I am on day 14 of the Vionic® Walkabout Challenge. It’s fun. It’s easy. And, best of all, it’s good for me. I hope you’ll join me …
A little background: Vionic, manufacturer of fitness and fashion shoes has partnered with SparkPeople, Dr. Andrew Weil and fitness trainer Juliet Kaska for this, their 4th Annual Walkabout Challenge. A Walkabout is an Australian journey for well-being during which one seeks to clarify his or her life purpose. (I got that from the Vionic website.) Participants are encouraged to walk for 30 minutes for 30 days – and, if you haven’t already signed up, you can do so now. Registration is free and makes you eligible for prizes that include Vionic shoes, Dr. Weil cookbooks and Visa gift cards and, for one lucky winner, a weekend spa trip to Napa, California! Sign up here …
http://www.vionicshoes.com/2015-vionic-walkabout
Also, to make the Vionic Walkabout Challenge even more fun, sign up with SparkPeople, a health and fitness website that can keep you on track to help you realize your realistic diet and fitness goals. Sign up for that here. http://www.sparkpeople.com
Ok, on to the Vionic Walkabout Challenge …
The weather has not cooperated with my love of walking outside. Icy streets, high winds and bitter cold have kept me inside. Bummer. I can log miles and miles outside but I’m not going to allow Mother Nature to derail my commitment to myself. I’m hoofing it indoors – and I’m doing it in a nifty pair of Vionic sneakers with Orthaheel® technology. Oh, they are sweet and come to me courtesy of Vionic (thank you! I’m totally loving my new sneaks. But more on those in a bit … )
So, walking. I’ve done a number of posts on the benefits of walking and, considering that February is Heart Health Month and that the Vionic Walkabout Challenge is perfectly timed for it, it’s important to note that walking can lower blood pressure, strengthen your heart and more, including boosting your immune system and helping to manage your weight. Boo-yah! Walking is fun and can be done anywhere. (Relegated to the inside of my house, I’m walking up and down steps; the length of my hallways and in place in front of the TV. See what I mean? Anywhere!) The American Heart Association says that walking can also enhance mental well being and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, breast and colon cancer and non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Kinda makes you want to walk, right? Of course, check with your doctor to see if you are able to begin a walking program. Even before I signed up for the Vionic Walkabout Challenge I’ve been walking an average of 10,000 steps per day. In fact, a good friend and I have been meeting on days when we can walk outside and putting in our steps and, on days when the weather has other ideas, we snap on our cell phone headsets and talk to one another as we bang it out on our treadmills. Walking with a buddy makes the time go faster and the distance seem shorter. But, if communing with nature is what you hope to achieve from your walk, get out there and enjoy the scenery, the solitude and the gifts of nature in your area. Seriously, I can’t think of a bad thing to say about walking. Did I mention that it helps me sleep better at night? That, in and of itself, is an invaluable benefit.
As for Vionic – I’m going to share a little secret with you – but don’t tell. When the people at Vionic got in touch with me to see if I’d be interested in participating in the Vionic Walkabout Challenge and asked if I’d like to receive a pair of Vionic sneakers, I jumped at the chance. Between you and me, my own pair of Vionic sneakers had just about had it and I was in the market for a new pair. Yes, I own and love Vionics. I have Vionic sneakers and Vionic slippers and they have saved my feet. TMI be damned, I have plantar fasciitis. In both feet. I know. So lucky. It is one of the most painful things I have experienced. I sought help from two podiatrists and was about to undergo a special procedure that I understand is quite painful but is supposed to alleviate plantar fasciitis permanently. I’ve been putting it off. I’m afraid of many things medical and seek alternative treatments whenever possible. That fear led me to my discovery of Vionic which led me to the purchase of my first pair of sneakers and slippers. (My doctor told me to never be barefoot and to invest in a good pair of slippers.) Honestly, I’d not be able to participate in the Vionic Walkabout Challenge had it not been for Vionic shoes. I won’t go so far as to say that the plantar fasciitis is cured – but it no longer causes me pain. Whereas in regular sneakers I couldn’t walk for two blocks without pain, I can go for miles in my Vionics without any pain whatsoever. It’s really kind of a miracle.
So, lessons imparted in this post: Walking is amaze for your overall health. Vionics are amaze for your feet’s health and comfort. Sign up with SparkPeople for tips on managing your exercise and nutrition and, by all means, join the Vionic Walkabout Challenge and walk your way to a healthier you in the next thirty days. (And beyond! You’ll want to keep it up. I do!)
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