Adventure Buddies & POWER with Poles

By Thomas Nelson with Jayah Faye Paley

What does optimal health mean to you? Do your physical activities enhance your feeling of wellness? There is an easy way to advance your sense of well being while simultaneously connecting you in meaningful ways with our precious planet - Hiking! Are you familiar with all the incredible physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of hiking? Remember how you felt alive and in touch with the natural world around you? Hiking engages the body, mind, and soul and is one of the most beneficial activities for all around good health. And, have you encountered the amazing benefits of hiking with poles - using your whole body while connecting with the earth?

When was the last time you stepped into the serenity of nature on one of the world-class hiking trails right here in Northern California? Did you know that you can enjoy the outdoors while connecting with your buddies and at the same time get a total body workout? Talk about a time-saver - hiking with poles is the secret to achieving this win-win strategy.

So what's keeping you from getting outdoors? Is it fear of the unknown, sore or weak knees and/or not knowing where to find those magical trailheads?

Using poles helps to reduce stress on joints like knees, hips and spine. By learning to efficiently use your upper body muscles, you gain upper body strength while helping to preserve your joints. Poles improve balance and posture. Better posture leads to greater endurance so the uphill climbs that seemed almost unachievable before, now become much more fun and more easily attainable because you're using your upper body muscles to assist with your climb. This whole body experience enhances your cardio-respiratory fitness.

Beginners often avoid hiking because of the physical stress experienced by their knees while going downhill. However, by correctly using poles, core muscles absorb some of the effort, balance is maintained and body weight is distributed throughout four limbs rather than two. Your knees will love the support, allowing you to become a quadruped able to negotiate terrain you previously thought challenging or unattainable.

Find your comfort level before venturing onto more challenging terrain. Regardless of your current physical condition, using poles correctly will enable you to achieve greater efficiency and help you become more fit while maximizing your muscles and skeletal structure. Whether you are a runner using poles for cross training or more of a couch potato who needs a little help to get moving; whether you are a hard-core trekker or someone brand new to hiking, poles enable and empower. By using more of your body you can increase the fat-burning process, lose weight, and improve your overall fitness level.

People with serious mobility concerns can recover their feeling of freedom. Their bodies seem to sigh in relief at having bi-lateral stability with movement. There are all kinds of issues and obstacles that keep people from achieving their optimal wellness level. Arthritis, Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, depression, age and just plain lack of motivation are some of the many conditions that can benefit from getting out and enjoying the outdoors. Any condition that limits mobility, walking or gait can generally benefit from the natural movement of using the whole body for walking. Achieving a natural arm swing - what therapists call a reciprocal gait pattern - is beneficial in so many ways and feels really good.

For athletes and fitness enthusiasts, there's Nordic Walking - a fitness craze in Europe. Having a pair of top quality Nordic Walking poles is becoming a status symbol. People all over Europe are powering around using poles in a strong propelling motion. This powerful exercise is excellent cross training for runners. Imagine being able to achieve the cardio benefits without the joint pounding.

Right here in Northern California we have the creator of the only comprehensive teaching curriculum available on how to use poles for hiking and walking. Jayah Faye Paley, author and educator, conducts free clinics through REI and leads field seminars at various national parks, museums, and locally at Point Reyes National Seashore and other prime hiking locations. Jayah puts top quality poles into peoples' hands and instructs them how to achieve maximum physical and mental benefit regardless of age. Jayah has worked with experienced hard core hikers, novices, as well as people with medical conditions who thought they could never again walk on uneven terrain. Jayah's inspirational approach has folks everywhere hiking and smiling as they go.

Jayah makes time for support groups dealing with balance and mobility concerns. Jayah is a breast cancer survivor and runs a Lymphedema Education & Exercise group at CPMC in San Francisco, helping people understand, manage and prevent lymphedema (a condition common to cancer survivors).

Most of us have a list of places we dream about someday exploring by foot. Some of these journeys require extensive travel and cost thousands of dollars. However, in today's economy, many people are staying closer to home and discovering the rich rewards of nearby "exotic" places. Right here in our own neighborhood there are biologically diverse coastal mountains and rich valleys just waiting for exploration and adventure. People come from all over the world just to hike among redwood forests, coastal bluffs, marshes and lagoons, and the fertile valley landscapes of Northern California.

Using poles correctly can become an enjoyable way to explore our own back yard while maximizing cardio-respiratory fitness. So whether you're 29 or 99, hiking with poles provides a fun way to connect with buddies who also enjoy nature and the benefits of exploring new trails. So, what's stopping you?

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