Don’t Underestimate The Value Of Walking Your Dog As A Conditioning Exercise

 

Hi folks,

I learned about exercise from many people, one of which was Bruce Lee, via his books and my Jeet Kune Do instructor, Erwin (haven’t seen him for years - really nice guy). Ironman training or not, I couldn’t handle one of Erwin’s classes today. I remember Bruce Lee writing that one should incorporate exercise into your daily life, and not confine it to the workout area. This included climbing stairs (which I limit to 10 floors in hotels, for logistical reasons), biking around town, and walking. I think that it is easy to forget what great exercise walking can be, and it is almost risk free, whilst strengthening your cardiovascular and respiratory systems, toughing tendons, ligaments, joints, muscles, and fascia, in addition to entertaining and thus rejuvenating your mind. Here are a couple of videos that I made whilst walking Scooter (feisty little dog) today, so it has my visual perspective.

I tried to shoot the second video clip from Scooter’s (odorant dominated) perspective, but unfortunately couldn’t capture the smells (not available on my iPad), which means I missed most of the fun. If you want some insight into the life of Scooter, I recommend that you read that creepy but excellent book, ‘Perfume,’ by Patrick Suskind, which is nicely reviewed at Sophia’s Book Blog. I received this book as a gift in the mail from a fellow presenter at a course on sensory systems years ago; I was into noses then, so I was invited to present an overview on the sense of smell. This book turned out to be a great gift because it changed my view of the world, causing me to wonder how other creatures ‘see’ things, such as fish with their lateral line system and slugs who view the world through a mist of mucus (I bet that it is crystal clear to them because mucus has magical properties) - but then, come to think of it, so do we, as mucus is a critical covering of the front of our eyes that protects these vital organs from excessive dryness.

Scooter’s Walk (without the fun/smelly bits):

So don’t underestimate the value of walking as general conditioning, my Ironman friends, and then one day you maybe able to chase the deer with Scooter.

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

Post Footer automatically generated by wp-posturl plugin for wordpress.

Share

About Kevin Morgan

About Me: Senior Scientist Ironman Triathlete & Blogger. Carrboro, NC. Mantra: safe exercise for better health through improved mind and body awareness. Business USP: use the experience of an actively competing scientist Ironman triathlete with an abdominal aortic aneurysm stent graft to develop a safe approach to exercise for better health through improved mind-body awareness, if you have diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity, other health challenge, or you are simply dealing with the effects of aging. Marital Status: Partnered Ethnicity: Caucasian
This entry was posted in Body Awareness, Exercise Tips, FitOldDog Training Video, psychology and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Don’t Underestimate The Value Of Walking Your Dog As A Conditioning Exercise

  1. Marian says:

    What’s that little red thing in the first video? It looks a bit like a cat with a coat on.

  2. Trevor says:

    Williamson’s book Tarka the Otter is written from the viewpoint of Tarka. When writing it he spent a lot of time on the banks of the Torridge and the Taw. His neighbours thought he was loopy (In other aspects of his life he was loopy).
    It is a good yarn with a sad end.

Leave a Reply