the whole plate. » walking

in it for life.

leslie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:29:00 +0000

About a month ago, I was enjoying a woodsy walk with my mom, when she made a comment that has stuck with me ever since. [Parents seem to have this way of being natural fountains of wise words.] We were strolling through my hometown’s local trail, better known as “the valley,” a place that has been home to moments ranging from marathon training runs to wedding proposals. It is quiet and scenic, though that isn’t a difficult achievement in much of Connecticut.

My mother and I chatted under the trees, keeping up a brisk pace, warming ourselves with light, but still get-your-blood-flowing movement. Of course, I still have to smile when I walk without pain in my knees, and so, the topic came up in conversation. We mused about possible causes for the mostly reduced pain, and though we discussed the many remedies I tried, I kept coming back to one: yoga.

I bet that’s not a surprise. :)

As I commented that my muscles needed yoga’s stretch to keep the strain of tightness off my knees, as I mentioned that they needed the strength it builds to keep my kneecaps moving properly, as I mentioned that I needed something that made me feel awake, alive, humble, and powerful all at once, my mother said:

“So, I guess you’re in it for life.”

i think i’m into these colorful foods for life, too.

I’ve heard those words every day since she spoke them.

Without sounding too new-agey, I really feel that yoga has been they key factor in healing my injury. Last week, when I suddenly, as though it was completely natural, lifted up into an almost full wheel for the first time, I wondered, “When did this happen? Where did this strength come from?” It didn’t come from physical therapy, medical equipment, or the steroids my doctor failed to convince me to take. It came, quite simply, from a few hours a week on a mat.

I’ve realized when I don’t get enough yoga, my body can tell. It isn’t a feeling of want, the way I might desire the sweat of exercise [though that is always a nice craving, and one I feel often]. Instead, it is a necessity. For me, there is no walking without yoga. There is no climbing stairs. There is no running. There is no dancing. There is no movement. And as a city dweller, without movement, there is no life.

So, while I often say my future is uncertain, when it comes to yoga, I believe in my mother’s words. My body needs it; my mind wants it; and if I’ve come this far in six months, I can only imagine where I’ll be in six years. In it for life sounds perfect to me.

Is there an aspect of your lifestyle that you’re “in for life?” A form of exercise? A style of eating? A career? A relationship?

local flavor.

leslie — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:21:33 +0000

Last week, over lunch with a friend, I was chatting about the pull I constantly feel towards international living. It’s strange, as I would happily spend a stint nearly anywhere in the world, yet when I consider my own country, there is only one place I can imagine settling, and it’s exactly where I am: New York.

As I currently marvel at the beautiful turnover of items at the farmers’ market and the cool breezes inspiring fall-fashionable layering, I am feeling a renewed relationship with the city.

I love that healthy living is natural, easy, and widespread.

In a ten-block radius, I can find elegant raw cuisine, swoon-worthy vegan ice cream, and juice to go.

The paths for walking, running, or bicycling are beautiful and abundant.

And, walking is a way of life. [I am a terrible driver, and I am also plagued by automobile-induced motion sickness. I like to walk.]

I am greeted by seasonal produce on nearly any block.

In every borough, the city and nature collide – the best of both worlds.

What do you love about your current locale?

vacation and movement.

leslie — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:00:34 +0000

Just as I enjoy leading a relatively active lifestyle, I also appreciate a bit of activity on vacation. This has never meant spending my mornings in a hotel gym or cranking out pushups on my hotel room floor. It does, however, mean picking up my feet and breathing in some fresh air. In the past, I woke up to sunny runs along the beach. This year, I appreciated the simplicity of a walk.

I began many mornings with walks on the beach…

Or along the rocky coast…

My family walked to dinner…

And to reach entertainment…

We walked on the golf course…

We walked to the beach…

In the sun…

Blanketed by fog…

And just to appreciate the view.

I love walking. Accompanied by some time on my yoga mat (have I mentioned I held crow for the first time this week?), it is all the movement I need.

How do you move on vacation?

take a walk.

leslie — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:00:03 +0000

I have always loved walking. Even before I learned to associate it with exercise, miles covered, or calories burned, I truly enjoyed the practice.

In college, I lived about forty blocks from the set of buildings designated as my campus. While I was typically running too far behind schedule to take a stroll to class, I nearly always walked home afterward, whether the temperature be below freezing or above eighty. Climate didn’t matter; I simply loved the walk.

Those post-class hikes taught me an important lesson about cities: there is no better way to experience one than to walk it. As I covered the Manhattan blocks between school and my dorm room, I passed through four distinct neighborhoods – quaint, trendy, grimy, pristine. I watched one seamlessly flow into another, saw the numbers and types of people in each change, felt the neighborhood energy shift from one to the next.

Consequently, when I travel, I walk everywhere, sometimes beyond the point of reason. On my first trip to Paris, I was so busy flitting from place to place that I only scratched the surface of the city. When I returned, however, I walked miles and miles, finally reaching an understanding of the city’s ebb, flow, and relentless classicism, no matter the district.

When summer arrived in Prague, I began to tread over the cobblestone regardless of my destination. I strolled over a valley of railroad tracks on my way to work, wound through tourist central to teach English lessons, crossed the river to meet friends for Sunday afternoon brunches. The city began to feel small and unbelievably accessible, covered east to west by my two feet.

A few months ago, I was blindsided when I was told not only to stop running, but to also restrict my walking. I could never give it up altogether – walking is a means of transportation in New York. But suddenly, twenty blocks was no longer a distance meant for foot travel; it was a distance covered by two subway stops.

I picked up my custom orthotics two days ago. As instructed, I wore them yesterday on a thirty minute walk, and for the first time in six months, I exited my apartment building with the knowledge that the walk I was planning was okay. Turns out my orthotics need some serious adjustments – but that’s not the point. What matters is that I have learned to appreciate the basics.

Whether alone, in someone’s company, in the city, or on a boardwalk, I have relished in the simple joy of each walk I have taken this year. The running question remains, but walking? Right now, that is my goal, and perhaps it is the only goal I need.

Are you a walker? Where’s your favorite place to take a stroll?