On these beautiful summer days, the boardwalk fills up with local walkers. If you are one of them, you are already doing the single best thing most people can do for their health. Here is how to get more out of your walks without adding any extra time.
I train people in their homes across the peninsula, and when someone tells me they walk the boardwalk every day, I always encourage them to continue. Walking is excellent for overall health. The problem is that most of us tend to do the same walk all the time. Doing the same route at the same pace means your body isn’t challenged anymore.
The fix is variety, and on the boardwalk, you can get it for free.
Start with pace changes. Pick two lampposts and walk hard between them, as fast as you can without jogging. Then take the next two lampposts easy. Repeat that five or six times in the middle of your normal walk. This is interval training, the same thing athletes do, scaled to you. Fast walking pushes your heart and lungs in a way a steady stroll never will.
Second, use the ramps. Every beach entrance is a small obstacle waiting for you to conquer it. Instead of staying on the flat boardwalk, turn down a ramp, touch the sand, and come back up. Climbing back up will build real leg strength, and the boardwalk has dozens of climbs hiding in plain sight.
Third, walk backwards for a bit. I wrote about this in my knee article. The boardwalk is flat, wide, and predictable, which makes it the safest place in Rockaway to walk backwards. Start with one block at a time and hold onto a partner to guide you.
One more idea, and the only thing it’ll cost you is some sandy feet. Finish your walk on the sand. Five minutes of walking on soft sand works your feet, ankles, and balance harder than a flat boardwalk walk. Your calves will let you know the next day.
You don’t need to do all four of these at once. Pick one this week and add it to your walk. Next month, add another. The walk stays the same length; it just starts challenging you again.
If you have a heart condition or your doctor has given you limits, check with them before adding the hard intervals. Everything else here is a pretty easy addition.
We live next to a five-mile stretch of flat, traffic-free walking space with an ocean view. People in other parts of the city would kill for that. Use it a little harder and it becomes the best free gym in Queens.
Jamal Khan, MPA, CSCS, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a doctoral student in public health at Johns Hopkins University. He trains clients in their homes across the Rockaway peninsula.
