (SUPER comfy shoes with lots of support and cushioning) I’ve been wearing them quite a lot to get my feet used to them, and have hardly worn my normal shoes.

So for about a month I’ve not done much in the way of serious walking, and my feet have also been relaxing in these lovely skooshie shoes.  On Monday I went for my first serious walk in ages, with my Vibrams, and came home with feet screaming in agony.

I told them to “suck it up” and went again on Wednesday.  Well, my feet then went on strike altogether and I could hardly walk.  It meant I had to take a break from walking yet again, and baby my feet, getting them used to the Vibrams again.

What a nuisance.

The moral of the story is “suck it up”.  Don’t get lazy.  And if you DO get lazy, don’t let your feet get lazy too.

Ouch.

Darlene

My husband and I are vacationing in Montana as this is (automatically) posted (gotta love technology!) We’re going for some much needed R&R.

I thought you might be interested in some, too!

We’ve often talked on this blog about making your walking time a time of meditation but how about a new twist? What about walking as a spa treatment?

I tried this out the other day – works pretty well, and it works best in winter! Here’s what you do:

1. Slather a hair mask on your hair, and stuff your hair under a kerchief or a cloth swim cap, and just pull your toque down over top (toque=”wool hat” for you Non-Canadians!)

2. Slather a top quality moisturizing cream (like Avon’s “Moisture Therapy Intensive Hand Lotion”) over your feet under your socks.

3. Put a nail conditioner on your fingernails, massage a good cuticle cream onto your cuticles, and slather a good moisturizing cream on your hands (see the last point) and pull your gloves on over top. If you have good quality gloves you don’t want to get greasy, just pull those cheap 99 cent wool gloves on first, and put the good ones on, on top.

4. If it’s really cold put that same Avon Moisture Therapy on your face just before going out – it will protect your face/lips from chapping.

5. Put a couple of drops of essential oils on your gloves (inhale deeply with your hands around your nose) or on your scarf for energy as you walk.

6. Put soothing music on your iPod as you walk instead of some heavy bass/drum driving music. It will be a completely different experience!

When you arrive home you’ll be soft and beautiful. Pretty cool.

Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Happy Walking!

Darlene

Do you know what you really should weigh?

Your ideal weight is not some magic number pulled from the air, or some hopeful number that works best for your beautiful best friend.

Your ideal body weight is your lean body mass plus your “ideal body fat” percentage based on your age. You need a certain amount of body fat to be healthy, and women need a little more than men.

So, here’s how you do the calculations:

1. Discover your “Lean Body Mass” here: How to Calculate Lean Body Mass
2. Add the ideal body fat percentage (take the average number from the range shown according to your age)

And there you have it!

It’s a little complicated to figure out the first time around, but with the help of a calculator and a brainy teenager you should be able to figure it out. By aiming for that number you’re keeping your goals realistic, and you won’t risk damaging your health.

Have fun!

Darlene

(For those of you who recognize this post, know that it posted itself  TWICE before it was finished last week.  Silly post.  It’s now under control and properly finished.  Take another read if you think  you’ve already seen it!)

So, I’ve been AWOL from my walking since last week. I have lots of excuses, but I’m thinking mostly it’s a motivational problem. I hate the cold. Probably not so legitimate. I’ve also got hit “quick and heavy” with the flu, and found that while the most uncomfortable symptoms passed within 36 hours, I was tired, foggy-headed, and just dragging myself around for a good week afterwards. I decided to take the week off and just go slow.

So what do you think? Was that right? Was that wrong? Was I just lazy? I find I’m a genius at rationalizing my behaviour. Years of practice have made me an expert. It’s hard to be objective.

The good news was that I was out and walking this morning. Last week when I was unmotivated I did put together some great playlists (working through the Bible and a bunch of podcasts I want to catch up with) and they’re all in sequential order, so if I miss a day, I mess up the whole system.  Good way to stay on track!

And I’m back walking my longer distances this morning.  I’ve gotten myself better organized so I can manage longer walks.  Monday and Tuesday is 1.5 hours, Wednesday is off, Thursday and Friday is 2 hours, Saturday is 1 hour and Sunday is 3 hours. It feels great to be back in the game!  Woohoo!

If you’ve been slacking, I hope my new found motivation gets you going as well!

Happy walking!

Darlene

Oh, it’s been AGES since I posted – or even walked!  Yikes!

A combination of weather (sudden dump of snow), lack of shoes to walk in said snow (Vibram is all out of the winter version of funky feet), and an extreme bout of the flu from which I’m just now slowly recovering, has put me totally out to pasture for the past two weeks.

However, I’ve tried not to be too idle.  I’ve had lots of time to experiment with my iPod Touch (gotta love that thing – when it works…) and I’ve discovered the coolest thing!  Not only is the content amazing, but the delivery is stunning.  You’ve gotta check this out!

And no, you don’t NEEEEED an iPod to use it, but it’s a really fun way to take in the technology.

Oh, and the 90 second fitness program? Well, anyone can do it (though it’s a challenge) and whew, do you feel it when it’s done!

Darlene

I completed level 2 in my training on Saturday by participating in a 10k race for a local church here. Even without the 1˚C (33.8˚F) temperature and brisk winter wind, it was an interesting experience.

I warmed up well, started out by climbing up a reasonably steep but short hill, and proceeded through what was a beautiful, not-terribly-strenuous walk to complete the first 5k loop. I found that although I wasn’t breathing hard or feeling like I was exerting myself beyond my comfort zone (keeping up with about a 7 on the RPE in my estimation), I was pushing myself beyond my ideal heart rate, and my muscles got very tired, very quickly – which is unusual, as I walk a 10k or more almost every week with no issues whatsoever.

I have been training using the Maffetone method which I love, but I’ve not been using it long enough to get a good speed result from a 10k race, so I decided to ignore all his good advice about keeping within your (much lower than conventional) ideal training heart rate level, and just walk as quickly as I could without getting winded. By the end of the first 5k my feet were numb from the cold and felt like bricks, I was demotivated, tired, frustrated, and feeling generally like quitting. I couldn’t believe it. I warm up with a 5k. This was ridiculous.

The second half was better because I hooked up with the woman who owns Distinctive Catering and we got into a great discussion about my funky shoes (they were quite the hit at this walk) and walking in general and I slowed my pace a little to keep together with her and engage in conversation. This moved me back into a better pace within my ideal heart rate. My pace had moved to about a 5.5-6 on the RPE, and with my feet now having some warm blood circulating through them, engaging myself in interesting conversation, and staying within my hear rate, I felt much better on the second lap – but was still feeling quite tired. Much more tired than my long walks (i.e. 21k) feel. This was odd.

The race ended in the middle of a pretty good downfall of snow, so I didn’t want to hang around much outside when it was over (though I did snag a bagel and had a brief chat with some walkers around the coffee urn…) Because of this I didn’t really stretch properly (what is WRONG with me?) and so for the rest of the day I was tired, achy, and quite uncomfortable.

So, lesson learned. I will take longer to prepare for my 21k so that my aerobic level is at place where I can complete it within my proper heart rate level at an 8 minute/kilometer speed (2.8hr finish time – I’m not too far off). And I will take the time to stretch properly when I’m done.

Live and learn….

Happy walking!

Darlene

(PS – sorry I don’t have any pics. My hubby had a meeting on in the morning and couldn’t be there to take pictures of my crossing the finish line in the snow… Too bad)

I just got back from a 7-day cruise to Alaska with my parents and siblings.  My folks are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year, and this was part of that celebration.

What great fun!  Lots of laughs, beautiful scenery, fabulous ship (Holland America’s “Volendam”) and wonderful service.  A great way to travel, to be sure.  Another cruise is definitely in my future somewhere, this time with my hubby and kids.  My parents actually won a 7-day cruise on this cruise, so they’re all geared up to go again as well.  Cool anniversary present!

I was terrified to go on the cruise because I kept hearing about all the food, and I have worked so hard to lose weight that I didn’t want to gain it all back in a 7-day cruise.  Neither did I want to go on a cruise with all that food and eat only lettuce.

I decided to compromise: I’d keep up with my walking, never take the elevator (as we were on the 2nd deck and the food and many activities were usually on the 8th deck, that meant a regular scaling of 120 stairs one direction, several times a day – I was usually over 20,000 steps on my pedometer each day of the cruise), eat only fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, and then simply enjoy my dinner – all four courses.

I even did a 5k walk for breast cancer while I was on the cruise!  I walked 12 laps of the ship with 65 other people, and finished two laps ahead of the crowd.  We celebrated with glasses of chilled pink lemonade, and were part of Holland America’s raising of over $1,000,000 for the cause.  Pretty cool!

The result?  I still gained 4 pounds.  But ONLY 4 pounds.  I’m quite happy with that.  I also attended a very interesting workshop on weight loss and heard things I’d never heard before that will make future weight loss not only much easier to succeed at, but also even easier to maintain.  I’m doing further research on that to make sure I have the facts straight before I share the info.  Watch for that here.

It’s great to be back, but I sure loved the time away.  I am back refreshed and full of new ideas!  Can’t wait to share them with you!  There will be some exciting things happening here over the next couple of months, so keep your eyes peeled!

Have a great day, and happy walking!

Darlene