‘Twas the season for eating and relaxing, and now ‘tis the season for fitness resolutions! If you’ve been there and done that with just about every resolution, here are some walking resolutions that may give you inspiration to begin 2006.

Resolution #1: Resolve to have fun. While there is nothing I love more than a destination marathon – Rome, Big Sur, and Honolulu were highlights for me in 2005 – it is possible to make each walk a destination walk. We often take for granted our local neighbourhoods, rarely straying off the beaten path or well-loved training route. If you are addicted to knowing the distance you are walking, consider walking for time instead of distance. Set your watch alarm to go off at the half-time you want to walk. Follow a different route until your watch alarms you then turn back. Or, meet a friend in different parts of town.

Resolution #2: Resolve to enjoy feeling good. I always return from a walk feeling better than when I began. Take a moment after each walk to reach to the sky and contemplate how good you feel. Smile.

Resolution #3: Resolve to challenge with change. When you change your routine, you usually challenge yourself. Even the smallest change can make a difference and will enhance resolution #2 (resolving to feel good!) Take a hill twice, or even three times. Find a curb and go up and down 50 times. Stop at a swing set and swing for 50 sets – now you’re going to feel those abdominals.

Resolution #4: Back to basics. If you have been a dedicated WoW power walker for some time, why not return to fundamentals for a few weeks to focus on technique. Many of us still get sloppy when we start walking fast, losing our straight-leg landing. This leaves us walking with a run-like shuffle. Eeek! Try some fast walking that is not quite your fastest. Pay attention to your front leg. When your heel lands on the ground your leg should be as straight as possible with your toe up. A flat-foot landing is a sure sign of a shuffle!

Resolution #5: Incorporate walking lunges at least twice a week into your routine. Vary the walking lunge about every 4-6 weeks (back to resolution #3 again!). Try the walking lunge out on a 45 degree angle from the your body’s midline, add some dips to the lunge, take the lunges uphill, add a knee lift or side leg press before moving into each lunge.

Resolution #6: Write it down. When we write down our goals, we are far more likely to follow through. Write down where you have been, how you have challenged yourself, what you have seen, and who you have met on your way. There is a walking story in all of us. If you write it down, it will inspire you, and maybe someone else, to continue the journey.

Sign up for classes! Yes, outsource your resolution accomplishment! Joining a WoW Power Walking class is one of the best ways to experience success with all our suggested resolutions since we always have fun, we always feel (and look!) good and stretch at the end to enjoy it, we always challenge you with change, we spend time focusing on different aspects of good walking technique, and we love lunges in all their beautiful variations. So, really, your only responsibility will be resolution #5 – writing it down! And, we have just the journal for you! Remember - we have instituted a graduated pricing policy to encourage early enrollment for the winter classes, so check out our website today! New walkers should check under WoW! Marathon Training and veterans of our program should look under WoW! Just Get Outside and WoW! Love Those Hills. Also, classes must now have registration of 8 to proceed.

Training begins today! You need to post that training schedule on your refrigerator today, if you are walking any of the following events: Chilly Half Marathon (Burlington, Ontario) on March 5, Around the Bay 30k Road Race (Hamilton, Ontario) on March 26, MORE Marathon (New York City) on March 26, and the full marathons in Mississauga and Ottawa in May. If you have taken our classes and are registered as a WoW member on our website, check out training schedules for these events. Also, if you have taken our courses, you can ask us to put together a schedule for any event you are planning to walk.

Walking safety. While we have talked often of using Yaktrax and similar ice-grippers for our shoes in winter to lower the risk of nasty winter spills, few of us consider the dangers lurking from the not-so-friendly members of our own species. One of our WoW Power Walkers, Willard Bond, provides an excellent women’s self-defense course through his business Safe and Sound Defensive Tactics. They are offering WoW Power Walkers a discount on their basic 4 hour course (held Sundays from 10-2pm in Toronto). For more information, call 416-892-3005 or check out www.sasdt.com. Don’t forget to mention you are a WoW Power Walker!

WoW fanatic membership. In the last newsletter we mentioned our WoW Fanatic membership. We have experienced a few glitches posting membership payment options on the website, please contact us directly if this is something that interests you.

WoW Tip :: Stretching muscles of the calf

While research has done little to prove that stretching prevents injury, we do know that stretching can improve performance. For those of you looking to improve walking performance in 2006, one of the best strategies is to stretch, and thereby lengthen, the muscles of the calf. This allows for greater range of motion on the back end of your stride. One of the best methods uses a form of stretching called Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF). Here’s what to do.

Grab a towel or stretch strap. Sit on the ground with your legs straight in front of you, feet relaxed, and back tall. Place the strap around the ball of your feet. Pull on the strap gently allowing the foot to dorsiflex (toes toward your calf). Once your feet have flexed as far as possible, hold the strap tightly and press your feet against it so that there is no movement. You should feel tension in your calves. Hold this for 6 seconds. Release the tension in the strap. Then, using the strap, pull the top of your feet toward your shins one more time as far as possible. You may notice an increase in flexibility immediately.

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