Day 13 Walk30 up a hill!

Edwin Street hill

Marshal Street hill

 Today was Day 13 and I was looking for a different kind of walk30 ... something a bit more challenging. I had to do some grocery shopping and wanted to walk too so I decided to hop in the car and find a few hills.  

First stop was the Edwin Street hill for a warm up ... just a nice easy hill to get the blood flowing and the heart rate up a little.  Next I went over to St. Vincent Street hill (only a block over but a much more challenging hill) and I did 3 repeats for a total of 23 minutes of walking and hills .... not bad.

Then it was off to the grocery store to get a few items for dinner.  I finished shopping and headed to one of our favorite hill son Marshal Street.  

I decided to listen to Lee Scott's 30 minute walking program while I was climbing.  Lee gives you lots of walking instruction and encourages you along in your walk.  Everyone can always use a refresher walk.  Lee is an amazing Power Walking coach and owner of the WOW power walking program.  Check out Lee's blog at www.wowpowerwalking.blogspot.com.

My only disappointment today was that pictures of hills are NOT impressive.  These hill pictures do not do them justice ... trust me!

When you are climbing hills remember to lift your eyes to the top of the hill and keep them there ... it tends to even out the terain somewhat and give you the illusion that you are just cruising along ... your heavy breathing will let you know that you are raising your heart rate into the zone that will boost your fitness benefit ... and that is where you want to be for part of your walk every time you go out.

I hope that everyone had a great Sunday walk30  ... tomorrow we will have finished our second half marathon of the month (minimum!!).

St. Vincent Street hill! Trust me it is more in impressive in person!

Day 12 and I walked all day!

Well hello!  The perfect place to walk30!!

Day 12 It as a walking day from beginning to end ... started out with our usual Saturday morning walk ... Dave took the 8 a.m. 10 K group and I was on call for the 9 a.m. 5 K walk.  It was gorgeous this morning!! (See more pictures below)  Then out again and over to the Fredrick Street area near downtown Kitchener.  It is a great area to walk and the artists were bountiful ... I just walked home and it is 5 p.m. Now that is a walking day!
What kind of fun is everyone else having on their walk30 journey? Click on the comment box and let me know that you are out there and walking30 ... love to hear your stories.

We met the 10 K group on the path by the University ... so we are coming and going!

What a view of the new addition to the Perimeter Institute

Walk On Strong!
Sue

Day 11 talking about walking to the CMHA Staff

... and they're off  ... K W Walking Classic 2011

Day 11  Today I am off to Guelph to do a power walking clinic with some of the CMHA staff!  I am sure that I will get my walk30 happening as I get them up out of their seats and trying on some walking technique on for size!  The staff are having a wellness activity day of sorts and I am just one small part of the action.
One of the goals of the Minds in Motion K W Walking Classic is to activate the mental health service providers in our region, their clients and the family members that support them into walking action.   
The Grand River branch of the CMHA was a corporate sponsor for our race and had a great looking team there on event day! We want more mental health agencies represented at the race through Team participation, volunteering or even supporting an athlete from the sidelines with some serious cheering!
Mental health is our cause and all we need to do is to get out the door and walk30 to start training for next year's event!
If I don't get all my minutes of walking in during the presentation I will be heading out my front door ... maybe I will even walk60 today ... who knows??
Walk On Strong,
Sue

Day 10 Walk On Strong Workshops tonight

On a walk last March near Geneva, Switzerland

It is Day 10 and we have our Walk on Strong workshop tonight to make sure that we walk30. Thursday night we train the Intro to Power Walking group and the Personal Best group!
We are going to be talking about walking technique and intervals to build strength, speed and stamina. 
Intervals are my very favorite way to boost metabolism and get the most bang for your fitness buck. In my 20 plus years as a fitness trainer the best health tool I have learned about would be interval training.  I will do a whole blog about interval training some day soon but will let you in on a little secret for now ... you can get the same benefit from a walk30 interval walk as you can from a 60 minute steady walk.  All you need to do is pick up the pace for 30 to 40 seconds and then recover for a few minutes and then repeat for a 20 minute session ... add on your 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down and there you go ... a walk30 that gets your heart rate up and revs your metabolism for hours after.  It is all about moving fast when you have your 30 seconds of speed ... I am talking about walking as fast as you can! Remember your top speed is personal ... everyone is at a different place in their strength and ability. Your top speed will get faster if you keep doing intervals.
I am so inspired that I think that I am going out this afternoon and do a little interval training ... wish me luck and ... Walk On Strong!
Sue

Day 9 An after dinner Walk30

This is a summer Tuesday Walk On Strong group

We just got back in the door ... nice night for a walk30!  It is so much darker this week with daylight savings time with us once more. 
Last night we had a whopping group of 33 out at the Waterloo Public Square! We walked around the University for a 6 K tour. 

Welcome to all our new comers ... I walked with Joanne who joined us for the first time last night. Either Dave or I usually join whoever is at the end and it is always a great way to get to know new walkers.  We were a bright and sparkly group with all of our turtle lights blazing!
If you are interested in ordering a turtle light and you live close ... let me know via email and I will put you on the list.  If we have someone heading to Toronto who wouldn't mind doing some shopping for us then we will pick some up. All of the lights that we had last night are spoken for.
Today was a rainy day and I hope that didn't deter any of you ... it certainly made us wait until the skies were clear. 
Take care and we hope to see out out on the weekend ... 8 a.m. is 10K with Dave and 9 a.m. is a 5 K with me. We always meet at Waterloo Public Square.
Walk on Strong!
Sue

Day 8 Walk On Strong for 30 or more

                       This is the turtle light that is going to save your life ... well it might help.

Day 8 is easy to keep because it is our group walk night.   Walking with a group makes getting out there a real pleasure!  I am sure that if I head over to the Waterloo Public Square there will be a big group of people who walk all different speeds and I am going to walk ...  not 30 but around 60 minutes because we usually head out for a 5Kish walk at 6:30 p.m..
Tonight we are handing out the little lights that you see above ... they are called Turtle lights and they help to make you a bit more noticeable on your walk. Quite a few of our group ordered them last week.   
We look a bit strange walking along all lit up but the cars notice us and that's the idea.  If you are heading out on your own in the dark you might want to get a light or some reflective gear to make yourself more visible.  
You can purchase a turtle light at the Mountain Equipment Co-op in Toronto or Burlington  you can also order them on line at www.mec.ca. Just pop turtle light in the search bar. 
They cost approximately $4.50 with tax in and they attach to the zipper on your jacket.

Remember if you live in our part of the woods ... come join us for a walk!
Check out www.walkonstrong for details.

Walk On Strong!
Sue

Day 7 Walking with a purpose ... getting to the meeting!

Today's walk30 will be to get to the Minds in Motion Committee meeting and back!

Day 7 already!  I have noticed that we are beginning to add walk30 planning to our daily routine ... so today will include a walk to our race committee meeting.
I honestly thought about getting out of bed early this morning but it was oh so cozy.  I am extremely impressed with Laurie's 6 a.m. walks during the week ... way to go! It is something to aspire to in the future.
Check out the Weekly Walking news at the Walk On Strong Blog If you live in Waterloo Region you might want to come and join us for our weekly free walks through the Waterloo Uptown/ University area and beyond.
Walk On Strong!
Sue