Medical Health

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!

The Grand Canyon State: Arizona Set to Close and Sell State Parks?

The world flies in and takes a long look at Arizona, the Grand Canyon State (see our Photo Gallery, our Arizona Gallery, and our Grand Canyon Trails Page). And soon after arriving in Phoenix, they fall in love with all the other gems Arizona has to offer: preserved yet accessible desert wilderness areas and wildlife refuges, such as the Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction.

But now Arizona’s lawmakers are preparing to vote on budget cuts that could shut down the entire state parks system by July 1. And that vote in January 2010 might result in the sale of state parks to the highest bidders. That’s right: I’m hearing that once an Arizona state park is closed, it must be sold: Land speculators and developers will mutilate our public gems, our community wilderness. They will restrict access, and Lost Dutchman State Park will become a gated community or a private suburb, with lot and house prices starting at $700,000 or more.

Here’s a group of hikers who will show you how to protest the closure of Arizona’s state parks: visit the Take a Hike message board and web site.

Also see Petition to Save Arizona’s State Parks

BPA-free Biodegradable Plastic Bottles

We hear about how plastic bottles are filling our landfills and oceans, but bottled water manufacturers and consumers can solve this problem. We do have biodegradable choices, and biodegradable plastic may cost us a little more in the short term, but I’m sure the costs will fall in the future, as our health and our planet’s health improve.

See www.biogreenbottles.com and BioGreen Biodegradable BPA-Free Sport Bottle with Wide Mouth DuoFlow Lid (26-Ounce). These bottles are BPA, DEHA and DEHP Free, and they are made in the USA.

Tell the bottled water industry that we insist on safe biodegradable plastic.

Also see the post Avoiding BPA in Plastic.

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.

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.

More About Cancer Prevention

In addition to my Anti-cancer Diet and Vitamin D, I work out at the gym 3 days a week and take walks and/or lift weights at home 3 to 4 days a week. At the gym, I run 2 miles and then lift weights for an additional 60 to 90 minutes.

I also take numerous 6- to 9-hour hikes up mountains and into canyons, sometimes for 7 days in a row. The hiking may help ward off colon cancer, and I am a firm believer that running helps stave off lung cancer.