Quantum Walking to Fitness
A Help-Yourself Book
by Tobias D. Robison
This is the Smashwords Edition, published by Tobias D. Robison at Smashwords.
Copyright 2012 Tobias D. Robison, Princeton, NJ, USA
Discover other titles by Tobias D. Robison at Smashwords.com:
The Author’s Blog is: http://precision-blogging.blogspot.com
Email: tobyr21@gmail.com
Quantum Walking to Fitness is a work of non-fiction. The narrative is based on an actual human being, and the events really happened.
This book is dedicated to Elaine, for whom I walk.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you’d like to share this book with others, please buy a copy for each recipient. If this isn’t your own copy, then please, return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own. Thanks!
A day in the life of a Quantum Walker
What do we mean by: Uninterrupted Walking?
How do I find my own personal Quantum?
How should I keep track of my running total?
Time to Go. Are you on your feet?
WE HAVE A LOT OF WALKING TO DO. LET’S GET STARTED .…
What is a quantum? A quantum is the smallest physical quantity that is possible, for a given situation..
What is a quantum walk? A quantum walk is the smallest unit of walking that will help you to become more healthy, fit and energetic.
* Quantum Walking Explained *
There are no mysteries here. The basic ideas are simple:
(1) If you learn to walk at least three miles a day, you will become healthier, more energetic, and possibly more resistant to injury and disease. Walking is exercise that some people can perform beyond age ninety. You can walk even if you have a bad back and many other physical problems.
(2) What do I get out of it? Sounds like you don’t believe me. The great reward from regular walking is feeling more fit and more energetic. You will also burn more calories. How many? Possibly four to seven calories per walking minute, depending on your age, weight, condition and health. There are charts on the Web to help estimate your calorie burn rate. To find them, search for:
walking calories burned .
(3) It takes most people an hour to walk three miles! How can I make time for it? By taking many small walks that add up to three miles each day.
(4) Those small walks will still take an hour! Who has time for this? These small walks will almost certainly not take an hour out of your life. You can learn how to weave them into your lifestyle in such a way that you allocate far less time than an hour to the specific activity of walking. And you will see obvious, pleasant health benefits in these changes to your lifestyle.
(5) You still haven’t explained. How long is a quantum walk? I will explain. But bear in mind, you are the real judge of what constitutes a quantum walk. My rules are extremely permissive! You’ll know that your quantum is the right size for you, because you will feel better and more energetic.
(6) Are you sure, sure, sure, that I will get all these benefits from walking? No. I must admit that nothing is certain. People are all different, and I cannot guarantee that quantum walking is for you. I hope it is, though. I want you to enjoy the same benefits that I get.
If you are a world-class couch potato, you may have to work up to investing enough distance in your quantum walks. But even couch potatoes can find ways to squeeze quantum walks into their daily routines.
What if you are a serious athlete? You swim, you jog, you compete frequently. You don’t need this book, do you? Well you might, especially if, in between your periods of athleticism, you switch to long periods of inactivity. Do you, perhaps, spend all afternoon at a computer, finishing your work on time so you can make the next basketball game? Well, there is something wrong with that four hour sit, and perhaps quantum walks are just what you need.
Quantum walks don’t steal your precious time. They can be mentally productive, and you can do them while you take care of your daily chores.
* Before you Start (1) *
It’s a good idea to consult your doctor before beginning any new physical activity. Undemanding as quantum walking is, some problems can be created or exacerbated by walking. Walking is good for most people. Make sure that you’re one of them. Also, bear in mind my disclaimer:
Disclaimer: I am a person who walks, not a doctor, not a health expert. I’m just a person who has benefited from taking many short walks, and I want to share my results with you. Please take this entire book as a suggestion. It’s not professional advice, and only you are responsible for the results you get.
* A day in the life of a Quantum Walker *
Perhaps you suspect that I’m disgustingly healthy, and that I live in a mild climate. I wish! I have back problems, knee problems, a painful shoulder, flat feet, no athletic ability, and a busy life. I’m overweight, and I have a sedentary occupation. My climate blesses me with rain about 100 days a year, and then there’s snow, ice, cold winds, high heat and humidity, and chilling damp.
On a typical morning, I struggle out of bed, turn off the alarm, and stretch a bit. Then the next few things I do are pretty routine – I visit the bathroom, go back to my bedroom to select clothes for the day, get dressed, floss my teeth (I walk while I floss), go downstairs, get the dog leash and take the dog for a walk. I do not sit down during this process (not more than a few moments), because I am walking. I keep track of how much I’m walking through all this activity (we’ll discuss many ways to track distance later). On this particular day, by the time I reach the kitchen to make breakfast, I’ve traveled at least three tenths of a mile.
But I haven’t finished walking. I prepare juice, coffee and toast for my breakfast. When I sit down to eat, my first quantum walk of the day is over: at least four tenths of a mile, an excellent start.
My commute begins with a short walk to the car, much too short to count as a quantum walk. But the garbage was picked up this morning, so I put away the cans (regular, glass, paper), one at a time. That’s still not enough to count as a quantum walk, so I spend another minute walking around on my driveway. I’ve already walked more than half a mile, and I’m off to work.
At work, I park in the farthest part of the parking lot (fortunately the weather is good) and walk to my office. This is not quite enough to count as a walk, so I do not sit down yet, but immediately find some walking task (a quick visit to the company library) to get my total up. I’m now ready to work, and my total is nearly one mile.
I check my e-mail. There is a nasty message from a coworker about a new project. He obviously misunderstood something, so I start writing an e-mail to set him right. But then I realize that I need to handle this issue carefully, not fire something off without thought.
A smoker would take a smoking break at this point and think about the problem. I do not smoke, but I can take a “think break” instead. I don’t just sit and think at my computer! If you haven’t already discovered it, you’ll be delighted to find out how many problems you can solve by getting away from your office chair and breaking your chain of thought. I get up and walk the halls for a few minutes. Then I walk to my coworker’s office, having planned what to say. The result is much better than that e-mail I was going to write, and my walking total is now about 1.25 miles.
Of this first 1.25 miles, you will notice that I dedicated only a minute or so to walking. The rest of that mile was useful chores, productive thinking, or necessary walking. I just made sure the walks were not broken up into such tiny pieces as to be less than useful. I like to walk energetically, but I believe that slow, dawdly walking burns almost as many calories (sometimes more) and works just as well. I shall not describe the rest of the day in detail, but here are a few notes of interest:
I walked to my coworker’s office instead of phoning him. A real conversation is often better than a phone call! When you reach for the phone, ask yourself if it might be better to walk.
Later that day, I took care of a routine errand. I could have taken the car. Instead, I walked there and back, a half mile each way. It took me twenty minutes to walk, but that’s only eight more minutes than it would have taken to drive and park. That means I invested eight minutes and walked a whole mile.
There were more dog walks that evening. Even when my dog does her business right away and the weather is bad, I’m likely to prolong the walk until I get my quantum.
I try to do a half mile of fast walking each day, but I know from experience that I can benefit even without any fast walking.
* It’s not so easy then, is it? *
Okay, now that you know more about quantum walking, it sounds like a serious commitment. You have to know how far you are walking. You have to keep track of the daily total. Also, perhaps you’re afraid that you’ll look like an idiot when you walk the halls at work. (Don’t worry. In the next-to-last section, I’ll explain about “acting.”)
I’ve recommended that you walk at least three miles a day. It’s even better to walk four or five miles a day. That sounds like an even more challenging investment of your time, doesn’t it? Well, don’t worry. Work your way gradually into quantum walking, and find your own level of comfortable commitment. Remember that you’ll feel better, and that will encourage you to walk more.
You can learn this program as you go. And remember, you don’t even have to walk three miles a day at first. You are going to learn a form of exercise that really does not take up much of your time, and provides good benefits, that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.
Well, you’ve had the overview. Let’s get down to the details.
* Before You Start (2) *
Consult your doctor before you begin any new regimen of exercise, including this one. Walking every day is not for everyone. I don’t want my wonderful, healthful program to hurt you.
Good shoes, good posture and a good walking stride produce the best results. If you walk in untied shoes full of holes, have a bad posture, and jar your back with every step, you can hurt yourself more than you can help.
But these are problems you can solve! In the “I’m not a Doctor” sections, I will give you suggestions about checking out your shoes, posture and stride. But you can get your best advice from a doctor, a podiatrist, a phthiatrist, a physical therapist or a competent athletic coach. Consult one of these if you can.
Before you take any walk, however short, that requires effort: consider warming up or stretching. This is especially true for walking uphill, downhill, on difficult terrain, or out into the cold. It’s not easy to hurt yourself walking, but it’s possible, so plan ahead.