68 the rice diet renewal
the truth; I don ’ t have to elaborate that it ’ s a daily appointment to
walk with myself.
You may choose to do the same. Walking forty - fi ve to sixty min-
utes each day is time you spend taking care of yourself. It not only
boosts any weight loss you are trying to accomplish, but it also
improves your mind - body balance, your sense of well - being, and
your clarity of thought.
Beyond Walking
Walking never goes out of style, but as you become more fi t, you
may want a more intense cardio challenge. For those of you who
are near your goal weight and are without orthopedic problems,
you may enjoy a jog or a run. If you are in this club, remember to
gradually replace your walking time with a walk/run, starting with
fi ve minutes today and ten minutes tomorrow. Listen to your body;
many of us have discovered that walking will get us to the same
place that running will, with less chance of injury.
Swimming, biking, and inline skating are all wonderful car-
dio workouts. For those of you who play sports, such as tennis or
cross - country skiing (in the winter, of course), you can break up
your walking routine — and wake up your muscles and circulatory
system — by alternating your cardio workout. My Pilates instructor
recently reintroduced me to the hula hoop. I couldn ’ t believe that I
instantly remembered how to do it, after a forty - fi ve - year sabbatical.
And what a workout! For a couple of dollars, you could buy a water -
fi lled hula hoop — a large one for your waist area and a smaller one
for your arms will provide a great full - body workout and you won ’ t
need a gym membership or waste time and gas driving yourself else-
where. It ’ s invaluable to have these lying around to reduce your
excuses about why you can ’ t work out. You always can.
A few new dance - inspired classes are becoming all the rage in
certain communities around the country. Zumba and Nia are fun,
dancelike classes that incorporate stretching (see how important
stretching is on the next page) and cardio, both to the beat of music!
Our closest gym is now offering Zumba, which features aerobic