HILL WALKING IN BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

UNTIL ARRIVING IN BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA 2 WEEKS AGO I DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE ENTIRE CITY IS MADE UP OF HILLS AND VALLEYS ALL SURROUNDING THE LARGE WINDING BRISBANE RIVER.  THE CITY IS ALSO PRONE TO FLOODING AS MOST OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEENSLAND IS WITH WARNING SIGNS ON MOST OF THE HIGHWAYS AS YOU HEAD UP NORTH.  

MARZ AND MYSELF WILL BE LEAVING FOR TORONTO ON WEDNESDAY LEAVING SHANNON HERE FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS AS SHE ATTENDS PODIATRY SCHOOL AT QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY.  THIS UNIVERSITY HAS A VERY PRESTIGIOUS MEDICIAL AND LAW SCHOOL AND THE CAMPUS IS VERY BEAUTIFUL AND ONLY A SHORT WALK FROM SHANNON'S NEW APARTMENT, ALL UPHILL AND DOWN.  THERE IS HARDLY ANY LEVEL GROUND TO BE FOUND IN THE ENTIRE CITY WHICH MEANS THAT YOU WILL BE GETTING SOME EXTRA HEALTHY EXERCISE EVERYTIME YOU WANT TO WALK SOMEWHERE IN THE CITY.

WHEN YOU WALK UP A MODEST INCLINE OF ONLY 5% YOU INCREASE YOUR CALORIC BURN BY 3 TO 5 CALORIES PER MINUTE.  THE AVERAGE PERSON BURNS ROUGHLY 200 CALORIES WHEN WALKING ON LEVEL GROUND WHICH INCREASES TO 375 WHEN WALKING ON A HILL WITHOUT WALKING ANY FASTER.  WHEN WALKING UP HILLS YOU STRENGTHEN YOUR QUADRICEPS AND HIP FLEXORS.  YOU SHOULD INCREASE YOUR ANGLE SLIGHTLY FORWARD WHILE TAKING SLIGHTLY SHORTER STEPS WHILE NOT LIFTING YOUR KNEE ANY HIGHER THAN 6 INCHES IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE STRESS ON YOUR KNEES.

YOU MAY BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT A PERSON HAS A GREATER CHANCE OF BEING INJURED WHILE WALKING DOWN A HILL RATHER THAN UP.  THE REASON FOR THIS IS YOU PLACE  MUCH MORE STRESS ON YOUR JOINTS AND MUSCLES AS YOU HIT THE GROUND MUCH HARDER.  INJURIES TO YOUR KNEES AND MUSCLES ARE THE MOST COMMON INJURIES.  IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT YOU WEAR FOOT WEAR THAT FITS YOU PROPERLY AS YOUR FOOT WILL TEND TO SHIFT FORWARD AS YOU WALK DOWN HILL AND BACKWARDS WHEN YOU WHEN YOU WALK UPWARDS.  WHEN WALKING DOWN MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T LEAN BACKWARDS TOO FAR BUT REMAIN PERPENDICULAR TO THE GROUND.

WHILE HILL WALKING IS NOT AS HIGH INTENSITY AS RUNNING, IT IS LESS STRESSFUL THAN RUNNING AND A GOOD EXERCISE FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO INCREASE THEIR WORKOUT LEVEL WITHOUT INCREASING THE STRESS TOO MUCH.  AS LONG AS SHANNON IS IN BRISBANE SHE WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO GET USED TO WALKING ON UNEVEN GROUND WHICH WILL BE GOOD EXERCISE OVERALL IN THE LONG RUN.

 

 

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