Getting Rid of the Old Carpet

My friend Cece thought that I was injured. Someone else thought I needed snow. It’s amazing what can happen when the carpet needs to come up. That dreaded day when everything has to be moved.

While getting everything out of my home office so that the old, worn carpet could be taken out, I came across my Leki Nordic Walking FitTrek poles—the ones that had been standing behind the door for about 2 years, maybe even longer. The ones I had wanted to try but hadn’t watched the video yet because we would have to switch the DVD player and the VCR hookup to the TV. I guess it was too much trouble. Or, maybe I forgot about them. Actually, I really didn’t forget about them. Every time I closed the door to muffle the barking of the dogs so I could talk on my phone, I saw them. I kept thinking, “I should really get those out, set them up for my size, and use them.”  And, I love to walk. These would rev up my calorie burn and get my upper body involved in my favorite exercise. Why wasn’t I using them? Is it possible that I would never use them, when I had been so interested in purchasing them?

So, when we started getting rid of old stuff, and organizing some of the rest of it, I decided that it was silly to wait until I watched the video. How hard could it be to walk with poles? And the weather was beautiful. So, I did what I usually do when I want to get motivated and have the information I need to get started on any project. I googled “Leki.”  And, I was impressed by what I saw on www.leki.com. I didn’t need the video. I didn’t even need the instructions. It was all on the site, video clips and all. Groups of people walking with their poles. Instructions on how to adjust them to my height. Information on the benefits. I knew that using these poles would be good, but I hadn’t realized that I could burn up to 40% more calories than walking without them, increase my O₂ consumption by 25%, reduce stress on my knees and ease up the force on my heels by 26%. Great information, and very motivating. I couldn’t wait to get these poles on the road. Read the rest of this entry »