PRESCRIPTIONS
Trekking poles ease burden of walking
By Landis Lum
Q. I'm overweight, and my doctor wants me to start walking because of diabetes and hyper-tension. But how can I ease back into walking or even hiking again if I'm out of shape, and also prevent my knees from aching?
A. Walking or trekking poles are the new "work smarter, not harder" cardio fitness tool. They not only condition your legs, but also your arms and shoulders, enabling a true full-body aerobic workout while reducing knee, hip, and back arthritis.
Trekking poles are not just for the elderly — did you ever see the Eco-Challenge, where teams of four bike, backpack and kayak for 300 miles in places like Argentina and Fiji?
Everybody's using trekking poles. Because when you use both your arms and legs to propel yourself, you can go farther faster and with less fatigue.
The secret is to use not just one pole, but two. "Mountain doctor" Gottfried Neureuther calculated that with each step, each pole takes about 10 pounds of weight off your legs and back. Multiply this by the number of steps you walk an hour and you save an extra 13 tons of wear and tear on your joints each hour.
Get the telescoping adjustable-height ones made of aluminum. You can get them locally at Powder Edge, or on the Internet at campmor.com, rei.com, or www.trekpoles.com — and, most important, click on "info" at trekpoles.com to learn to use them correctly.
But ease into it. If you start out by walking an hour a day, you'll get knee pains for sure.
A better way is to start off at 10 minutes a day and add two minutes a week to a goal of 30 minutes a day. Be a good role model for your kids: Obesity rates of youngsters are skyrocketing.
A great hike to start with is the Maunawili Trail, which is not only easy but also features breathtaking views of the ocean, Mount Olomana and the steep fluted cliffs of the Ko'olaus. Park at the hairpin turn of Pali Highway (on the Kailua side of the tunnel). Walk back up the parking lot and through a gap in the guard rail on the left, and by a mango tree, turn left onto the trail into the forest. Walk as far as you like — it goes 10 miles one way to Waimanalo. There's also a fork that goes right and up Old Pali Road to the Pali Lookout.
Dr. Landis Lum is a family-practice physician for Kaiser Permanente and an associate clinical professor at the University of Hawai'i's John A. Burns School of Medicine.
Send your questions to Prescriptions, Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; fax 535-8170; or e-mail islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com. This column is not intended to provide medical advice.
