to better physical and mental health!
I admit that I never really gave walking too much thought. Maybe, it's because I am a New Yorker, and that's what we do... walk. A lot. I recently read an article in Whole Living magazine (formerly Body and Soul), that got me thinking about walking. It discussed walking from three different angles:
Walking for fitness
Walking for therapy
Walking for meditation
WALKING FOR FITNESS:
The first thing I did was to be more mindful and aware of the walking I was already doing- this seemed like a good place to start, because like I said... It's A LOT. I implemented the principles I read about walking for fitness into my everyday walking commutes:
-Practicing correct posture with the crown of my head reaching to the sky and shoulder melting down my back and of course my abdominals engaged up and in.
-Keeping my strides short, quick and light, rolling from my outer heel to my big toe (not as easy as it sounds)
-Keeping my elbows bent at a 90 degree angle swinging from the shoulder joint bringing my fist up as high as my chin and back to my hip (I have lovingly named this "Barbie Arms") 
-And lastly trying to make sure I am at at least 75% of my max heart rate and no slower than 3mphNow, instead of dreading my walk to the train, or gym, or grocery store, I look forward to it! It's like I get a mini workout without taking any extra time out of my day. It is less of an annoyance if I am getting some physical benefits out of it. PLUS... I have been able to incorporate fitness walking into one on my private clients' routines, by going to the park and coaching her as she walks. She needs more cardio on top of the Pilates, but has a hard time staying motivated and focused, and also has troubles with her knees. Having me there to remind her "how" to walk has been so good for her! She has already made great strides- pun ABSOLUTELY intended! ;)WALKING FOR THERAPY:I have a little bit of experience with this one, because Jay and I like to walk together. We would much rather walk than take a train if we can. We even walked to Manhattan from Queens over the 59th street bridge to avoid the subway. My favorite tradition of ours, is walking around the Jackie O reservoir in Central Park on Thanksgiving Day. It's so beautiful, especially in the fall! Plus we feel better about stuffing ourselves later...
He was the only person I ever really walked this with, so I thought why not try out this therapeutic walking business with some girlfriends. I happen to be going through some pretty big life changes (which I will discuss here when the time is right) and I knew I wasn't alone, so I was hoping I could get some gals on board. I was right! I have had successful walking dates with a couple girlfriends (one of whom is a new mom, so we combined fitness and therapy in one) and plan to have many more! It's a much healthier- not to mention inexpensive- way to hang out with the people I love, than grabbing a drink or eating out. It's also a great way to explore. I found two new places I never even knew existed in Central Park the other day with my girlfriend, Shea: check them out here and here; and I went to Astoria park- which is very close to my house and which I had never been to in over 3 years of living in Queens- with new Mommy, Jen. I highly recommend taking a walk next time you are craving some girl time or spouse time. It's a wonderful way to connect, talk, listen, and burn some calories in the process.WALKING FOR MEDITATION:This one has been the hardest for me but I am working on it... I think it's because there are so many distractions here in NYC. Even if I wanted to quiet the gazillion thoughts traveling around in my mind, the fire truck blaring it's siren has other plans for me. I am sure meditating is a lot easier in a place like this:
I think another trick is not having a destination in mind, or a time that you have to be anywhere at least. I do walk by myself a lot, but I am always going somewhere.
I'm going to keep trying to figure this one out, and I'll keep you posted.I am extremely thankful to Whole Living for opening my eyes to walking, and how much more there is to it than just getting from one place to another. If you are like me, and live in a city that requires you to walk from place to place, I encourage you to cherish that time, and use it to your advantage. If you live in a "car culture", find a trail or path, and a buddy and move those feet! Relish in the fact that your body has the ability to propel you forward- literally and figuratively- and move you where you need/want to go in life.
I must admit this is one of my favorite parts of the Pilates workout. Get ready to feel the burn and sculpt sexy hips, thighs and butt!
Enjoy!
Foodbuzz is a San Fransico based company that is essentially "facebook for foodies". It's a great way to share recipes/cooking tips/restaurant reviews... all things food related. Featured Publishers get their content highlighted, an opportunity to actually make a little money through advertisements, and lots of other cool perks- bring on the samples! Lean Body Pilates may not be a traditional food blog, but I do LOVE food- from eating (obviously), to learning to make new things and incorporating healthy recipes into my life. It seemed like a good fit to me and I am glad they thought so too!
Healthy Living Blogs is a new resource for the health blogging community. Created by Lindsey of Sound Eats- a great blog BTW, HLB is designed to enhance the positive community of the healthy living blog world. Once again... good fit! I love fitting in!
The decor is amazing! Check out all the mirrors... Plus there's this:
I was in love right away... Thank God the food lived up to the decor (nothing worse than awesome atmosphere and not so awesome food).
It was served with golden beets, spinach and a spicy-onion relish.
And as if that wasn't enough... then came dessert. Oh the dessert... We definitely felt like splurging so we each got our own! I had the salted caramel pudding.
There really aren't words to describe it's goodness. It was topped with whip cream and crumbled sugar cookies... need I say more? Jay had Carrot Cake.
I only had a bite (or two) because I was very busy with my pudding, but it was delicious! Both were a perfect ending to a perfect meal!
-Practicing correct posture with the crown of my head reaching to the sky and shoulder melting down my back and of course my abdominals engaged up and in. 
-And lastly trying to make sure I am at at least 75% of my max heart rate and no slower than 3mph
He was the only person I ever really walked this with, so I thought why not try out this therapeutic walking business with some girlfriends. I happen to be going through some pretty big life changes (which I will discuss here when the time is right) and I knew I wasn't alone, so I was hoping I could get some gals on board. I was right! I have had successful walking dates with a couple girlfriends (one of whom is a new mom, so we combined fitness and therapy in one) and plan to have many more! It's a much healthier- not to mention inexpensive- way to hang out with the people I love, than grabbing a drink or eating out. It's also a great way to explore. I found two new places I never even knew existed in Central Park the other day with my girlfriend, Shea: check them out here and here; and I went to Astoria park- which is very close to my house and which I had never been to in over 3 years of living in Queens- with new Mommy, Jen. I highly recommend taking a walk next time you are craving some girl time or spouse time. It's a wonderful way to connect, talk, listen, and burn some calories in the process.
This is some I made yesterday
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Pilates Trainers, New York