Simply Put

I'm not gonna lie.  This post is going to ramble.  I just have these ideas swimming, and I need to get them out.  Does it totally fit with my simple, sustainable theme?  Maaaayyybbee.  You be the judge.

A few year ago I took up running.  At the time, I couldn't run a single mile without nearly collapsing.  I chose running for a few reasons:

• its simplicity
• its portability
• its roots in nature

Even though the first few times were rough, I stuck with it.  I soon got hooked, but not just because of the health benefits.  I've found I need the time to think, clear my head, and absorb the world around me.  I run in all kinds of weather, and I feel very connected to nature.  When I return home I am usually ready to face whatever obstacle is lying in front of me.

We all agree it's important to get exercise.  But we don't agree on how to do it.  For me, a gym is the least desirable location to get exercise, equipment takes a lot of space, it's expensive, and its hours and location are not versatile.  That said, I do go to a gym during winter months, because the climate I live in is not conducive to running.  However, my passion is an evening run with brilliant sunset colors illuminating my path.  Running leaves me energized, focused, and happy.  All requirements for the amount of time and energy I pour into my family, my home, and our commitment to real food.

If you want to live a simple and healthy lifestyle, regular exercise is vital.  But don't just exercise for physical health.  Anyone can become a gym rat.  Instead, choose a medium that agrees with your lifestyle.

Day 10: Home Made Fitness

photo by Jennifer Hallquist

I ran a marathon yesterday.  I've mentioned a few times that I was training, and yesterday I did it.  It was my first one, kind of a "bucket list" item.

As I was running, my mind started wandering, and I started thinking about how I got into running in the first place.  I decided that my top reasons for running, besides to stay physically fit, are

• the solitude
• the scenery
• the simplicity

I realized that running is one of several home made exercises, things that don't require a gym membership, specialized training, or a ton of equipment.  Sure, yesterday I had a rain jacket and special shoes and my sports headphones, but when I started running three years ago, I just headed out in a t-shirt, shorts, and my sneakers.

Here are a few other fitness activities that you can do at today, at home, with little or no preparation:

• walking - this is a great time of year in many places to walk outside and enjoy the fall colors
• strengthening - don't underestimate the fitness and weight loss potential of strengthening exercises. You don't even need weights; you can do pushups, planks, sit ups, lunges, or lift soup cans and water bottles.
• play with your kids - throw around a football, play soccer, or wrestle.  You both will benefit.
• ride your bike - run your errands on your bike, if possible.  Don't worry about not riding in a while; riding a bike is like, well, riding a bike.
• jump rope - ok, I guess this one needs a piece of equipment.  But I bet your kids have a jump rope in their toy stash.
• hiking - head out on a trail and explore a new part of your community.  If you need a destination, I recommend taking up the hobby geocaching.  It's a high tech treasure hunt perfect for all ages.

photo by Jennifer Hallquist

Taking care of your health doesn't have to be complicated, and it doesn't have to be daunting.  Find something you enjoy, and have fun.

If this is your first time here, welcome.  Take a minute to check out my other 31 Days to Home Made posts, by either clicking here or on the button at the top of this page.

Going Barefoot Week

Part IV:  The Choice

It's only been in the last year or so that a lot of options have become available for minimalist running.  I rode the wave, but I started slow.  I couldn't go along with the most popular choice, the Vibram Fivefingers.  As you can see, they have separate pockets for each toe.  My husband loves them and has several pairs, but I just can't do it.

So for a (very) long time, I ran in a pair of canvas martial arts shoes called Feiuye.  They are flexible enough to roll into a ball, so I still feel everything under my feet, but they are protected from sharp objects.  They have a couple pluses:  1.They're cheap, so they are an easy way to try out barefoot running without a huge investment, 2.They have no support whatsoever, so it's a true barefoot style experience, 3.They are easily available.

In fact, I am still running in them today while I wait for my new shoes to arrive.  But they also have some drawbacks:  1.They don't conform very well to my feet, so I slide around in them a lot.  2.They get soaking wet in the rain.  3.I must wear socks.






Finally, after a year and a half and while training for my first full marathon, I am ready to make the investment into a proper pair of shoes.  Now, just because I run barefoot style doesn't mean I don't use fancy shoes.  The new ones I got were fairly costly.  But the difference is in the style.  No padding and cushions around the heal, plenty of room for my toes to spread out.  Think glove for the foot.

After a lot of research, I have chosen the Merrell Pace Glove.  I tried on a pair, and I can hardly wait for mine to arrive.  I think it will do nothing but improve my runs.  Time will tell...

UPDATE DECEMBER 2011:  I ran my first marathon in the Merrell Pace Glove, and they were everything I hoped and more.  I cannot be happier with them, and will never go back to traditional shoes.

Going Barefoot Week

Part III:  Getting There

There are many, many resources on barefoot running, so I'll be brief in my explanation.  Basically, it's a style of running that lets your body do the work.  Your heels weren't meant to absorb shock; that job is for the balls of your feet.  Modern running shoes don't allow that to happen, so many runners end up with injuries as a result of poor form and weak foot muscles (from all the cushiony shock absorbers that have to be put into shoes to make your heel be able to absorb the shock, which it isn't supposed to do).

Barefoot runners don't concern themselves with over-pronation; in fact, that's kind of a natural thing your foot might do when you run, but that doesn't make it bad.  When I run barefoot, I naturally land on the outside of my foot, roll inside to the ball, and then spring off of my big toe.  To do this, my pelvis tilts forward, creating a perpetual motion that is nearly effortless.

At first, of course, all the muscles in my feet were like jelly from not being worked.  Once they got a chance to strengthen, my running took off, so to speak.  I am now up to 15 miles for my long runs, and it's really no big deal.

This change in my running habits has truly been life changing.  I am amazed at what my body is able to do, if only I stop trying to fix it with man-made solutions.

Going Barefoot Week

Part II:  But How?

Barefoot running, for me, began with a book.  Born To Run by Christopher McDougall.  It's not a book on running mechanics.  It's a true adventure story, along the lines of Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.
It's about this guy who wondered why his feet and knees hurt when he ran, so he started investigating.  He traced the spike in running related injuries to the invention of the modern running shoe.  And then he found these people who live in caves in Mexico who run for days on end with nothing but a piece of old tire rubber strapped to their feet, and they don't have all these injuries like **modern society**.  It's an excellent book, a real can't-put-it-down if you like adventure stories.

Anyway, that book intrigued me.  But things were going fine in my regular pronation correction shoes, so I didn't need a change.

And then I did.  Plantar fascists in my left foot set in while I was training for my first half marathon.  Ouch.  If you have ever had it, you know it's hard to describe to someone who hasn't.  And you also know there isn't much in the way of treatment.  So, rather than give up the dream, I switched my shoes.  I had nothing to lose.

I ran in a combination for a while…barefoot style shoes for short runs, "real" shoes for long runs.  But eventually, the real shoes bothered me.  And the barefoot shoes didn't.  Plantar fascitis disappeared.  As well as all my other ankle, hip, and knee pain.

That was a year and a half ago, and I will never go back.

FITNESS FRIDAYS

Going Barefoot Week

Part I:  What the Heck?!?

This is not a running blog, because I am not a runner.  I run.  But that's different.  Run-ners are people you can tell with one look spend their free time running.  Ultra-toned legs, graceful strides.  So not me.  My legs are kind of thick.  My form is not pretty.  But I run, because I love it.

So, as far as running goes, I have nothing to add.  I can share the links to running blogs that I enjoy reading.  Maybe for a Monday post.

But my addition here has to do with simplification.  With my questioning of why things have gotten so complicated.  Chaotic.

Like, why do we need 18 different cleaners (all chemically based, with carcinogenic properties) - one for just kitchen sinks, one for kitchen floors, one for kitchen counters, etc, etc, etc?

Why must spaghetti sauce come from a jar?

Why must everything have some form of corn product or syrup?

And why, oh why, do I need a fancy, pillow-top, cushiony shoe to help my feet do what God made them to do?

And so began my journey into barefoot, or minimalist, running.