If someone tells you to “go take a hike”, they’re actually giving you good advice.
Exercise and weight loss web sites recommend walking as the most overlooked and neglected form of exercise. People seem to prefer expensive aerobic classes, and lots of time in gyms.
Health experts suggest that walking is a great form of exercise because it’s free, requires no partner or expensive gadgets, and will burn nearly the same calories as jogging. It’s not hard on the body, there’s no set time to do it, and a good walk eases the tension in mind and body.
Along with many local parks, there are some amazing trails in the area, not only beautiful, but excellent wildlife habitats.
• The trails at Forest Park Nature Center on Forest Park Drive in Peoria Heights are wonderful. Deer, wild turkeys, and bird feeders loaded with every local bird imaginable, are just some of the added bonuses to walking these paths. Exercise and entertainment, what’s not to love? They are open daily from dawn to dusk, and are well marked with maps available listing distances. They are free, but donations are welcome. The Museum and Nature Store are open Mon. – Sat. 9AM to 5PM, Sunday, 1 to 5PM. There are potties, water, coffee, and tea in the trail head building.
• For a good walk, you can’t beat the Rock Island Trail. Beautiful, wild, full of flora and fauna, it’s another example of exercise, entertainment, and relaxation. There are several trail heads, but the closest is at Alta, where you can go towards Dunlap, or towards Peoria. Each way is a different habitat, and both are beautiful. There are potties and water at the Alta trailhead where a giant map shows you the route and distances.
• Another fun place to walk is the East Peoria Biking and Hiking trail. You can park at the Fondulac Administration Building and start your walk across the street on the trail. It’s paved, and pretty, with lots of wildlife and flowers. Several little bridges with gurgling streams flowing underneath are pleasant attractions. The Fondulac Administration Building has public restrooms and water.
Before you use walking as an exercise, there are a few tips to remember.
First, don’t eat solid food an hour before walking. Digesting takes a lot of energy away from the body.
You should avoid busy roads. Fresh air and green calming surroundings are more relaxing to the mind. Also, if you are taking more carbon dioxide than oxygen, you are harming your body.
Try to get in at least 30 minutes of walking everyday, and vary your routes so that you are not walking on flat ground.
Walking is not only good for your body, but good for your spirit.
Henry David Thoreau once said, "I come home to my solitary woodland walk as the homesick go home.”
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Ballad Of ANWR Drilling
Everyone agrees, the sticker shock at the gas pump has left us all a little dazed. I wince when I think that a single tank of gas costs more than my high school church camp. I saved up for that for months. It costs a fifth of my freshman semester tuition at ISU.
Intellectually I understand inflation and economic realities, but emotionally my eyes water.
All the conservative pundents have shared their solutions to our gas price blues, so I wasn’t surprised to hear them trot out their old chestnut of an answer to all our fuel problems. Everything will be better if only we would drill in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.
I have to give them points for persistence.
Located in northeast Alaska, the Arctic Refuge is the biological heart of this untamed wilderness. It contains the greatest diversity of animal life of any conservation area in the circumpolar region. Often called the “American Serengeti” ANWR is the wildest place left in America. Numerous species depend on this fragile, unique ecosystem for survival.
As the Politicos babbled, I could hear the faint strains of banjo music in my head, and see all the happy oil executives standing around the “cement pond” talking about the “bubbling crude” and smiling about the prospect of even more record profits.
A song came to mind, of course accompanied by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs on their five string banjos. Please sing along to the tune of “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”, or otherwise known as the Beverly Hillbilly’s theme.
The Ballad Of ANWR Drilling
Come and listen to a story ‘bout a bunch of phonies,
rich oil men and their oilmen cronies.
With oil prices high, they resurrected their dream,
To drill the Artic refuge is the devious scheme.
Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.
Well, first thing they do is mention oil on the air,
Life will be better if we get it out of there.
The democrats don’t love ya if they won’t let us drill.
Who cares about the ecosystem that we’ll kill.
Caribou that is, snow geese, polar bears.
Of course drilling won’t get started for quite a few years,
And it won’t actually help us dry our present tears,
And when we get it going who’ll share the news,
ANWR’s only 5% of our total use.
Not much that is, drop in a bucket, fools gold.
..........................................
And every time pro-drilling advocates lose another round, they just smile in their mansions and say, “We’ll all be back now, y’hear”.
Intellectually I understand inflation and economic realities, but emotionally my eyes water.
All the conservative pundents have shared their solutions to our gas price blues, so I wasn’t surprised to hear them trot out their old chestnut of an answer to all our fuel problems. Everything will be better if only we would drill in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.
I have to give them points for persistence.
Located in northeast Alaska, the Arctic Refuge is the biological heart of this untamed wilderness. It contains the greatest diversity of animal life of any conservation area in the circumpolar region. Often called the “American Serengeti” ANWR is the wildest place left in America. Numerous species depend on this fragile, unique ecosystem for survival.
As the Politicos babbled, I could hear the faint strains of banjo music in my head, and see all the happy oil executives standing around the “cement pond” talking about the “bubbling crude” and smiling about the prospect of even more record profits.
A song came to mind, of course accompanied by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs on their five string banjos. Please sing along to the tune of “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”, or otherwise known as the Beverly Hillbilly’s theme.
The Ballad Of ANWR Drilling
Come and listen to a story ‘bout a bunch of phonies,
rich oil men and their oilmen cronies.
With oil prices high, they resurrected their dream,
To drill the Artic refuge is the devious scheme.
Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.
Well, first thing they do is mention oil on the air,
Life will be better if we get it out of there.
The democrats don’t love ya if they won’t let us drill.
Who cares about the ecosystem that we’ll kill.
Caribou that is, snow geese, polar bears.
Of course drilling won’t get started for quite a few years,
And it won’t actually help us dry our present tears,
And when we get it going who’ll share the news,
ANWR’s only 5% of our total use.
Not much that is, drop in a bucket, fools gold.
..........................................
And every time pro-drilling advocates lose another round, they just smile in their mansions and say, “We’ll all be back now, y’hear”.
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