Jim Fabiano: Power walking on the beaches of Maine
I believe the best time to sit on the beautiful beaches of York is around 6 in the morning. Anytime between July 15 and August 15, the freshness of the air and the brightness of the sun makes the ocean look like it is filled with precious diamonds. One Sunday morning I found myself seated in my old, dilapidated beach chair holding onto a large black coffee contemplating nothing more important than myself. I must have done something wonderful in my life to deserve such a time. Then they came.
I first noticed the change in atmosphere by looking at my cup of coffee. The surface was not as smooth as it was when I first arrived at the beach. It now rippled and was agitated by something it could not control. The gulls and the sandpipers then noticed the vibration on the sand. They quickly took to flight in hopes that what was coming would soon go away.
I forced myself to look down the beach. My greatest fears were correct. They were coming. The beach power walkers made their appearance as they have since fitness was more important than sereneness.
Jim Fabiano: The ‘shell man’ of York Beach
Ever since the experiences of the 1960s through the pandemic, demonstrated that total abuse of our bodies does not necessarily mean we will live longer, our nation has been obsessed with healthy exercise.
The late 1990s brought in the idea that running three to five miles a day was the secret to everlasting health and vitality. The side effects of shin splints, heart attacks, and the destruction of both knees and ankles dampened the enthusiasm toward this type of exercise.
The 1990s also gave us Jane Fonda with her aerobic formula for eternal youth. All around our nation, health clubs promoted this new strategy to make us the healthiest people on Earth. The early 2000s had technology take over with exercise bikes, computer-run treadmills, and machines that were supposed to make everyone look like an Olympic gymnast. Of course, these machines were ugly and were quickly put away into the depths of our attics or garages.
Jim Fabiano: A walk on Long Sands Beach in the fogs of Maine
The only problem with this approach was that the young men and women of the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and ‘90s were becoming the middle-aged people of the upcoming millennium. So were their shins, hearts, knees, and ankles. Low impact aerobics attempted to take the place of the higher impact variety.
Well with the arrival of the new millennium, the newest means of holding on to a youthful appearance became popular. It is called power walking. Today's roads and beaches are filled with fully equipped power walkers leaning into the wind in a quest to become proficient in this newest of exercise programs.
The equipment of today's power walker consists of walking sneakers. The only way I can describe this piece of apparatus is to say that it looks like the sneaker manufacturers took their least expensive product and labeled them for walking only. Of course, they put them in very expensive-looking boxes. This necessitated raising the price of the product at least four-fold. Specialized walking socks are also necessary and cost an arm and a leg for the same reasons. They are still white but are for walking only.
The attire of the power walker consists of a perfectly color-coordinated outfit with flared shorts and a loosely fitted blouse or shirt. The color must be luminescent to allow for safe power walking at night. The front of the pants must have a small pocket that holds their cell phone that now doubles for an exercise coach. The back of the shirt usually has a statement displaying such sayings as, "Power Walkers Make Better Lovers," "Eat My Power Dust," or the ever-popular, "Power Walking for America."
The only disadvantage to becoming a power walker is the time required. A true believer of power walking must walk at least three miles in the morning, two miles in the afternoon, and finish the day with at least four miles before the sun goes down.
Anything! Family, friends, or employment that interferes with this schedule must be eliminated. If an emergency does occur, the power walker is depressed the next day because of the failure to complete his or her self-assigned task
Yes, it is obvious that power walking has become the health trend of our post-pandemic lives. Since baby boomers will never stop their aging process, it is only a matter of time before we see the emergence of a new exercise trend. Power walker walking or maybe power crawling.
Jim Fabiano is a retired teacher and writer living in York, Maine. You can contact Jim at james.fabiano60@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Jim Fabiano: Power walking on the beaches of Maine
