Take a Walk in the Park, 3-Day Style

Now that spring is here, everyone is itching to get outside and into the sun. And this weekend is the perfect motivation to get you moving! Get out and get your steps in, but instead of walking on a track or at the gym, we want to see you all heading to the park to walk in the sun. Here are some fun ways to get your steps in…

Explore a new park

This is an easy one! Training can become monotonous if you’re always walking in the same park or area, so pick someplace new this weekend! Do some searching, and even take a bit of a drive if you need to, to find a picturesque and unique place to get moving. Websites like AllTrails.com, TrailLink.com and MapMyWalk.com can help you find a new park or trail in your area.

Do a lightning round

If you live in an area with lots of parks or hiking trails, hit as many as you can in one day! Walk 1-2 miles (or even less if you like) in each location, and then move on to the next fun spot. This is a great way to get in a lot of miles with nice built-in breaks. For first-time walkers or those who haven’t done a ton of training yet, kick your spring walks off with this idea!

Go for a hike

This is not the same thing as a walk! Find an area with more of an incline, be it a national park or a mountain (depending on where you live) and lace up those hiking boots. This will be a different type of training, and indeed a different type of park experience. That will help add some variety to your training schedule and prepare you for any hills you might hit on the 3-Day course!

Make it a nature walk

Collect cool flowers, leaves and other elements of nature as you walk. Make sure this is allowed by the park first, as some places do not allow you to remove the nature. However, if it is permitted, it’s a great activity to have on your mind as you walk and will really make you appreciate your natural surroundings. Then, use those petals and leaves for a later team building event and make fun art or pressed flowers that will always remind you of your 3-Day team. ?

Plan a picnic at the end

This will take some coordination but work with your family or friends to have someone meet you at the end of your 3-Day training walk with a picnic reward! Have as many pink items (think strawberries, pink lemonade, cookies and more!) as you can in the picnic and celebrate a walk well stepped.

If you need some more inspiration for your weekend walks, here are some other blog posts to check out:

Are you going on a training walk this weekend? Tell us how you’re getting outside this spring!

 

For tips about healthy living, click here for advice and support to keep you on track for the 3-Day and beyond. http://the3day.co/amgen2019. Thanks to the support of Amgen and in partnership with American Bone Health, the Healthy Living series was designed to prepare your mind, body and bones for the 3-Day.

Tell Us Why YOU #Commit3Days …You Could Win FREE Airfare to a 2019 3-Day!

We want to know what makes you #Commit3Days and fight breast cancer as a part of the 3-Day. We want to hear your stories, goals, memories and more. And we want to hear it directly from YOU!

Take a note from the 3-Dayers in these videos, and create a video telling us why you COMMIT 3 DAYS. Upload your video HERE and then start spreading the word! Share the link on social media, in your email signature or even by texting it to your friends and family, asking them to vote. Every vote counts! That’s because the top 5 videos with the most votes by April 15th at 10 AM EST will win FREE round-trip airfare to the 2019 3-Day of their choice. What are you waiting for?!

You can create the video on your phone. It doesn’t have to be professional, it just has to be personal. The more stories we share, the more motivation we will build as our 2019 3-Days approach.

If you need inspiration for your video, check out these stories from other 3-Dayers…

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Now get filming! Submit your video HERE and send it out to get votes! The clock is ticking down to April 15th at 10 AM EST.

Already have your airfare? Did you know you can gift the flight to someone else? A friend who wants to walk in another city but needs help with airfare. A crew member who could use a boost. Make your video today and make someone else’s day tomorrow!

Healthy Living: Preparing your Mind, Body and Bones for the 3 Day!

Welcome to the first blog of the “Healthy Living: Preparing your Mind, Body and Bones for the 3?Day!” series. Thanks to the support of Amgen and working in partnership with American Bone Health we are excited to provide you with a special new series of emails, blogs and additional resources that will help prepare you for this life-changing event, as well as year-round health.

Putting Pep in Your 3-Day Step

Special Guest Contributor: Sally Warner, PhD

Walking can be such a mindless activity. But when you embark on a 60-mile walk, you really need to be mindful of your body and support your walk with intention. Here’s how you can improve your walk by training to increase your speed and reduce injury.

The Walking Cycle

Walking is a coordinated effort of the feet, ankles, knees and hips. The cycle of how a person walks is called the gait. There are two phases to the gait cycle:

  1. The Stance: This is the time a foot is on the ground. It makes up 60 percent of the cycle.
  2. The Swing: The motion of the foot off the ground.

During the stance phase, there are four motions that involve the foot:

  1. The heel strikes the ground.
  2. The entire foot contacts the ground.
  3. The heel lifts, placing weight on the ball of the foot.
  4. The big toe helps propel the lift and swing.

The swing phase has two motions:

  1. Acceleration into the swing.
  2. Deceleration into placement of the heel for the next step.

Get Your Feet and Legs Ready

Feet: Think of your feet as your base of support that allows you to have good alignment as you walk. Stand tall and imagine that the heel, the big toe and the little toe form a triangle. Try to feel all three points as you stand. Then practice coming onto the balls of your feet to help improve your balance.

Ankles: Flexibility of the ankles helps with walking. To increase flexibility, slowly point and flex your foot any time you are sitting. Pointing stretches the ligaments on the top of the foot and flexing stretches the Achilles tendon. Then move your foot around in circles to help create ankle flexibility in all directions.

Knees: Build good muscle strength in the quads and hamstrings to help support the knee joint. Cross train with a stationary bike, elliptical machine or by walking up stairs. Wearing proper shoes will also help with your knees.

Hips: Maintain flexibility and strength in your hips to help with balance and motion. Simple stretches like lunge progressions and strengthening exercises like 3-way hip exercises – shown below – can help with the hip flexors and gluteus medius muscles on the sides of your hips and buttox.

Be sure to stretch your muscles as part of every training session.

Get in Gear

Good walking shoes are generally flat but flexible, so your foot rolls forward with each step. They should fit well while leaving enough room for your feet to spread out while walking. Wear socks that are comfortable. Try socks in cotton or other sweat-wicking materials — they will keep your feet drier and help prevent blisters.

Now Let’s Walk!

Walking with good alignment and posture helps you take full breaths, engage your core muscles and use your leg and buttox muscles. Here’s how to do it:

  • Stand tall and tighten your abs slightly to help maintain posture.
  • Tuck in your hips to keep from arching your back.
  • Focus ahead on where you are walking.
  • Add an arm motion to balance your leg motion and add to your speed.
  • Lengthen your stride in back to propel yourself forward for power and speed. Walking this way also puts less stress on your joints.
  • Place your front foot closer to the center of your body.
  • Think about keeping your back foot on the ground longer.
  • Give yourself a good push off the back foot to add power to your stride.

Have a friend watch you walk and give you feedback on your posture and stride. As you get used to this new stride, you can take smaller steps and increase your speed. Happy walking!

About Dr. Warner

Dr. Warner is a member of the American Bone Health Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. She is Vice President, Scientific and Medical Services, at PAREXEL Informatics. Dr. Warner’s academic field of study was in the biophysical science of sport and exercise physiology. She received her PhD from the University of Utah and her MA from the University of Connecticut. She writes and teaches courses in the field of musculoskeletal imaging.