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Sticks and Stones

Where is the snow you promised John?

O.K.- I have seen some people on the trails with these things. What the heck are they?

Well, they are HIKING POLES. Yep… aluminum or graphite poles that help you hike/walk. I guess it would be hike because presumably you would not need these on concrete or asphalt- however that is how these folks are rolling. However, I have seen people using them. Then, if you are walking on concrete or asphalt—- I don’t think you can call it hiking. Maybe urban hiking. I am just making this stuff up as I go along.

Anyway- I guess the question begs… do you need these things? I mean- after all, they cost $50 bucks and up…. AND UP?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!? O.K. what do they do for you?

A bunch of really smart guys in England got together a bunch of healthy people and gave them some hiking poles (some didn’t have poles) – sent them up a hill (actually Mt. Snowdon in Wales— Who knew they had mountains in Wales??)- anyway, they sent them up there and then when they came down ASKED them how they felt. The ones with poles reported less muscle fatigue and less muscle soreness as well as LESS PERCEIVED PHYSICAL EXERTION than the pole-less bunch.

WOW! Sounds like to me somebody at the hot-dog company got together with somebody at the bun company on this one. $50 BUCKS AND UP!?!?!?!? I will not deny that maybe if you are not stable … or maybe you don’t get around that well…. maybe you have an injury… then these might be able to help you stabilize yourself.

But— I think that this is an excellent example of the BILLIONS of dollars that go into the fitness industry…. products, books, equipment, food- etc. etc. that can simply be avoided. YOU JUST DON’T NEED ALL THIS STUFF!!!!! What, you don’t belong to a gym… you have to! You don’t have a treadmill….. you have to! How else will you get in shape?

How about running or walking around your neighborhood? FREE. How about going to the lake for a swim?? FREE. How about a ride on your new bike that you got at a garage sale…. CHEAP! I mean, not only are you going to look ridiculous with these hiking poles, but you will be out $50 BUCKS AND UP on them. How about picking up a STICK!!!! Oh, wait—- your an urban hiker?…. I forgot….. well, what do you need the poles for?

Obviously my point is… get moving. Don’t wait to join a gym…. or buying whatever new gadget the market has to offer! Just do it.

How can people get in shape without spending a lot? How have you done it?

This entry was posted on Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at 5:59 am and is filed under WDS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Sticks and Stones”

Cammy@TippyToeDiet Says:
July 23rd, 2010 at 7:21 pm

I actually bought a set of these (Target, $19.99) for the elderly man I read to. He’s starting to have some balance problems, which is interfering with his daily miles. They didn’t work out for him (mainly his pride, if you ask me), but I played around with them a bit before I returned them to the store. Honestly, I can see where a weightier set of these would be nice for increasing exertion in a long walk. This set was aluminum, and they didn’t seem to do anything except bang against my leg when I didn’t lift my arm high enough. Hmm, maybe that’s the point.

Anyway, I definitely agree with you that we don’t need to spend lots of money to get fit. I *love* walking and it’s absolutely free!

Art Says:
July 24th, 2010 at 2:51 am

My only disagreement is that I do need that gym membership. I know myself too well, and I am not going out and walking and/or running on a 100*+ day. I definitely find my health to be worth the $14 every month. Otherwise, yeah, pretty much.

Sticks and Stones

2 Responses to “Sticks and Stones”

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