Sunday, February 13, 2011

I Just Go Walking, After Midnight...

by Joanie


...out in the moonlight..... la, la, la la la la...

Ahhhhh...Patsy Cline. She had the right idea. Walking is a great way to a healthy heart.

As we are celebrating the American Heart Associations Go Red for Women's heart health here in The Lair I thought I'd talk about some walking benefits. I'm not going into great detail, because you can find out LOADS of information through our link to the AHA below. But some highlights.

Walking:

*Maintains a healthy weight *Improves blood pressue and lowers cholesterol
*Reduces/manages Type II Diabetes *Decreases risk for a heart attack and stroke
*Decreases stress and prevents
depression

We already know that walking is important for our health. And there is a pleathora of information out there about the proper shoes. But what about...socks?

Socks are a very individualized preference. There are practical white cotton socks, moisture wicking socks, athletic socks, Socks the cat. :-D But there are lots of fun socks out there that really reflect a persons personality. For instance, which Banditas or resident of The Lair do you believe own these socks?
























Socks make the woman! So slip your favorite pair on, tie up those shoes and let's go walking!


Now what about you? What do your socks say about the woman you are? What would you have on your socks?


One lucky reader will win a special Valentine package of fun socks from Cricket and Grayson.

The comment link is below the healthy heart tip for today and the AHA BetterU information.

**Before embarking on any exercise program, check with your doctor.

Go Red Tip for February 13: Don't forget to love Fido, too! Give your pet a Valentine and remember to walk or exercise them daily-getting active will benefit your health and your bond with your pets.







And...Sign Up for the Go Red BetterU Program and Receive Two Free Romance Novel E-Books

From Feb. 1 through May 31, 2011, receive one free romance novel e-book when you sign up for the American Heart Association's BetterU Program and one after you complete week six of the program. And look for the Eat Smart for Your Heart limited-edition magazine (that features this offer) on newsstands and in a grocery store near you.

To sign up for the BetterU program, visit:

http://www.goredforwomen.org/betteru/index.aspx

(Go Red For Women is trademarked by the American Heart Association, Inc. Romance novel downloads provided by Belle Books.)

65 comments:

Helen said...

Is he coming to my place

Have Fun
Helen

Helen said...

He is going to be in Oz for Valentines Day Hubby and I are going for a drive to Wollongong tomorrow for lunch and a visit to a great romance book store there LOL I am sure he will enjoy the day.

Joanie

Walking I always enjoyed walking but unfortunatley these days my back and hip don't like it too much I did a lot of walking today and am paying for it now LOL. As for socks I wear black socks with my shoes for work I realy don't like wearing shoes at all I wear thongs (flip flops) most of the time I know I should get proper joggers to walk in and this would help but I like my feet to be free LOL.

Have Fun
Helen

Donna MacMeans said...

Hey Helen - You snuck in and grabbed the rooster while everyone else was out walking!

Hey Joanie - what's that green stuff in that photo at the bottom? Haven't seen that in a couple of months.

My daughter collects crazy socks and has several for every holiday. I gave her socks for Christmas that make her look like she has wildly tattooed legs.

Me - I wear boring accountant socks - thin, black, blue or brown socks that fit into my shoes- or white athletic socks for when I do Zumba or aerobics. Of course, in the summer I'm a no socks at all sort of girl.

Minna said...

Since I don't have a car, I walk quite a bit. The place has to pretty far and/or it has to be winter (I don't ride by bicycle at winter) before I take a bus or a cab.

desere_steenberg said...

What fun contest and the prize sounds wonderfull thank you ! My socks are exactly exciting but they are no what one would call boring either, I like to have a bit of color on them with something "girly" like hearts or flowers but the ones I love the most are ones with cartoon characters doing something funny or silly I just think about it as my portraying my fun side encorporated into my wardrobe (I am hoping that makes sense!)

All the best
Desere

Jane said...

Congrats on the GR, Helen.

I usually buy black socks, but I do love argyle ones, too. I also have a few Christmas themed ones that I were during the holidays.

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

HEY! Are those Aunty's Shamrock socks pictured in this blog?!?!

Yes, I have been known to wear socks to match a holiday or mood. My current favorites say I heart NZ all over them. ;-)

AC
P.S. Happy VDay Helen! I hope the chook brings you some flowers coz I know he won't share chocolate.

pjpuppymom said...

Joanie, I love to walk. The dogs make sure we do it at least twice a day. Of course the socks are all-important. My favorite are nice, cushiony white cotton but, for holidays. I do like to spice things up. I have some shamrocks, red socks with hearts, more than a few pairs with dogs on them and a couple pairs decorated with cute frogs. Right now I'm wearing red and green fuzzy socks that keep my feet warm!

pjpuppymom said...

Helen, are you going to Lucy's bookstore? If so, give her a hug from me. She was my RWA roommate in DC. Such a lovely lady. I'd love to visit her store in person someday!

Kim in Baltimore said...

Aloha! I walk every morning along the Pearl Harbor channel in the gorgeous sunshine. I hear the birds chirp as the ships begin their cruise into the Pacific. Sometimes the birds are drowned out by the sounds of the Asia airlines making their final approach, bringing more tourist dollars to the islands.

We have beautiful red flowers here in Hawaii, reminding me to be heart healthy!

Helen said...

Yes PJ that is were I am going I love visiting Lucy's shop it is heaven and I will give her a hug she is such a lovely Lady

Have Fun
Helen

Sheree said...

Congrats, Helen, on the rooster!

I wear white cotton socks almost all the time. Yes, I have other colored socks and fun socks but my every day socks are white, cotton ones.

I also have hiking socks for my hiking boots.

Deb said...

Socks...Okay, I used to be one of those persons that had to match socks to the color of my shirts and blouses. I mean, it was almost an obsession. If I had a raspberry pink t-shirt, then I HAD to have raspberry pink socks. BTW, I DID find r. pink socks to go with that cute t-shirt. After being married for a year or so, my husband said, "Honey, white socks make life simple. Just buy WHITE socks!" :) I've gone that route, but still seem to occasionally pick up a cute pair of snowflake socks or striped brown socks to match my brown sweater or the cute pair of blue diamond socks....Okay, I still like colorful socks!

I used to walk frequently, but don't do so as much now. Walks are peaceful on a beautiful, spring day or even on a crisp, snowy day. I just need to take time to take one.

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Helen, it's been a while, hasn't it? Hide the Tim Tams!

JT, I LOVE that song - which is a good thing because it's now stuck in my mind.

Love the post. Actually I find walking is a great way for me to work on problems in my stories too. There's something about the rhythm of it that seems to get the brainwaves flowing.

Anna Campbell said...

Oh, and my socks say I'm pretty dull, sadly. Pretty much all white! Well, off-white! ;-)

Kirsten said...

I always try to save money on socks as they are mostly hidden beneath jeans and shoes. This results in my having shockingly pink, orange and purpkle stripes, plus green with stars all over them socks. Kind of embarracing when other adults see them but I got no one to blame but myself.

Deb said...

I do wear matching trouser socks for my dress pants. Browns, blacks, blues...

EilisFlynn said...

I think socks are art! My hub always gets me a few pair of interesting, colorful socks for special occasions (birthday, Christmas, Valentine's, Opening Day of baseball, etc.). (Before you ask, in addition to something else.) Summer can be a sad time, because sometimes it's too darn hot to wear 'em!

And oh yeah, walking is the bomb! You see new things, you feel the wind on your face ... highly recommended!

Joan said...

Good morning everyone!

I've scuffed out to the computer after a sleep in morning. No socks but comfy houseshoes.

Congratulations Helen! Your Valentine's Day excursion sounds fun! What a great hubby to take you to a bookstore!

I hear you about the whoas of hips and backs. But every bit of walking helps which is what I said to myself as I scuffed out to get my paper and THREE neighbors briskly strode by.

Sigh

Joan said...

Grass...it's called grass Donna...I Googled it :D

Wow, I bet those socks you got for your daughter are wild!

I have only one pair of socks with a Christmas pattern sent to me by our own Suz last year. Otherwise, I have navy blue, black and white for work.

I recently cleaned out my sock drawer though and found...from the '80's green, pink, yellow, taupe, beige, beigy taupe, red, bright blue. I donated and gave away over 18 pairs of socks.

Joan said...

Minna,

Heck, I give you kudos for riding a bike!!! I seem to have forgotton how in my mature years.

Desere! LOL on the cartoon characters. Who is your favorite? I'd pick Tweety or Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse!

Anna Sugden said...

OMG people actually walk cats on leads?! Surely not!

One of the great things about being back home is that we're set up for walking - we have pavements and pedestrian-only areas - and we're only a small country, so you don't have to get in the car to get everywhere (unless you live in the sticks!).

I use white athletic socks for working out and slouchy socks the rest of the time. Despite my love of shoes, I tend to spend most of my time barefoot or 'socked'. I have some cute thermal socks for winter with non-slip grips on them. I also have some wonderful thermal socks for when I've got wellies on or am out in the cold.

Naturally, I have lots of pairs of penguin socks and cat socks that people have given me. Also socks with the logos of my favourite teams.

Hmm let's see - The rooster, me (if they're hockey sticks *g*), you (or AC) and Ermingarde!

Joan said...

Jane, you really can't go wrong with black can you.

And um, AC....we'll have share the shamrock socks cause they were a "gift" from my latest hero.

What about those other socks. Who do ya'll think they belong to???

Joan said...

PJ, wow, you've got it going on girl!!!

I BRIEFLY considered what it would take to take Grayson for a walk...evidently people DO harness kitties and do that.

Naw....he'd be dragging me all over the place, including up a tree!

Joan said...

Kim,

Boy, walking in your own little paradise has to be inspiring.

I've heard that optimum walking for health is 10,000 steps per day. Doing 9,000 of those by the ocean and hibiscus etc. would not be hardship.

Joan said...

Sheree,

Yup, white cotton are my stand by's for work...I get the soft, plush ones by Hanes at the Walmart.

My feet actually sigh when I put them on.

I hiked to the paper this morning..does that count?

June M. said...

I love socks! I have differnt ones for holidays, cute girly ones with flowers, hearts, etc. Some of my favs are the ones for St. Patricks Day. The shamrocks remind me of my grandfather. He always loved Irish themed things (shirts, hats, steins). I wear them whenever I am missing him alot.

Joan said...

Deb,

It was the '80's right? The time when you were color coordinated obsessed?

For every pair of those socks I mentioned in the earlier post, I had a matching top. Add white tennies and I was da bomb

Hannah Dennison said...

I love walking! Even though I live right in the middle of Los Angeles (I couldn't be more central) - a ten minute drive takes me to Franklin Canyon, just north of Beverly Hills. It's beautiful up there - views of the ocean on one side and the mountains, capped with snow, on the other. And yes, we have mountain lions.

Joan said...

LOL, Anna. It's better than having that Bieber song in your head.....

Ack!!!!!!

Patsy! Patsy! Somebody start singing Patsy!

Joan said...

Kirsten,

My you're right up there in the variety department.

Um, do you wear them with skirts??

Joan said...

Bingo Anna!!! You guessed them all!!!

Cat socks....don't tempt me. And yes, evidently there are people who take harnessed cats outside....did you ever get a catlouge from Drs Foster and Smith? They have those AND netted baby buggys for kitties

Also, do you get Animal Planet over there? They premeired a new show last night called "Must Love Cats". Pretty interesting. You can probably watch it on the computer at Animal Planet .com

Joan said...

Hi June M.!!!

Yes, there is nothing as exhilirating as a St. Pat's article of clothing....

Ye might even start to step dance in a pair!

Joan said...

Hi Hannah!!!

Oh dear Lord! Mountain lions???!!!!!

THAT would make you walk briskly I daresay!

But, how wonderful that you have such a beautiful place to exercise...including your lungs as you scream racing away from a lion!

Louisa Cornell said...

I can't blame him for running to Helen's! Nice and warm and lovely company! Hide the chocolate!

I must be one of the few women in the South who never goes without socks, even in the summer. And I don't wear flip flops or sandals.

I have some great socks! I have lots of fuzzy socks in all sorts of colors. For work I wear thick fuzzies as I spend some time in the freezer.

I have some of those socks with non-slip grips on them, Vrai Anna! They are great!

Someone gave me some wonderful purple (my favorite color) soft aloe socks and they are FABULOUS!

I don't walk just for walking sake's nearly often enough. I walk quite a bit at work but that is all indoors. I have five acres to wander, but my dogs have decided to set the canine speed record for "doing their business" and getting back into the house. The cold temps here may have something to do with it. I need to get the machete out and hack through my woods so I can have a nice walking path when the weather warms up.

Deb said...

Joanie, we're twins! White Keds tennies, matching socks and shirts. (It was the
80s!)

desere_steenberg said...

Hello Joan

My favorite is Mickey Mouse and Garfield just adore that big fat lazy orange cat !

RFTC Blog said...

I like girly socks. Usually have characters on them like Hello Kitty or rocker skulls. I also like stripes. Anything that is colorful.

Joan said...

Oh now Louisa...never wear sandals or flips????

HOney, let me take you shopping!

In the warm months I LIVE in sandals and flip flops. I'd wear them to work 'cept there are gross things that could plop on my toes!

But warm fuzzies...those are the thing for this bitter cold.

Joan said...

LOL Deb......and big hair!

Joan said...

desere,

I went through a Garfield stage in the '80's...have a better appreciation of him now with my two.

And my ideal Mickey is just the outline of his head..the icon. I HEART that!

Joan said...

Um, wow Danielle what a diachomy...Hello Kitty and SKULLS!

Scary AND cute...although there are some that would say Hello Kitty could be scary.

LilMissMolly said...

I like the idea of fun socks but find that they slip when you wear them. When I wear my sneakers for walking, I like Thorlos because they have toe and heel padding and never slip.

Louisa Cornell said...

You're on for a shopping trip, Joanie! I have never met a shoe store I didn't like!

And as to Patsy Cline, La Campbell, I made a nice bit if money singing Patsy Cline songs on the "down low" - that is, in some pretty dark and shady bars when I was an undergrad and grad student. Had any of my voice teachers known they would have locked me up and thrown away the key! I didn't do any of that when I studied in Austria because the penalty for singing a gig without the express permission of your voice teacher was expulsion! Those Teutonic vocal coaches were VERY protective of their opera singers.

Unknown said...

Ah my subject!!!!!
I love SOCKS!!!! (and walking too...LOL)
I Love toe socks, bright bold socks, fluffy socks, socks that make noise....ohhhhhh socks!!!!
I guess I should tell the story.... I used to work for an airline and have to go through security everyday. So off went the shoes...well by now you all know I'm not a normal everyday person, I NEED some FUN in my life....in comes SOCKS. They were the only thing I could change about that awful blue uniform everyday and make it FUN.
Soon my co-workers and I were trying to out do each other on who had the coolest Socks...we even had the pilots fly them in from other countries!!!!! (I never said I was NORMAL...LOL)
Now I have a sock collection that I STILL wear and many memories of crazy times, and every Christmas I recieve a box with a wild pair of socks...this year was a pair of fluffy meowing cats (Yes, they really meow!!!) Of course I don't get to wear them, my daughter Indigo stole them!!! Even though they're like knee highs on her!!!!

As for walking....Indi and I like to walk around our little town every chance with get. Since we live around a bunch of seniors (most are in their late 80's early 90's) they love seeing Indi. They call her their other grandbaby.

Louisa Cornell said...

BJ,

Your sock collection sounds like SO much fun! And how nice for your daughter to have so many grandparents.

And where can one get those dragon tails socks in the photo? I LOVE those!

jo robertson said...

Congrats, Helen. We should get the rooster an individualized pair of sox, shouldn't we?

Great post, Joan! My treadmill has been broken and the new one not yet put together, so I've been without for over a week. Waaahhh! I've had to resort to the stationary bike, which just hurts my butt!

I have a million pairs of sox, but most are white, not fancy at all. I don't like to go barefoot anymore, and I like them to stay tidey whitey, so I use lots of bleach on them, not so good for patterns and designs.

I'd wear Bandita sox, though. I'm just sayin.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Hey Joanie! Love the post.

Alas, I do wear mostly white "slouch" style socks at work. I like to tuck the bottoms of my scrub pants in them. This allows me not to trip if I have to run down the hall for an emergency.

But, I do wear holiday socks upon occasion. Tomorrow I have red socks with little white hearts. I have black socks with little green and red Christmas trees on them, orange and black pumpkin socks for Halloween and some cute little Easter socks. (My boss has long since given up reprimanding me on them.)

My favorite non-conforming uniform statement sock? (Donna will love this...) My Block O Ohio State socks! Yep wore them for the OSU vs Michigan game. Wore them the day before each of the bowl games. And even wear them when OSU is playing in the NCAA Basketball tournament. (Boss isn't so ammused by that last bit, since she's a rabid Kansas Jayhawke fan!)

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

OMGosh, JT, I LOVE the socks! You know mine have pumpkins on them. Grins. And witches. And dalmatians. And cats. Heeheeeheee.

I think I may have some with hearts on them too! :>

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Hey, Helen! Do you have roosters on YOUR socks? Or is that just the GR? Grins.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Oh, wow, Suz has Buckeye socks. I should have known. :>

I have Duke socks too, did I mention that? With March Madness fast approaching....grins.

Joan said...

Hey LilMissMolly,

Thorlos...I've never heard of them, but my tired little nurse feet kind of like the idea.

Joan said...

Ok, BJ take a deep breath. That's right...slowly...slowly...

Meowing socks!!!! I want some!!! Can't you just see that driving the kitties crazy???

Joan said...

Oooh Jo, I HATE the bike....makes my bum numb!!!!

I did go shopping today with a friend so got some good walking in. The weather was ALMOST spring like here in KY so it helped me body abnd mind. Socks? Navy blue.

Joan said...

Wow Suz and Jeanne...quite a collection.

I probably need to get some U of L socks for March Madness. I'm not uaually a big fan but U of L has this cute little AMAZING player named Kyle Kuric and I HEART him...so...red and black here we go!

Trish Milburn said...

I love walking and hiking. They're my favorite way to burn calories each day. And now that it's finally getting warmer, I can get outside and walk instead of depending on the treadmill.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Joan said: I probably need to get some U of L socks for March Madness. I'm not uaually a big fan but U of L has this cute little AMAZING player named Kyle Kuric and I HEART him

Snork. Well, that's one reason to root for a team! Hahah!

Joan said...

Trish,

I'm hoping to get out and walk beneath the sunshine too!

Well Jeanne...he also is an amazing in the clinch player! He has saved the teams ass-ets more than once!

Nancy said...

Helen, congrats on the bird! Make him behave during your Valentines celebration. It sounds like a great day.

Nancy said...

Joan, walking is great exercise, and it's free. I tend to wear white athletic socks, just plain white.

I do wish people out walking or jogging at night would wear a BIG patch of reflective material on their torsos. The little teeny strips on the backs of the sneakers are invisible to me as I prepare to back out of my driveway. Especially if the person is close enough that I can't even see his or her feet.

And those little strips are, hello, invisible from the front and side.

This is more of a problem with runners, but it's scary.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Nancy, I know what you mean. I walk my dogs in the neighborhood at night sometimes, especially in the heat of summer, and I put reflectives on me AND the dog. Heck the Irisher's so dark I can't see him on the end of the leash, myself, so I wouldn't expect anyone else to see him.

Unlike my Dalmatians, which I could see in the dark quite well, thank you - those white and black coats are akin to neon, really - the Irisher is nearly invisible without his green reflective stripy collar

Laney4 said...

I hope I'm not too late for the party!

I've had "one of those days", so it's nice to be back amongst friends here with the Banditas! I hope everyone else has had a great day/weekend so far!

As for your socks, yes indeedee they are cute! I wear cute ones until they shrink, and then I give them to my daughter to wear out; she loves it.

You're going to hate me for this, but I'm telling you anyway. (Why should that stop me, LOL?) I bought myself 16 pair of black socks a few years back, all identical with grey soles, so that I wouldn't have to worry about losing one or more. And it worked. Sometimes I get holes that can't/shouldn't be repaired, so they get pitched, and who is the wiser? (ME!!!) I still have at least 13 pair of them.

I'm one of those people who, when I find out I like something, I go back and buy a bunch more before they're sold out. I've done that with desert boots/shoes in years gone by (when they came in beige, navy, black, and chocolate brown, so I bought 4 pair of each colour about ten years ago and I'm down to my last pair of each colour now).

I recently became the owner of 4 pair of identical running shoes ("if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is my motto apparently). The reasoning is that I bought one and got the second for half price, so I bought two at a time. I wear the one pair to badminton (indoor runners) and the other pair I wear in my house (because I have to wear orthotics in them all day). The problem was that my outdoor runners bit the dust soon afterward, and I didn't want any runners with mesh on the top (because my toenails go through within a month, even though I cut them really short - probably from the stopping and moving about playing badminton), so these were the only pair with vinyl (?) uppers I could find (and again they had that half price sale, so I have an extra pair on hand now).

Whew. All that to tell you I wear boring socks and runners all day. But I'm happy. That's really all I care about. (And some new fun socks would make me happier!!!)

Pissenlit said...

I love fun socks! My favourite is a pair of blue ankle socks with red lobsters on them...my second favourite is a pair of white ankle socks with smiley crabs and lemon slices. :D

catslady said...

I have some fun socks but too many black ones lol. I have always had fun buying socks for my two girls and even though they are grown, I still get them socks of all kinds for christmas lol.

desere_steenberg said...

Oddly enough Joan it is the same for me with Mickey !