How Steep Was My Valley: Waipi’o, HI
Great aerobic exercise. Spectacular views. Free sun and Vitamin D. 5 hours. 6.5 miles. 4,000' up and down. 2,500+ calories gone. Cost of admission: nothing. Trail food: $3.
Presidential Fitness: Fuggeddaboutit
Let's observe Presidents Day by considering Presidential fitness: the health benefits of a good night's sleep. Like achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. And thinking clearly: being able to distinguish between facts and “noise". Let's look at the research.
The Walk That Ate Amsterdam
Walk alongside or float along Amsterdam's more than 60 miles of canals. Follow my footsteps for a brisk seven-mile tour; burn about 900 calories in three hours. Or do it the Dutch Way: make a few relaxed stops along the Way to eat and drink.
Love Handles
Want to lose them for Valentine's Day? Great! That'll be next Valentine's Day. Because Better Cheaper Slower is The Slow Fix. Because there are no quick fixes that actually work. If you plan to be around next year at this time, click and think about this. Because if you started last Valentine's Day, you might have lost the handles by now.
Warm Winter Hiking. Cactus included.
I knew the Coronado National Forest was full of them. I just didn't know they looked like cartoons. Here they are. Thousands of them. For miles. Walk this whole 16-mile trail outside Tucson, Arizona. 5 or 6 great hours. More than 2,000 calories burned. The temperature: in the high 60s F. About the same as Phoenix, 100 miles away. A little too warm for football. Ya think?
Killer couches. Murderous desk chairs.
Can't blame them. Sure, they might be really comfortable. Inviting. But it's not their fault. It's you. The sitter. Sitting for hours at a time reduces your metabolic rate and makes you a more likely candidate for obesity and diabetes. Here's an easy solution to the problem.
4 Muddy Boots on a 4-Wheel Drive Trail
8 miles in 5 or 6 hours in the rainforest. 3,000' of elevation gain. 3,000 calories burned. Want more? Take the waterfall detour. Right up the middle of the shallow but rocky stream. Check my big 3D Google Map for the turnoff. If you're already here,the extra cost for all this nature and exercise = zero.
Great Balls of Exercise: Front Raises
Strengthen your shoulder, arm and chest muscles by squeezing this really big exercise ball between your hands. And raising it above your head. Use your core, back and leg muscles, to balance while you're top-heavy. Strengthen many muscles at once. Very time-efficient.
Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi’ai Falls. Wow.
Before you wade into the Falls, you'll have to stroll across Ke'e Beach. And then you have to walk along two miles of the legendary Kalalau Trail, hanging a couple hundred feet above the brilliant blue Pacific. Yes, it's tough hiking here on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i.
Great Balls of Exercise: Figure 8s
Stretch and strengthen your core, back and leg muscles while you stand and twist. Strengthen your shoulder and chest muscles by squeezing this really big exercise ball between your hands. You use many, many muscles. Very time-efficient. Burns calories faster. Fun, too.