Medical Health

Toronto Waterfront, Leslie Spit, Cherry Beach

It was over 90 degrees in July, and with the humidity, that temperature had the effect of 104 degrees, but starting at 2 PM, I hiked from Yonge and St. Clair to the waterfront and then on to Cherry Beach and the Leslie Spit in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Then I hiked back to where I started on Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue. (Yonge is the longest municipal street in Canada.) Here are a few of the photos:

Toronto Skyline Under Reflections Through Cloud

Tall Ship, Cherry Beach, Toronto

Cherry Beach and Leslie Spit, Toronto

Cherry Road Drawbridge, Ship Passing

Ship passing from Lake Ontario, Cherry Drawbridge

Also see:

Hiking Photos from Bruce Trail and Grand Canyon

Here are a few of the photos I took on my hikes in Arizona and Ontario. I use a small Japanese-made Minolta. You will find more of my photographs on http://www.flixya.com/user/affiliatebin.

I took the Arizona shot on the Tanner Trail in the Grand Canyon and the Ontario shots on the Beaver Valley and Sydenham sections of the Bruce Trail (Maps 28 and 29 of the Bruce Trail Reference: Edition 25), about 10 km south of Meaford, Ontario. (Did you know that John Muir once lived in Meaford?). Compared to Arizona, the Bruce Trail does not present large elevation changes, but its moss-covered rocks and boulders are extremely slippery.

Colorado River, Tanner, Grand Canyon

Light in Forest — Photos from the Bruce Trail

Water Fall — Photos from the Bruce Trail

Rock Outcrop — Photos from the Bruce Trail

Bruce Trail Bumble Bee

Also see:

June 1 – June 10, Get 30% Off All GoLite Products

GoLite is celebrating National Trails Day by discounting all GoLite products by 30%: tents, packs, rain gear, running gear, and all the other hiking, camping and outdoors products in their collection. This site-wide sale is taking place from June 1 to June 10.

Use the coupon code “NTD2010″ at checkout on GoLite.com.

Flat Feet and Arch Supports

Maybe you visited your doctor after taking up running, and the doctor told you that your feet hurt because your arches fell. In other words, you have flat feet. Well the chances are that it’s your shoes, not your flat arches, that are causing the pain. The arch supports hurt your feet: You do not want humongous arch supports. You want shoes that are built with very mild (low) arch supports.

Both New Balance and Vasque make athletic shoes that fit flat feet and wide feet. Vasque even says that their Perpetuum last is “comfortable for people with flatter feet.”

So don’t quit running, walking, and hiking. Just buy the right shoes!

40% Off Coupon for Ultralite Golite Gear and Apparel

Golite emailed me a 40% off coupon that is good for online purchases made on golite.com before January 1, 2010. At checkout on the GoLite website, use the coupon code BCORP09. I phoned GoLite and they said that it’s fine for me to distribute the coupon code: anybody can use it to get multiple bargains.

As an ultralite backpacker, hiker, and trail runner, I have bought quite a few GoLite products (as well as gear from Osprey and Vasque). GoLite sleeping bags and down jackets are usually under two pounds in weight.

The GoLite coupon code is BCORP09

I also do price comparisons using
Google Shopping, http://www.google.com/products.

Top Brands: Hiking Boots

[April 2010 Update: Last fall I bought a pair of Vasque Mantras on clearance at REI for $20. The Vasque Mantras are now my favorite hiking shoes. Recently, I bought a pair of North Face Hedgehog low-top hikers but have only worn them once so far.]

A hiking acquaintance asked me, “A friend of mine just emailed and asked who else, other than Merrell, makes a sturdy hiking boot. Since you seemed to know all the brands, what would be your advice?”

I emailed her my answer:

Boots: I like Merrell, Danner, Vasque, and Columbia brands (and maybe Lowa).

I have found that Danner makes the sturdiest boots (which often weigh more than others), and hunters often say that Danners are the best. Lowas are made in Eastern Europe (rather than in China). Vasque makes quite a few light-weight models.

The REI-brand boots are made by Merrell and Vasque. So it seems that REI likes Merrell and Vasque. But one long-time REI employee says that he likes Lowa best (that they are “made in Slovakia, not China”).

One friend of mine wears only Montrail boots. Asolo makes sturdy boots, too. The sturdiest boots are made for backpacking (day hikers buy the lighter boots and shoes).

In summary, I like Merrell and Danner boots and I want to buy some Lowa boots. (And I like low-top Columbia hiking shoes for short hikes up and down hills and low peaks.)

Here is a link to all the various boots at Campmor (which is known for its very competitive prices): Hiking Boots at Campmor

Here is the link to Danner Boots: http://www.danner.com

And here is the link to Lowa: http://www.lowaboots.com/home/

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I also recommended the following products and services:

insulated sleeping pad: Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Sleeping Pad

good pack cover (for rain); get the size thast fits your pack: Sea to Summit SN240 Ultra-Light Siliconized Cordura Pack Cover

extremely lightweight 2mm cord (buy 50 ft): http://www.rei.com/product/716685

REI equipment rentals: http://www.rei.com/stores/rentals.html

Don’t Forget the Duct Tape by Kristin Hostetter — how to repair your hiking and camping gear: Don’t Forget the Duct Tape: Tips & Tricks for Repairing & Maintaining Outdoor & Travel Gear (Don’t Series)

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You should read these related posts:

Beware of Advice from Meetup.com Members

Desert Cotton

Hiking and Backpacking Gear

Cotton for The Grand Canyon

Desert Venom

Quit Sit-on-your-bottom Activities

Quit spending money sitting down. Everybody wants your dollars and cents, and they want you to spend it in a chair–at concerts, movies, restaurants, ballets, musicals, coffee shops, meditation groups . . .

Stay on your feet. Go for a walk or a hike. Lift weights while you watch the news. Find a good deal at a gym (the best deals usually appear when a gym first opens for business and offers a contract that stipulates that they can only raise your fees by, lets say, 1 percent every 3 years).

Hiking and Backpacking Gear

As I have said numerous times, I take supplements (see the disclaimers and warnings listed at the bottom of Spinach, Greens, and Eye Health). Rather than listing the supplements in my posts, I have listed them in the sidebar on the far right. I do not expect you to buy these items, but the Amazon links do provide handy summaries, price comparisons, and reviews.

I have also mentioned that walking, running, and hiking are very good for the health (including respiratory, cardiac, and digestive health), so in this post I am going to list some of the gear I use on hikes. I am listing the Amazon links. You can follow the links to detailed descriptions, prices, and reviews. I own all of the following gear:

Julbo Race Sunglasses (w/ Zebra Photochromic Lenses)

Osprey Talon 44 Mountaineering Backpack (for overnight and multi-day hikes)

Osprey Stratos 24 Pack (for extra-long day hikes to remote wilderness areas where I need to bring along extra survival and emergency gear)

Deuter Packs AC Lite 16 Backpack (for day hikes of average length)

Mountainsmith Tour Lumbar Pack (for easy day hikes)

Men’s Merrell Phaser Peak Waterproof Boots (for rugged hikes)

Men’s Danner Expedition GORE-TEX Boots (for exceptionally rugged hikes)

More »

Joint Stress and Bone Bruising

I was telling my brother that when a joint starts clicking (when he feels the bones in the neck, spine, hip, or knee, etc., click on one another or clunk by one another), he should change his position in such a way that the “clicking” and “clunking” goes away. I’m not talking about an occasional clicking noise. In fact you probably won’t hear an actual noise. I’m saying that I don’t want to feel my bones clunking by one another. I don’t want to feel my joints clunk.

For example, if I am doing shoulder raises (shoulder presses) on a weight machine, and the vertebrae in my spine start clicking (or noticeably sliding, clunking, bumping, or thumping by one another), I press my head back against the headrest/seat. If my knee or hip joints start “clicking” when I am on the recumbent bike, I move the seat back one notch. And if my hip starts clicking/clunking while I am doing sit-ups, I adjust the angle of my foot and leg.

Repeated “clicking” or “clunking” of the bones in the joints leads to bone bruising, bone wear, and pain, leading to physical compensations that put unhealthy stresses on the muscles, tendons, and joints.

If an exercise causes excruciating pain, stop that exercise. If an exercise causes a joint to clunk, find another way to do that exercise.

More About Running and Aerobics

You should try to run at 7 miles per hour for 20 minutes–it gets your heart rate up and provides both cardiovascular and respiratory benefits. I run at the gym on treadmills. The treadmills are equipped with shock absorbers and are generally easier on my joints. You can vary the treadmill speed and slant (elevation) in order to minimize the chance of injury due to repeated motion.

If your joints are not up to running, get on the recumbent bike for a half hour or use the elliptical machine. The recumbent bike is the one where your legs are positioned further out in front of you.

You can also exercise in a swimming pool. The buoyancy takes the weight and wear and tear off your joints. (But I don’t like the chlorine.)

I run 3 times a week and walk for 30 minutes to an hour 3 or 4 times a week, that is, I get some form of aerobic exercise 6 or 7 days a week. And I take calcium (and viatamin D) for my bones and a glucosamine-chondroitin-boron complex for my joints.