I underwent a wrist operation a couple of weeks ago, which has rendered me useless in the exercise department. I’m not a fan of gyms and tend to do exercise as part of my daily grind; i.e. cycling or more measured exercise such as yoga.
Unfortunately both of these have been banned for a good few months by my surgeon due to the trauma they would create, hindering on my wrists total recovery. As luck would have it, I came across The Guardian & Observer’s free booklets on walking and how to walk yourself fit.
Fitness expert, Joanna Hall has devised a walking technique that increases fitness, stamina and helps you to lose weight and keep trim. She believes that 99% of the population doesn’t walk correctly and is on a mission with her WalkActive team to correct this. Her results reflect this, in six weeks she has documented a 25% increase in fitness, reduction of six inches and up to eight pounds. Pretty good huh?
I have always been a fan of walking since stopping dancing in my late teens. I’d heard that if you walked fast for 20 minutes every day then you could lose a stone in a year without changing your diet. Now I’m not sure how much of it was true or an old wives tale, but it certainly got me walking fast.
As a Londoner, it’s much easier to walk than get the tube or bus at times – in central London the tube stops are so close together it is quicker to walk than go underground, on the tube and back to street level. My closest tube station was 20 minutes walk away so off I went, incorporating fast walking into my everyday life.
Understandably, therefore, this walking technique caught my interest. I wanted to know more. I frequently walk into town as I live near the river and it’s a great way to blow away the cobwebs. If I could combine this with a style of walking that gave me even more benefits, I was all ears.
What also interested me was that Joanna Hall recommends Terra Plana’s VivoBarefoot Trainers. I’m a personal fan of Terra Plana after discovering their heels a few years ago, which are not only stylish, but are the most comfortable I have ever worn. Who can say that they have been on their feet (in heels), non-stop, for eight hours without stingy-ball-foot? Me.
Intrigued I spoke to Terra Plana Head Office to find out more and they kindly gave me a pair of my own to experiment with. VivoBarefoots are designed to allow the body to walk as if it is barefoot. Barefoot I hear you say? Yup, you heard correctly, barefoot. The sole is 3mm thick and is puncture resistant. Because the body is allowed to work naturally the VivoBarefoot realigns your natural posture and allows every one of the 20,000 nerve endings in the feet to be stimulated enhancing your sensory perception.
I know, it sounds crazy, but as soon as I put them on, I found my body standing differently to how it did in my other shoes and trainers. I went for a test walk in the local park and after a brisk 30 minute walk I really felt it in my legs and when I sat down the soles of my feet were tingling all over.
I’ve now been using them for about four weeks, on average four days per week excluding snow days, and I must admit do love them. Even without using the recommended WalkActive technique I definitely walk differently and can feel so much more underfoot and in my limbs. After learning the technique and taking part in the WalkActive Time Trial last Sunday, I’ve been accepted to train as WalkActive trainer. To say I am an enthusiast of this new type exercise is an understatement.
Design-wise, the VivoBarefoots are not exactly Adidas Shelltoes, they are very wide to allow your feet to splay when walking and I wouldn’t comfortably wear them without a widelegged trouser, however, style snobbishness aside, the benefit outweighs the look.
Its not as if the VivoBarefoots are huge runners, they are really malleable so you can walk to the station or across town and then easily folded up and popped into your [not too large] handbag when you get to your location. If trainers are totally off your radar there are some other styles in the range, including a knee-length boot and a high-top with fluro pink which will be my next purchases methinks.
Get walking, its free, sociable and fun. For the best results, I thoroughly recommend getting a pair of Vivos and joining up to Joanna Hall’s WalkActive club. Time trials are held monthly and cost only £15 for non-members.
Terra Plana VivoBarefoot trainers from £80
The new Evo running shoe launches in March 2010.
Joanna Hall WalkActive Club: Monthly Time Trials at various locations nationwide.