It's book review Tuesday, and appropriate time to talk about a recent read. My sis recommended this to me when I confided I was going to the dark side and starting to run on the treadmill vs walking. "What are the yogi's going to say?" she asked, her sarcasm nice and thick, like Vermont maple syrup in February. She was, of course, referring to my martial arts instructors (or who knows, maybe even the yoga instructors, those these two classes of bend-it-backwards professionals are often at odds with one another).
"Who cares?" was my retort, my personal desperation clear as a Maria singing The Hills are Alive through a megaphone. When I want to think, concentrate and sweat like a racehorse and be englightened all at the time, I'll do the martial arts practicing. When I want mindless, lateral movement where I can zone, running is where it's at.
"Get Chi Running. Now," said my younger, yet wiser sibling. To her great suprise, I did. Within two hours, I was running away on the indoor mat of pain, reading Chi running on my Kindle.
I'll cut to the chase. It's about how to run without injury, and I confess, I've never actually had a running injury. I ran distance all through middle and high school, stopping my 2nd year in college. Even then, I figured it was easier to meet guys at a gym while I was in some class wearing little nothings than on a solitary track that was oh-so-boring. My reasoning was flawed but it probably saved me serious knee, hip and angle injuries. 20 yrs later, as I take it up on an as-needed basis to preserve my sanity (and to the chagrin of my teachers who can always tell when I run since my joints lock up and I'm not as limber), I am ready to embrace a different way of running.
The skinny-- running heal to toe is bad. Running along the side, middle first is good. The front matter of the book (e.g. the first 50 pages) are really boring. I don't want theory. I have not time for that. Give me some pictures (the author says to skip to the pics if the text is boring--love an honest author!). I do. Great pics. Then I went back and read the text.
Chi Walking is also available, and I subsquently purchased this book, as I walk my dog several times a day. Liked them both. If you walk or run for exercise, I definitely recommend both. In one session of altering my running style (and the following week of testing it again) it was easy, more comfortable (I had doubts at first) and have absolutely no pain or joint aches at all. Amazing.
I love it when my sibs give me great advice. Now how about the career essentials I've been waiting for??
"Who cares?" was my retort, my personal desperation clear as a Maria singing The Hills are Alive through a megaphone. When I want to think, concentrate and sweat like a racehorse and be englightened all at the time, I'll do the martial arts practicing. When I want mindless, lateral movement where I can zone, running is where it's at.
"Get Chi Running. Now," said my younger, yet wiser sibling. To her great suprise, I did. Within two hours, I was running away on the indoor mat of pain, reading Chi running on my Kindle.
I'll cut to the chase. It's about how to run without injury, and I confess, I've never actually had a running injury. I ran distance all through middle and high school, stopping my 2nd year in college. Even then, I figured it was easier to meet guys at a gym while I was in some class wearing little nothings than on a solitary track that was oh-so-boring. My reasoning was flawed but it probably saved me serious knee, hip and angle injuries. 20 yrs later, as I take it up on an as-needed basis to preserve my sanity (and to the chagrin of my teachers who can always tell when I run since my joints lock up and I'm not as limber), I am ready to embrace a different way of running.
The skinny-- running heal to toe is bad. Running along the side, middle first is good. The front matter of the book (e.g. the first 50 pages) are really boring. I don't want theory. I have not time for that. Give me some pictures (the author says to skip to the pics if the text is boring--love an honest author!). I do. Great pics. Then I went back and read the text.
Chi Walking is also available, and I subsquently purchased this book, as I walk my dog several times a day. Liked them both. If you walk or run for exercise, I definitely recommend both. In one session of altering my running style (and the following week of testing it again) it was easy, more comfortable (I had doubts at first) and have absolutely no pain or joint aches at all. Amazing.
I love it when my sibs give me great advice. Now how about the career essentials I've been waiting for??
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