The Boston Marathon tragedy strikes so close to our hearts, as we love the running community and people who are brave enough to take on the Boston Marathon. Running the Boston Marathon is what we consider one of the great things a human being can aspire to. To have such a positive and wonderful event turn to such tragedy is overwhelming. To see an 8-year old boy, who was rallying for peace, lose his life at this event is beyond devastating. 

Danny and I have not lived lives without pain and difficulty. We’ve separately, and together, had our share. But, neither of us has ever been personally involved with what over 200 wounded people are facing after Boston. We did not lose any loved ones in this tragedy or some other tragedy. Despite our personal trials and tribulations, we are also blessed.

We do have a personal and internal process that we both find very helpful at times like this. It may seem simplistic and again, for anyone who has been personally affected, we are not presuming it is an answer. We just wanted to share what we do.

When tragedy strikes, we do what the sages and philosophers have suggested for ages: go within and learn from the experiences of the human condition. We are all human beings and have very similar internal experiences: from fear, anger, jealousy, and a desire to cause pain to the more exalted virtues of love, compassion, courage and a deep desire to be of help and service. We, as human beings, have a vast capacity to experience life from many different perspectives. It is our job to become consciously aware of what our most immediate experience is and to be with it as fully and with as much honesty and truth as we can.

And so, what Danny and I practice is to go within and listen as deeply as we can, to our own internal response to whatever is before us. In watching, we can see that sometimes we respond as victims, sometimes as perpetrators of cruel acts, sometimes full of fear and anxiety, and sometimes as loving and compassionate people who want nothing more than to help. Danny has taken on the mantle of the hero a few times in his life, risking his life to save a friend who was in a very dangerous climbing situation, and once saving the life of a man in a terrible car accident. He also knows that he can shut down emotionally when overwhelmed. I, on the other hand, can lose my boundaries and get very lost in my emotional response.

Being as self-aware as we know how to be is a practice that we are committed to in our daily lives, through times of quiet contemplation or meditation and also by bringing that self awareness to the moment as much as possible. We also practice together; Danny will listen to me, with as much focus and neutrality as possible, while I share my internal experience as honestly as I can. Then, I’ll do that for him. You can also do it for yourself, acting as witness to the full gamut of your own inner experiences and feelings. I have witnessed within myself anger that I am very glad has never been unleashed in the world, but which dissipated by being witnessed by my own observer.

It is a practice Danny and I both use in coaching people, whether runners or in personal coaching to help people find their way in life.

As Christ, Buddha, Gandhi and many spiritual leaders have alluded to: we are all “sinners”, we all experience the dark, as well as the more exalted, aspects of the human condition. But, do we acknowledge it in ourselves? That is the question. Do we accept our role and complicity in our daily lives? Do we take credit and responsibility for how we act out our parts?

Danny and I, in our own small way, are trying to take responsibility for how we contribute to the violence in society and the madness that drives other people to the brink.  How do we educate our daughter to treat other people? Is she taught to exclude and bully by watching our actions, or is she learning to be inclusive and compassionate?

In ChiRunning® we ask you to go a bit deeper with your running experience – to pay attention to the voice of your body; to pay attention to the voices in your head; to pay attention to the energy moving in and out with your breath; to listen more deeply to yourself. In ChiLiving® we ask that you do the same thing in your daily lives. Listen, without judgement, to your vast capacity to feel and experience life, and from that vantage point, make the wisest choice you can.

There is a helpless feeling when tragedy strikes. How can I help? How can I contribute in a positive way? Danny and I think that it is in our small daily actions that we can all contribute to creating a better world.

Finally, in Boston and around the world, it is the human spirit that wants what is good and beautiful to prevail, and it does. It is the acts of courage, the acts of heroism, the coming together of community – that seem to be the silver lining of the very dark cloud that was upon the Boston Marathon this year.

It takes a leap of faith. You have to believe that there is value and something to be gained from what looks like a set back.

It starts with paying attention. If you get injured, you might look at what warning signals you may have ignored. Those early warnings often contain the antidote to what ails you.  I have a good example. A sharp pain in my right foot began to make it impossible for me to even walk, much less run. I did not pay attention soon enough. When the pain started, I thought I had a pebble in my shoe. I asked Danny to take a look and he thought the wear pattern on my shoe was unusual; the wear being in the middle of the ball of the foot. We cleaned out the ground in dirt and pebbles in the sole and I continued walking and running. I kept feeling something and thought it was my shoes.

Then one day I hiked in old, worn-out  shoes. I threw them on to drive Journey to school and a friend suggested a hike. I thought, “What the heck, these shoes will do.” Big mistake. We hiked some pretty steep trails and I was not paying attention. The next day the pain was severe and did not let up. I could not take a step without pain.

The fear that I had really hurt my foot was pouring through me. And memories of similar pain began to flash through me. When I was much younger and working in New York City I sometimes wore high heels, and my right foot was always the one that would tweak with a warning. 

I realized that my foot problem was a long, long time in the making.

I went and saw Robyn Hughes, a naturopathic podiatrist, here in Asheville, NC. She is a protegee of Dr. Ray McClanahan of Portland, the inventor of Correct Toes®. Dr. Hughes calmed my fears that I would never walk without pain again, explained the physical issues and gave me some exercises to do. With this knowledge and advice, I have since set about to correct the problem with:  zero drop shoes with a really wide toe box, Correct Toes, Dr. Hughes’ exercises, my own online research and most importantly, Body Sensing every step I take. It has been and continues to be a fascinating adventure in which my every step is giving me loud and clear feedback.

If you've experienced an injury or want to prevent injuries, our 5K-Made-Easy Webinar and Training Program is a great way to get started. With an 8-week program and personal training, you'll become more aware of your body and how to move it in the best way possible. 

Because of this painful injury I am now doing everything we advise in Chi Walking and Chi Running, only more assiduously than ever before. I have to be faithful to: engaging my core, taking small steps, pointing my right foot forward (it splays out too much, despite the progress I have made over the years), and the big one has simply been relaxing. Every time my body is tense, I can feel the ball of my foot remind me that holding tension is doing me no favors. If my shoulders are tense and my core lax, my foot lands in a way that causes pain. If I’m relaxed and my core in engaged, I have no pain. It’s eye-opening to learn that my foot pain is linked to how I move my upper body, and it reminds me to treat my body as one whole entity and not as parts moving independently.

This has opened a whole world of Body Sensing where I hold tension and relaxing whenever I feel it, even when I’m not running or walking. This practice is making me much more aware of the thoughts that trigger tension. This injury has the potential to improve my life pretty dramatically by practicing relaxation and all the other Chi Form Focuses.  My core is stronger, my posture better, and my general outlook is more positive. 

We read amazing stories about people overcoming terrible health issues, but the truth is, it does not have to be life-threatening to learn a lot and have an injury become one of the best things that ever happened to you. By paying attention to warning signals early on, injury, pain, or illness can serve as timely reminders that there is a better way.

In January 2013, the New York Times, LA Times, and NPR all reported on the pointed new study that shows that American health is in trouble…deeper trouble than most people knew – we’re at the bottom of the barrel compared to most countries with whom we should be on par.

American men had the lowest life expectancy and women the second lowest out of 17 wealthy countries. And, we’re sicker and have poorer health in general. Obesity and cardiovascular disease were two of the many culprits, claiming the lives of the poor and the wealthy in the U.S.

An analysis of the data can be found here. 

If this is not a wake up call, I’m not sure what is. 

A related study (International Difference in Mortality at Older Ages) states: Regular physical activity is thought to be among the most important lifestyle factors for the maintenance of health and prevention of premature disease and mortality.

The problem is obvious and so is the solution: we have to get people moving (too much time in our cars was one of the many concerns brought out in the study). Sitting is the new smoking; lack of movement means that you die younger and drastically lessens the quality of your life.

We know what to do: put on your running or walking shoes and go out the door. And bring your partner or neighbor along with you. However, it is not a one shot deal. You have to get out that door 3-6 times a week, year in and year out. The consistency required to get and stay healthy becomes derailed if you’re in pain or get injured. Learning to optimize the way you walk or run will help you stay on track. It is not about going fast or far, but about consistent, gentle exercise.

Tips to get moving:

• Choose a 20 minute walk over doing nothing. Once you choose to get up and get out the door, you may want to walk a little more and eventually you might want to run.
• Beginning runners: Run for 1 minute and walk for 2-3 minutes to start a safe running program. Over weeks increase the overall workout time, increase the time you run and decrease the time you walk.
• Never workout until you are exhausted or in pain. Your workouts should energize you, not deplete you.
• Practice the Chi focuses of relaxation, good posture and a strong core all day long.
• Make exercise a priority in your life.

See the new peer-reviewed Chi Running study that shows that Chi Running reduces impact and therefore the potential for injury. (Read about the study here)

In the Chi techniques, various sections of the body are represented by these five elements. Your bones, ligaments and tendons are represented by the element Earth, which creates stability in your body and connection to the earth. Water represents the rotational movement of the pelvis, which allows the fluid motion of swinging of your arms and legs. The fire element can be felt in the power and energy of the core muscles. Your core is called the powerhouse in Pilates – for a good reason. In more advanced levels of ChiRunning® and ChiWalking®, you can use your oblique muscles to create more energy for moving forward. Air feeds fire, so in your lungs and breathing you can see the most important source of energy for the body. Ether is related to your mind and to chi energy. And, though they are both invisible and unmeasurable, they are the most powerful tools you have when it comes to moving your body. When you have a thought and your body responds immediately, the element of ether is at work, guided by your mind to move your body. 

Earth
As you learn the Chi techniques, you start from the ground up with good posture (earth). This provides your body stable support with every stride. If your posture is not aligned during the support phase of your stride (shoulders, hips and ankles in a straight line) you will rely too much on your muscles to support the weight of your body instead of your skeletal structure. This wastes valuable energy and you’ll tire more quickly. This is the first phase of learning the Chi techniques - earth-like stability.

Water
As you learn to run with good postural support, the next element to emulate is water, which will add some fluidity to your structure. This requires incorporating a level of relaxation into your stride. This takes a lot of practice, as most of us tend to hold tension in our pelvis and shoulders. Many of us try too hard and don’t allow the natural flow and flexibility of our body to create smooth, flowing movements. The ChiRunning Body Looseners will make a huge difference, as well as Body Sensing tension and learning to release it. Learning to relax is the crucial second stage - water-like fluidity. Water is especially important in the flight phase of your stride, when you want to allow for the greatest stretch and range of motion in your body.

The element of water is a lot about letting go. As water flows down a mountain and over a waterfall, it does not hold back. In the Chi techniques there is a sense of ease that needs to be developed in order to understand that you do not have to work hard to make movement happen. As you learn to trust the watery aspect of movement, you’ll go faster with less effort and reduce injury as well.

Fire
As you progress through these first two stages of your ChiRunning, it is important to keep in mind that until you fully feel the stability of earth and the fluidity of water, there is no point in focusing on the use of the core muscles (fire element) to enhance your movement. If you add fire to an unstable or overly rigid technique, you’ll be creating a recipe for injury. Forcing water down a twisted pipe can create a lot of problems. However, once you are moving with these two elements functioning well in our body, adding some heat and some fire can create a lot of power, especially by engaging your obliques. This is an advanced technique described in the Chi Marathon book in Chapter 9 Advanced Techniques, where you use the obliques to drive the pelvis which, in turn, drives the legs.  This allows you to “use” your legs for propulsion without using your leg muscles.

Air
When your skill with all the Chi techniques is at the stage where you can run comfortably and all of these first three elements are working like clockwork, the next ingredient for your running will be air. An interesting word associated with the breath is “inspiration,” which has a double meaning. The physical definition of inspiration is to inhale. The emotional definition is to be inspired, which is what your running or walking will be. At this level a practice session begins to feel more like a dance than a workout!

Ether
The last element to enter into your running or walking is ether. When your mind and body are integrated, just a thought can create truly effortless movement. In Chinese philosophy, moving and directing the flow of ether through your body is called Y-Chi, which can also be described as intention, where you direct the movement of your Chi to move your body.

The study of the elements is a great way to get a different feel for the Chi techniques. When you are feeling yourself stable yet fluid, learning to regulate the chi moving through your body, and getting to the place where an idea creates movement …anything is possible. 

In terms of making sure each walk is a valuable fitness workout, the best tool I use is a metronome. I walk almost every day, sometimes twice a day (thank heaven for our dog who nudges me out the door when I’m ambivalent) and I use the metronome for at least 3-4 walks a week. Otherwise, I slip into a slower pace and sloppy walking habits.

The metronome is especially important for ChiWalking because in ChiWalking, your stride length stays the same and your cadence changes as you go faster or slower. And, your pace may be different than someone else’s. For me, I really need to be walking at 140 strides per minute (spm) to get the kind of aerobic workout I need. It’s a good pace that I can hold for longer distance of 30-60 minutes or more. I start walking at 130 strides per minute and then build to and hold at 140 spm for the majority of the walk. For a longer hike of two hours or more, my cadence sets in at about 134 spm.

The metronome does more than just keep you moving at an aerobic pace. The steady rhythm quiets and focuses the mind and brings your walking form together. When you walk with the metronome you’ll feel your whole body working as one, rather than as separate parts: legs, arms, torso, and head.

The metronome is a fabulous tool to get an interval workout, which you want to do twice a week. The aerobic workouts are what will burn fat, but the interval workouts build strength in the most important muscle in your body – your heart. In an interval workout you can walk for 2-3 minutes at 140-150 strides per minute, or whatever pace elevates your breath and heart rate above an aerobic pace. You want to elevate, then lower your heart rate several times during the workout. Then lower your heart rate by walking at an aerobic cadence of 130-140 for 1-2 minutes. Warm up for five minutes, do 3-5 intervals and then cool off with a 5-10 minute aerobic walk.

Your metronome will keep you on task to keep your heart strong while keeping your body safe from injury and pain with good walking technique. 

We developed the Chi Walk-Run program to fill the needs of everyone, regardless of their current fitness level, to begin running…whether it’s for the first time or returning to a running program after an injury or some other interruption. This program is for anyone needing a safe and easy way to get moving again.

When you learn to mix injury-free running with walking, your fitness options open up. You can have Chi Walking as your base exercise and punctuate it with intervals of Chi Running to fit your exercise needs. When your body says you’ve had enough you can drop back into a nice fitness walking tempo until you’re recovered. Over a period of weeks, as your overall conditioning increases, you can opt to increase your running as your body dictates.

Chi Walking and Chi Running share the same fundamental principles borrowed from T’ai Chi:
• All movement originates from your center.
• A strong center (core muscles) holds your posture in tact while your forward lean engages the pull of gravity, allowing your shoulders, hips, arms and legs to relax and work less. In a nutshell, gravity assists you to move forward with less effort.
• You can walk and run more easily when your arms and legs are relaxed and fluid. (There’s no doubt you’ll have happier workouts when you’re not pushing, pulling and overworking all your muscles.)
• Your mind directs your “chi” or energy which in turn moves your body. In Chi Walking and Chi Running, you learn to create the conditions for your chi to flow.

As you learn and practice your Chi Walking skills you’ll gain confidence with every lesson, and the Chi approach to natural-form running becomes an easy next step to increasing your level of fitness. With Chi Walk-Run you are in the driver's seat and can determine when and how much injury and how much you want to walk.

We’ve designed a great Walking/Running DVD and training program to guide you through 8 weeks of workouts. You’ll learn how how to smoothly transition between walking and running so that you don’t waste energy. And, at the end of 8 weeks, you’ll have a set of skills that can have a significant and long lasting effect on your whole life: good posture, a stronger core, deeper relaxation, a focused mind and much more.

You can walk-run any distance from a 5K to a marathon, if you so choose. However, when you see how easy, gentle and pain-free running can be, you may find that your walk breaks are fewer and shorter than you ever expected. You may also find that you enjoy the walk-run dance and that adding just a little bit of running into your workout gives you just the right amount of added cardio and aerobic conditioning you need. Whichever way you go, you’ll move forward with two great ways to bring more chi into your movement and into your life.

Resources to help you master the Chi Running basics:

• Chi Running Book: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless Injury-Free Running
• Chi Running DVD: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless Injury-Free Running

Form Intervals make your walks more interesting and keep your mind from wandering to lingering projects, family obligations, etc. Instead, your mind becomes engaged in moving your body well, strengthening your core, relaxing all other muscles. The Form Focuses teach you how to move from a centered and relaxed place. When it’s time to work on that business report, your mind will be clear, efficient, focused and more creative.

Practicing Form Intervals is a kind of “maintenance” for your walking technique. It’s like a check-up visit – you get an evaluation of where you are and what areas may need improvement. It also keeps you from slipping into old, bad habits or picking up new ones. Form Intervals train your mind and body to better communicate while allowing you to do more with less effort.

In any given walk, you can practice single focuses, several focuses or focus pairs. Here are some different ways to do Form Intervals:

The Form Focus Walk: Before going out for your next walk, pick a few Chi Walking Form Focuses that will help improve the efficiency of your walking technique the most. Set your countdown timer on your watch for one-minute intervals. Move through your chosen focuses, practicing each one for one minute at a time. Continue cycling through all your focuses for the entire walk.

One-on-One-off: Choose a Form Focus and practice it for one minute. The next minute, don’t do it. Pay close attention and Body Sense the difference between using the focus and not using it. Here’s an example:

• Try it with the “C” shape. Walk one minute with the “C” shape and then rest for a minute. Notice how holding the “C” shape changes your walking technique. Do this one-on-one-off for ten minutes.
• Then, switch to allowing your pelvis to rotate. With each step, focus closely on allowing your hips to be pulled to the rear each time your legs straighten out behind you. Rest for a minute and notice what your hips and legs do when you aren’t concentrating on rotating your pelvis. If your pelvis doesn’t naturally move, you may notice that your legs have to work harder to push you forward, and your hips may feel tight.

Double Focuses: Choose Focus Pairs. Do one focus for one minute, then the other for one minute, then practice doing these two focuses at once at the same time for 1-3 minutes.

Relaxation Intervals: Devote an entire walk and all your Form Intervals to relaxing different parts of your body. Focus on areas where you hold tension, such as your hips, lower back, shoulders, etc. Really relax and loosen those parts of your body. (Make sure you do the Body Looseners before you start your walk.)

One Focus Walk: Devote an entire walk and all your intervals to practicing one Form Focus, such as pelvic rotation. Do one-on-one-off, or set your countdown timer to go off every two minutes to remind you to go back to your focus. Re-engage that focus as often as possible and feel what your stride is like when you practice that one aspect of the Chi Walking technique really well.

When you practice in this way, your Form Focuses become such an effortless,  ingrained part of your movement that just a quick reminder will adjust your body into correct form; thought and movement, mind and body as one.

Here’s a sampling of Chi Walking Focuses to get you started:

Start with Good Posture

• Align your legs
• Lengthen your spine
• Level your pelvis

Upper Body & Arm Swing

• Curl fingers with thumbs on top; relax hands
• Hands don’t cross your center-line
• Lead with your forehead, drop your chin
• Shoulders low and relaxed

Lean

• Lean from your hips
• Relax lower legs and ankles
• Lead with upper body, feet will follow

Lower Body

• Soften knees
• Lift your ankles
• Land on front of heel, roll forward
• Allow pelvic rotation to happen

You’ll find more Form Focuses to make your walking technique easier and more enjoyable in the Chi Walking DVD and book.
 

• Acknowledge the importance of a strong core. While your legs actually move you forward, it’s your engaged core muscles that allow your legs and feet to relax, making your walks more comfortable and enjoyable. As your core muscles grow stronger, envision your Center (or guiding force) becoming more stable as well. This strength will help you become more confident in your decisions, emotions, and relationships.
• Do The Energizing Walk (20 min. to an hour). By belly-breathing as fully and often as possible, this walk helps gets your energy moving and is best done first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon when your energy begins to dip. To do this walk:
  • Begin at a relaxed pace (60-70 strides per minute). Breathe fully and slowly throughout the entire walk, emptying your lungs completely and then completely filling them with each breath cycle.
  • Walk for 5 minutes doing belly breathing. Then, imagine a stream of energy rising up your spine to the top of your head with each inhale. When you exhale, imagine the energy flowing back down the front side of your spine to your pubic bone. Do this breathing and energy visualization for the entire length of the walk.

Check out the Chi Walking Book and DVD to learn about other aspects of the Chi Walking technique that benefit mind and body.

• Take an inventory of how you feel physically, mentally, and emotionally before and after your walks. Write down anything you might be struggling with; your emotions, any physical ailments, etc. When you return, review your list and record how you feel. Becoming familiar with yourself in all aspects and seeing the positive impact of exercise ,immediately and over time, can be very powerful.

The real beauty of walking is that all the “side effects” are positive. If you do suffer from pain or discomfort while walking, the Chi Walking technique will help you find the cause of that pain and alleviate it with good walking technique. Our clients have found relief from back, hip, foot or leg pain by using these techniques. Our Chi Walking  DVD and Walking Workbook help you get started with easy-to-follow lessons that have a big impact on improving the quality of your life-all without the negative side effects that many prescribed pills have. Lift your spirits naturally and enjoy the simple pleasure of walking, a pleasure with nothing but benefits.

The next time you go walking, try to focus on your natural surroundings and the beauty of everyday life. Even acknowledge others as they pass by and recognize yourself as a moving, participating member of nature. Sometimes, simply knowing we’re part of something larger than our own thoughts can make difficult emotions easier to process.

Many runners come to Chi Running because they’re suffering from an injury or want to avoid another running injury. Running technique is extremely important in preventing injury, but nutrition also plays a vital role in staying healthy. We’ve reached out to Certified Chi Running Instructor Dick Felton, from Canada, and Chi Running Instructor Candidate and accomplished ultra-marathoner/trail runner Damian Stoy, from Montana, for their advice on nutrition for runners.

When an injury occurs, an important step for recovery is controlling inflammation. Of course, we never recommend anyone take NSAIDs to reduce inflammation (or for anything, really), unless it’s absolutely mandatory and doctor-prescribed.

“There are so many side effects to oral NSAID's  including stomach bleeding, that this should not be done,” said Canadian Chi Running & Chi Walking Instructor Dick Felton.  Besides, pain is really how the body communicates with you to tell you something is wrong, and masking this pain is dangerous because it could lead to a permanent injury.

As an alternative, Felton recommends using the topical treatment of arnica to help reduce inflammation and swelling from running injury. Arnica can be applied topically as a cream, ointment, liniment, salve or tincture, and can be purchased at your local health food store Europeans and Native Americans have used arnica to soothe muscle aches, reduce inflammation and heal wounds for hundreds of years. We also recommend “The Great Mender,” an herbal Chinese Medicine, sold in pill or powder form, which has been used for centuries by martial artists to reduce recovery time from injuries.

Controlling Inflammation with Nutrition

Apart from topical or pill formulas for relief from inflammation, we can also help decrease inflammation by nurturing our bodies with the right foods. Damian Stoy is a great nutritional resource and gave us some tips on different herbs, enzymes, fruits and veggies than can help reduce inflammation.

Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as flax oil and fish oil, are very effective in reducing inflammation. For hundreds of years, certain plants have been known to help reduce inflammation. Some of the most potent plants include turmeric, ginger, cat's claw, boswellia and rosemary. An herbal product called Zyflamend (pill form) contains these herbs, as well as several others, and has successfully been used by many people in controlling inflammation.

Certain foods rich in specific enzymes also help with the healing process. The stem and juice of pineapple are rich in an enzyme called bromelain, which has been shown to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation, thereby speeding up the healing process. 

To help decrease the time it takes heal soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments, collagen needs to be produced by the body, and sulfur and silicon are two components necessary for the synthesis of collagen. Foods rich in sulfur include garlic, onions, kale, broccoli and cabbage. Foods rich in silicon include celery, strawberries and oats.

Maintaining Health with an Alkaline Body

Once we recover from a running injury, the goal is to stay healthy and continue running injury-free, right? Maintaining an overall alkaline environment in the body not only assists in healing injuries, recovery and performance, it’s also incredibly important for overall well-being. Most people today are overly acidic, and an acidic body is more prone to inflammation, viruses, bacteria, arthritis and a host of other diseases. An alkaline body is able to use nutrients more efficiently, produce more energy for running and is more effective in ridding the body of wastes accumulated while running. Therefore, an athlete with an alkaline body is more efficient, less prone to running injuries and more energetic. 

Acidic foods that should be consumed in moderation:

• meat
• dairy
• sugar
• eggs
• coffee
• alcohol
• refined grains

Other acidifying factors include stress, smoking and the use of pharmaceutical drugs.

When the body is acidic, it uses nutrients generally used in essential bodily processes to buffer (raise the alkalinity) the body, especially the blood. Calcium and magnesium, as well as other minerals, are used by the body to buffer an acidic environment. The result of a constantly acidic body is that the bones are 'robbed' of these two essential minerals. This can cause calcium deposits to build up in soft tissues, which can lead to osteoporosis, arthritis, and tendonitis. This is just one example of how important maintaining an alkaline body is.

Alkalizing foods you can’t get enough of:

•      most fruits and vegetables (especially raw green vegetables and lemons)
• wheatgrass
• fresh juices
• apple cider vinegar
• high-quality salt (i.e. Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt)

Damian shared with us two drink recipes that he makes to ensure he is super alkalined before any races. Click here to get these drink mixtures.

Just as we can prevent running injury with mindful movement, we can also choose to maintain health every time we sit down to a meal. A nourished, balanced body is more likely to perform well and repair itself quickly. And, while we hope you never have to fight off inflammation or injuries, we do advise you to listen to your body and pursue natural treatments whenever possible. Our world brims with tried-and-true plants, herbs and foods that will gently heal you and keep you well.

“Listen to your heart” is usually an admonition to listen to your deeper emotions and desires, but with the health crises of today, “listen to your heart” should be a reminder to pay attention to the health of this vital organ whose moment-to-moment work keeps you alive. Heart disease is the number one killer in the world, many of those lives lost prematurely to a preventable condition. Walking 4-5 times a week not only prolongs your life, but increases your health and the quality of your life as well. If you listen to your heart both literally and metaphorically, it will speak well for your whole body and being which crave fresh air and regular exercise.

Aerobic and Cardio Chi Walking Workouts
There are two walking workouts that keep your heart, as well as your mind, digestive system, immune system and nervous system, functioning at optimal health: the cardio workout and the aerobic workout.

The aerobic workout should be your primary type of fitness walking. It is the long, steady, consistent walk that supports the heart by strengthening the delivery system that transports blood and oxygen to your muscles and organs. When you walk consistently for 30-60 or more minutes, you build more capillary beds in your lungs and muscles, which creates greater efficiency for your heart as it pumps blood throughout your body.

Your aerobic walking should be done at a moderate, but not too slow pace. Using a metronome, you could be walking at 65-70 strides per minute. In the Chi Walking technique you keep your stride very short and therefore your pace is slightly faster than regular walking. You should be able to comfortably talk while walking at your aerobic pace, without slowing to a stroll. Keep your arms at a 90 degree angle and keep your shoulders forward over your feet. This will help you move forward with less muscle usage and greater efficiency. If you walk 5 times a week, 3 of your walks can be aerobic walks. The longer, the better—and the more often, the better. You can safely walk 7 days a week, but 5 walks a week for 45 minutes is enough to make a huge difference in your health and level of fitness. Start with 3 walks for 20 minutes. The key is to get out there and walk. The aerobic walk also burns fat, the more fat, the longer you walk, so that’s an added incentive.

The cardio walk is a different kind of workout for your heart. In the cardio workout you want to increase and then lower your heart rate in order to give your heart a workout.  You’ll be increasing the strength of you heart in much the same way as lifting weights increases the strength of your muscles. You should do a cardio workout twice a week. Walking up and down hills is a great cardio workout. If you don’t have hills, you can increase your heart rate by increasing your speed in 1-2 minute intervals. Warm up for 10 minutes, walking at an aerobic pace, then increase your pace for 1 or 2 minutes, depending on your level of conditioning, then drop back down to your aerobic pace for 1-2 minutes. The metronome will help you find and keep the best pace for the slow and the faster intervals. When you first start, you may just do 5 intervals and then increase over time as your heart gets stronger.  Make sure you cool down by walking at an aerobic then a strolling pace before you finish your workout.

There is powerful medicine in your walking shoes, only if you use them, of course. Walking to heal or prevent heart disease is a great reason to enjoy all the benefits of regular consistent exercise. When you walk regularly and improve the health of your heart, walking will feel effortless and you’ll have the energy and vitality to truly follow your heart’s deepest desires, whatever they may be.

Resources to help you master the Chi Walking basics:

• Chi Walking Book
• Chi Walking DVD