By Pam Walatka
Q: Self-help books say to avoid getting in a rut and make sure you have fun in your life. What do you recommend for fun with mates, other couples, family and adult children besides having meals together? - Carol Commons, Los Altos Hills
A: For mind-body-spirit fitness, it’s good to find energetic outdoor activities that renew your soul as well as get your blood circulating. Picnic hikes are good, because you can combine exercise with the joy of eating. We have many good hiking-picnic opportunities around here. Hiking to the Stanford Dish is very popular; the hike starts where Stanford Avenue meets Junipero Serra Blvd.
You can find more hikes by Googling “hike + Santa Clara County.” Biking trails are also available.
Some tips: Don’t expect everybody to stay together - that’s torture for the physically fit. Take cell phones and designate a meeting place, such as the Dish. Let the fittest carry backpacks with the food. All hikers should carry their own water bottles. Don’t expect the meal to run as smoothly as it would at home - you are bound to forget something or run into some complication. Just roll with the punches and have fun.
Another fun place with a lot of activities is Shoreline Lake Park in Mountain View, where you can kayak, paddle boat, row boat, sail or windsurf. (You need to pass a test about right-of-way and terminology before you can rent sailboards or sailboats.) The lake is only minutes away, but when you get there you feel like you are on vacation. With the variety of boats available, there’s something for every level of fitness. You have the choice of bringing a picnic or getting great sandwiches and salads in the cafe there. See shorelinelake.com or call 965-7474, any day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For refreshing the soul, nothing beats a trip to the beach. If you go to Seacliff State Beach, off State Park Drive in Aptos, south of Santa Cruz, you have the option of bringing a picnic or getting fast-food at the beachside snack shop. There are barbecues, but on a sunny weekend afternoon you might have to wait for one to become available. For the energetic members of the group, bring wetsuits and boogie boards. Go for a long walk on the beach. If you have someone in a wheelchair, you can take the person for a stroll on the pier.
To round out the mind-body-spirit basis for your excursion, be sure to bring your mind into your eating. Hear your chewing. Make sure your mind knows you are eating.
Q: Is it true that you are not supposed to lift weights or run two days in a row? Why? –Curious, UC Santa Barbara
A: Yes, it’s true. According to Barbara Shewfelt, Foothill College dance and fitness instructor, who teaches Concepts of Physical Fitness online, “In general, running and lifting weights can constitute a ‘hard’ workout. Hard workouts break the body down and you need a day or two to recover so the muscles can continue to achieve their optimal performance. An easy day in between two hard days provides a period of active recovery so that the body is ready for the next day of hard training.”
Shewfelt, who holds a master’s degree from Stanford in Biology/ Neuroscience, plus an MFA in dance, continued, “When your workouts exceed the body’s ability to adequately recover and adapt, the body experiences more catabolism (breakdown) than anabolism (build up). More is not always better. It is important to design a workout program that includes both rest and variation.”
I will be teaching a mind-body fitness class for the Los Altos Hills Parks and Recreation Department, starting Oct. 5. The class will combine yoga with “mindfulness meditation” and strengthening exercises from Pilates. Go to www.losaltoshills.ca.gov/recreation to register. The class is suitable for any level of fitness.
This column is not intended to be medical advice. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program. Please e-mail questions to walatkamail‑fitness@yahoo.com or mail questions to Pam Walatka c/o Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos, CA 94022. Please include your name and city or college of residence.
