Just when you thought you were virtuous getting in your prescribed 10,000 steps a day, a study out of Scotland suggests that 10,000 may not be enough. You may need to goose that number by 50 percent.

15,000, suggests the study of 111 Scottish postal workers, may be the new health standard.

You can get up to speed with the history of 10,000 steps and details on the University of Warwick study in an article posted yesterday in the New York Times’ Well blog (see link below). The immediate question likely on your mind: How on Earth can I log 15,000 steps a day? That’s roughly 7 miles, fyi.

Dr. William Tigbe, the physician and public health researcher who led the study, told Well that logging 15,000 steps would require walking briskly for two hours at about a 4-mile-per-hour pace.

“It takes effort,” he notes.

Let’s start with those two hours a day. If you’re sleeping properly (8 hours) and have a full time job (another 8 hours), that leaves 8 hours of … free time? Free, provided you don’t have kids, don’t have errands to run, chores to do … don’t need to eat.

Two hours a day to walk? In a perfect world, perhaps.

And that’s if you can maintain a 4 mph pace. In most hiking circles, 3 mph is considered brisk. If you’re hiking at 4 mph, odds are you aren’t the person who will benefit most from a daily step regimen — you’re already there.

Personally, my Fitbit is set to go Fourth of July at 15,000 steps. I’ve met that goal for an entire week once; I feel good if I make it five days out of seven. And walking is a large part of how I make a living.

The beauty of 10,000 steps is that nearly anyone who is ambulatory can do it. All the little things health types tell you to do — park at the far end of the parking lot, take the stairs, take a 10-minute clear-your-head walk two or three times a day, go for a walk when talking on the phone — will add up to get you to 10,000 steps. I find that reaching 15,000 steps a day is near impossible without incorporating a dedicated workout of some kind, a walking workout of at least 45 minutes.

And remember, the daily step goal is meant to be met every day. Hiking 20,000 steps on a Saturday doesn’t grant absolution from 10,000 steps on Sunday. The goal is to move consistently. If you’re consistently hitting 10,000 steps a day, you’re making that happen. And hopefully, you’re feeling pretty good about it.

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Read more about the University of Warwick study in the New York Times’ Well blog story, “Should 15,000 Steps a Day Be Our New Exercise Target?”

The post 10,000? Do I hear 15,000? appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Her sizable audience was, as expected, most interested in Pooh and his world. But there was one sidebar to the main topic that drew a good deal of interest: Aalto’s walking, and the fact you can walk anywhere in England: the 267-mile Pennine Way, which runs south to north, into Scotland; the 102-mile Cotswold Way, offering insight into the English countryside; and dozens of other nationwide trails.
She spoke of the country’s “legal right to roam,” a legacy of coming into being long before the automobile, when walking was the only way to get around. If a walking path has been in existence long enough, the public has a right to walk it, private ownership be danged. A stark contrast to America, where vast distances and a desire to quickly lay claim to and conquer the land meant opting for the fastest means of transport currently available, has created a starkly different attitude toward perambulating.
“We have greenways,” one woman in the crowd commented.
“And they’re lovely,” said Aalto.
“Yes,” agreed the woman wistfully. “I just wish we had more.”
The greenway boom in the Triangle — with nearly 250 miles currently, up about 500 percent in the past two decades — can give a sense of the English walking experience. Add to that the north-south passage of the emerging 2,900-mile East Coast Greenway (one day making it possible to walk north to Canada, south to Key West, Florida), and the 1,150-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail (walk west to Clingman’s Dome, east to Jockey’s Ridge), and an American-style walking vacation may be closer than we think.
That will go a long way toward helping more of us discover what Kathryn Aalto did when she arrived in England.
A sense of place.

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Coast

You have to walk before you can, well, run, hike, skip … . Walking leads to a lot of things, which is why we’re recommending Saturday’s Wellness Walk on the Summer Rest Trail in Wilmington. Sponsored by New Hanover County Parks & Gardens, Brian McKeever, Physical Therapist and owner of Lumina Wellness & Physical Therapy, will lead the 1.4-mile walk, which will be at a casual pace. No age restrictions.

Curiously, the hike begins at the trailhead by Port City Chop House.

Logistics: Saturday, Aug. 8, 9 a.m., Summer Rest Trail, 1981 Eastwood Road, Wilmington. Free. Go here for more information or call 910.798.7622

Saturday forecast: High of 74 at walk time, with a chance of thunderstorms developing later in the day.

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Looking ahead: Too hot to paddle during the day? Then try it at dusk, with the Masonboro Island Sunset Kayak Trip on August 26, departing from the Trails End Park Boat Launch in Wilmington. $35-$45, contact Halyburton Park here or by calling 910.341.0075 to sign up.

Piedmont

Some places you’re comfortable paddling on your own. You know the water, you know the access. Some, however, you feel more comfortable being part of a guided group.

We’re guessing that’s the case with the Mayo River, which you may have heard of, but that’s where your familiarity ends. Saturday, let a Mayo River State Park ranger guide you down a stretch of the river that will start at the public boat access at Old Anglin Mill Loop Road and end at the public boat access on U.S. 220 Business. Expect to be on the water about six hours.

No boat, no problem. Be among the first 11 to register and the park will supply a canoe, paddle and pfd, free of charge.

Logistics: Saturday, Aug.8, 10 a.m., Mayo River State Park. To register and learn more, call 336.427.2530.

Saturday forecast: High of 85, sunny.

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Looking ahead: Start next weekend early with a Sunset Canoe Trip Friday evening (Aug. 14) at Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville. $5 per person, $10 per canoe. For more info: 919.460.3390

Mountains

This weekend is the Lake Logan Multisport Festival, which means …

Not up for the full half iron triathlon (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, 13.1-mile run)? Then check out the international tri (1,500-meter swim, 24-mile bike ride, 6.2-mile run). Or perhaps the sprint (500-meter swim, 12-mile bike ride, 3.1-mile run). They make it hard to say, “I can’t.”

The half tri is Saturday, the international and sprint are Sunday.

Logistics: Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 8 and 9, Lake Logan Episcopal Center. Find all your pertinent registration and race information here.

Weekend forecast: Highs reaching the low 80s, mostly sunny.

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Looking ahead: The Blue Ridge Breakaway, starting from the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, rides of 106, 76, 50.8 and 25 miles, Aug. 15. More info here.

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Those are our thoughts on the weekend. Find more options at the sources listed below.

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The post This weekend: Start with a walk, end with a tri appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

The Neuse River Trail.

The Neuse River Trail is the backbone of Raleigh’s rapidly growing greenway system. Last fall, the first 6.5 miles of the eventual 27.5-mile greenway opened, running from the northern trailhead near the base of Falls Lake dam downstream to the WRAL Soccer Park off Perry Road. In April, another 20 miles opened, from Horseshoe Farm Park off U.S. 401 downstream to the Johnston County Line. And you needn’t stop there: Another 5.5 miles of paved, 10-foot greenway continues to Clayton.

About a mile of greenway remains, and that should open in early 2014.

The latest 20 miles to open is worthy of your immediate attention. The trail crosses the Neuse seven times, twice on simple, graceful suspension bridges. There is only one true brush with development (for just a few hundred yards north of Anderson Point Park); otherwise, the trail does a remarkable job of using the Neuse’s thin riparian border to shield you from the city just beyond. The trail has only one road crossing of any note (the rural, two-lane Brownfield Road near the south end), allowing for miles — and miles and miles — of uninterrupted travel.

For the most part, the Neuse River Trail follows its namesake river. There’s a 3.5-mile stretch near the southern end where it departs the river and takes in rolling, white-fenced pasture. The trail takes you through wetlands with a primordial feel, it passes, at the right release from Falls Lake dam, Class II whitewater (above Anderson Point). There are water and restroom breaks (at Buffaloe Road Athletic Park and Anderson Point Park), there are plaques along the way to let you in on the Neuse’s human and natural history.

For an interactive version of this map, click on it.

View Neuse River Trail: Horeseshoe Farm to Johnston County in a larger map

Already, the trail is exhibiting its broad appeal. Cyclists looking to get some miles in appreciate the traffic-free aspect of the trail (especially near the southern end). Likewise, distance runners like the long stretches and the option to run on the trail’s more joint-friendly crushed gravel shoulders. The hardwood canopy along much of the trail provides relief from all but the mid-day sun, making it ideal for long strolls. Families bring their kids here, in strollers for the youngest, with training wheels for those exploring their independence.

We’re here to help you plan this adventurous aspect to your Memorial Day weekend. First, with a slideshow to whet your interest, then, with two maps to help you plan your trip. The top map is an overview of the entire trail, including the 5.5-mile stretch that continues into Johnston County, to Clayton. (Did we forget to mention that the greenway is actually 32 miles?) The second map is interactive: click on it and you can drill in on exact trailhead locations, get directions from your home, and get a better sense of what’s where.

Over the next couple weeks we’ll provide more detailed maps of the trail broken down by section. For now, these should suffice.

Happy exploring!

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The post Raleigh’s Neuse River Trail: 27 miles down, one more to go appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

You know you should walk more. The evidence for what it can do for your health is overwhelming; Walking for as little as 30 minutes a day can lower your blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein (bad) cholesterol, raise your high-density lipoprotein (good) cholesterol, reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes (or help you manage it if you are already afflicted), help you control your weight, put you in a better mood. Everyone from the Mayo Clinic to Martina Navratilova says you should walk.

Yet sometimes you just can’t find the proper incentive. Like something to get your mind off the fact you’re walking. Like time travel, for instance.

A number of communities in North Carolina have self-guided historic walking tours. Pick up a pamphlet featuring a map showing key historic points and you’re off. Raleigh has one. Charlotte, Chapel Hill and Wilmington, too. In fact, Google “historic walking tour” and a town of interest and chances are you’ll find something.

Or, you can get lucky and stumble upon a historic walking tour.

That’s what happened to us Saturday during a stop in Roxboro. Nosing around on Main Street we found the Historic Uptown Roxboro Walking Tour, a 1.5-mile loop taking in 39 historic sties. Most are homes dating back to Roxboro’s hey day, but there are also stores, churches, a movie theater, a grist mill … .

Sound interesting? Tag along on our quick slideshow. We suspect you’ll be inspired to do something you may not be crazy about.

Go for a nice walk.

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The post A healthy walk into the past appeared first on GetGoing NC!.