BEAUTY OP-ED | The long and winding road... to 10,000 steps a day, part II

SO HOW hard can it be to get those 10,000 steps if people in other countries do it simply going about their day? (Ahem, well done, Australia (9,695 avg steps/day and Switzerland with 9,650/day).

I slipped a pedometer into my pocket and, for a month, have clocked every single step I've taken during which time I had the chance to be in Europe and the US. (For a bit of background on my personality (since I thought this test would be easy peasy), I am an active person. Some people choose the path of least resistance. I generally chose the one that makes me sweat.)

It was a slap in the face then when my month-long trial to reach 10,000 steps a day started with a fizzle rather than, say, long walks. Starting in Chicago, I came in at paltry amounts totalling between 2,000 and 6,000 for the first few days. I went at it with resolve the following days and started to hit 9,000... just. I'm starting to think the shock with which the researchers greeted the findings that Americans are sedentary was sarcastic.

If I tried really hard – and did a few last sad laps around my floor in the building when I came home at night -- I'd hit 10,000. But it was always followed with the severe dread of having to go for a walk down yet another road that was straight as an arrow for as far as the eye could see the following day. Those are the only kind of streets in Chicago.

Until October 12^th, I hadn't consistently hit 10,000 for an entire week. Over the following weekend in New Haven, CT for a wedding my husband and I stayed on the edge of campus instead of in the middle with everyone else. And boy was I happy we did. Every day we clocked 13,000 plus steps. Brilliant. At least now I know that those extra pounds in college could have been avoided had I walked a bit more (and stayed away from the kegs).

And from there it was a cake walk, albeit a long one.

Particularly when I got to London and realized just why so many Europeans seem fitter. They get – in the cities at least – incredible amounts of invisible exercise (they also eat less. Much less, although you'll never catch a European eating something as pointless as fat-free cheese. They'll eat the full-fat variety but simply don't eat the entire block of it in one go). The kind you don't know you're doing but adds up to one serious calorie burn at the end of the day.

Running late!? Sprint up an escalator of, seemingly, hundreds of steps. In Chicago I don't even get the option to walk up steps or escalators (there is no standing on the right. people block the entire thing) except the 20 at the gym to reach the locker room. 

Next bit of invisible exercise?

I decide to walk to my appointments instead of cabbing it because I'll get there faster on foot than sitting in traffic. It all adds up, every little segment of exercise I can snatch throughout a packed day.

In London, there were days when, simply going around the public transit system and walking from meeting to meeting, I clocked up 18,000 steps. Other days it was approximately 13,000. Sometimes 15,000. But never did I dip below 10,000.

Not even close.

On the contrary, no matter what I did, I was well above it, and that's without setting foot in a gym, a place I am required to visit daily in Chicago if I want to stay healthy and keep my saddle bags in check. In London and Cambridge both, I was constantly walking, going up and down stairs. It was easy to be on the move. A few minutes of walking or moving every couple of hours tallied an impressive amount of exercise (and weight-bearing at that) completed unwittingly.

I was doing double what I have to actively and labouriously attempt to complete in a US city. When I was living in London full time I was ten pounds lighter than my lightest weight in Chicago, even with the gym sessions.

With horror, I realize that my first day back in Chicago I barely scraped the underbelly of 6,000 steps. In fact, my first three days back I collectively walked the same amount of steps I walked on my last day in London. PA-THE-TIC.

But, you know what? That's the last time. At least I hope it is. 

It might be near impossible to clock 18,000 steps (or roughly 6 miles) a day in Chicago but I'll damn well get as close to 10,000 as I can and pair it with 30 minutes to an hour in the gym on a regular basis.

When in Rome and all that, right? Although, you'll never find me scootering up to the all-you-can-eat buffet for seconds and thirds because I'm too big to walk. I have to draw the line somewhere when adopting to local customs.

How much do you walk a day? Think you could do the recommended 10,000? Any tips on getting there for those who don't?

For anyone out there looking to walk more, I highly suggest a pedometer. It's common sense that seeing the figure will make you pay more attention to it and thus act. I know it has for me.

Some articles on the fact that Americans don't use their legs:

http://www.ygoy.com/index.php/americans-walk-less-says-study/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/the-pedometer-test-americans-take-fewer-steps/



BEAUTY OP-ED | The long and winding road... to 10,000 steps a day, part I

IN SUPERSIZE ME, Morgan Spurlock followed an average American diet and exercise regime for an entire month, during which time he nearly succeeded in pickling his liver and put on an impressive 30 pounds. What is the average number of steps walked a day by an adult American? According to Spurlock, it's approximately 5,000. However, that number is seriously bouyed by places like New York. The national average would, I bet, plummt to something more like 2,500 if you factor out such cities. In fact, I remember one scene where he tallies daily just 1,500 steps quite regularly while in Texas. Not that it really matters since 5,000 is still considered sedentary.

Ouch.

So how many steps, approximately, do need to take a day? Studies say... 10,000. How do other countries fair compared to our paltry figures?

As expected, better. Much better. Miles better.

To understand why it's hard for Americans to fit those steps in, just look at our urban planning. Most people must drive to retail parks outside of town for their groceries, homegoods or to do basic social activities like eat a meal out or see a movie. That can be the case too, with some semi-urban developments in the UK, but rest assured that the complete demise of the high street hasn't hit there yet. In the US, it did quite a long time ago.

American cities were built around the car – some don't even have pavements (sidewalks). Chicago is scored with highways, as is LA, Detroit and many other cities. New York is an exception to the car-bound rule, where it's public transit is still top notch (San Fran is a bit similar).

And, sadly, quite often police officers are suspect of lone men and women walking around. Tales from my foreign friends talking walks in LA, for example, always end with the officer pulling over, rolling down the window and asking the perfectly innocent – and unharmed – foreigner if they need help. Why? Because they were, god forbid, walking.

So, you see, Americans live in landscapes designed to keep people in the house, the store or the car. There's no getting lost in the winding cobble-stoned streets of the Marais on the way to the Saturday market or a leisurely post dinner stroll down the promenade. Instead, you walk 25 steps from buffet to the car, then, once at home in the garage, another 25 steps to your door... and about 15 to the couch.

Naturally, I've employed some generalizing.

There will always be a contingent who take just public transit (even if there are only a dozen stops, like in LA), or who ride a bike everywhere. But these people are the exception. Not the norm. I've known people to drive TWO BLOCKS (not even the length of two football fields) to work, and that is probably deemed less unusual than walking a mile to get somewhere.

In fact, I know it is.

In Savannah, GA with my husband this past June, my husband and I had a nice breakfast with another couple staying at our same B&B. We discussed our dinner plans to walk to a nearby (1 mile far) restaurant. Our new friends looked at us with a mix of curiosity and horror. They gave us the number to the cab service they'd been using, which we accepted with no intention of using. They both shook their heads as if we were hopeless.

We!

The ones who want to walk to get our food and then digest it on a walk back.



To be continued tomorrow...

EXPERT SECRETS | Karyn Calabrese of Karyn's Raw

KARYN CALABRESE is the sexagenarian who opened (according to Karyn) America's first raw restaurant in 1992 in Chicago of all places. Since then, business-headed Calabrese has created something of a raw health and wellness empire that encompasses a shop, spa, three restaurants, supplement and nutritional ranges and makeup. As the walking talking poster-woman for the lifestyle she promotes, packages and sells, I buy into it wholesale. She radiates energy from her honed figure and crease-less, youthful face, has the lithe body of a dancer 30 years her junior, hasn't been ill in decades and possesses an earnest passion that would put most university-aged idealist to shame. 

We talked with Karyn to get a few of her top tips and secrets just for you, so pull up a chair and a mug of tea to hear what this living, breathing fountain of youth has to say...  

BWM: What's your favorite way to treat yourself to a sweet and/or snack on a raw diet?

KC: Is there a specific food or recipe that is great? A specific brand or product?

During the 25 years I’ve been a raw foodist I’ve created hundreds of delicious raw snacks for myself and for sale in my store. My all time favourite are my Kale Chips. It’s simply raw kale marinated in lemon juice, sea salt and raw honey and then dehydrated. They are sweet, salty and crispy and so satisfying.

BWM: What exercise class/gym do you recommend to people or do yourself and why?  

KC: Ballet is my passion. I take a professional adult ballet class at the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center. I also do and recommend that everyone take a great yoga class. We have a teacher at my center, Janice Cadwell, who’s phenomenal. Her classes blend Vinyasa yoga, meditation and Pranayama (breath work). For a great Iyengar class I love The Yoga Circle in River North.

BWM: Where's the best place in Chicago for a bit of Zen?

KC: I’ve created a whole world around myself to stay Zen. I stay healthy and grounded at my Inner Beauty Center where I have an infrared sauna, ozone bath and many other amazing therapies. My other favorite place for zen is the Chicago lakefront. In the summer there’s no better place.

BWM: Do you have any teas, hot drinks or cold drinks you drink every day? 

KC: My biggest focus everyday is getting lots of greens. Greens are healing and alkalizing. My favorites are a smoothie with my Karyn’s Green Meal Powder or my Karyn’s Green Kamut. I also love High Country Kombucha. It helps calm my stress.

BWM: What is your favourite hidden shopping spot or boutique in Chicago?

KC: I love Intermix. It has the best clothes and customer service It’s not really a hidden secret but it’s a small boutique with a great selection. I always joke that I eat the way I do to wear gorgeous clothes as much as to feel healthy. 

BWM: Do you use or recommend any at-home fitness or wellness DVDs?

KC: I use Rodney Yee’s AM Yoga DVD everyday. I think it’s a wonderful way to start your day with light movement. It’s only 15 minutes long so no matter what your day is like you can get it done. It’s something to easily commit to on a consistent basis.

BWM: Where do you go for beauty treatments?

KC: The reason I opened my Inner Beauty Center was to make sure I could get beauty treatments without chemicals. I have wonderful estheticians and therapists who do natural manicures, pedicures and facials. I do facials regularly with our myopulse machine, which restores collagen and smooths out fine lines and wrinkles without botox or surgery!

I have a wonderful stylist, Ricardo Alvarado, who comes to my house to do my hair.

BWM: Where's your favorite outdoor place/gym, etc. to exercise during the summer?

KC: My favorite place to exercise outdoors in the summer is the lake front in Chicago. I walk on the beach or play ball with my dog.

BWM: Is there a non-raw healthy restaurant you love? 

KC: I love going to Charlie Trotter’s. It’s a great date place for my husband and I because they offer their normal menu as well as accommodating my special dietary requests. They even do an all raw menu option. The quality of the food and service is beyond great. It’s a place everyone should experience.

BWM: Do you have a favorite place for cocktails that are healthier?

KC: Well I don’t drink alcohol but the big emphasis at my new restaurant, Karyn’s on Green, is on fresher healthier (but still delicious) cocktails and mocktails. We use ingredients like aloe, kombucha and fresh herbs in our drinks. Our wine list focuses on sustainable and organic selections.

Find out more about Karyn's.