Keeping Healthy in the 'Hood
Well, here it is March and if your New Year resolutions to lose weight, eat healthier or become more active have not come to pass, here are some fun places to check out in the neighborhood, complete with step counts from Victory Boulevard and Bay Street.
Why count steps? As a fitness professional, I can also tell you that many people do not want to go to the gym to exercise. In fact, getting people interested in exercising at all l is harder than starting a weight loss program. Step counting is a way to make people aware of how physically inactive they are, and is an achievable means of reaching basic fitness without the sweat, possible embarrassment and annual financial investment gym membership may entail.
Research from the Cooper Institute founded by Dr. Kenneth Cooper who originally coined the term aerobic in 1968, suggests that by taking 10,000 steps a day, most individuals will receive many of the basic benefits of physical activity. Most inactive people log about 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day. Amish women and men have been documented at taking 14,000 and 18,000 steps per day respectively. Using a step counter can help determine if you are as active as you think. It also gives you an awareness of just what walking 1,000 steps entails. Is it a walk to the post office and back, or could it be walking your kids to school?
Step counters, as I mentioned before, count the number of steps you take. There are some models that convert steps into miles and some that convert activity expended into calories used. For the former you need to know the length of your stride and program the counter, and for the latter, well, it has no way of knowing the intensity of your stepping (fast or slow) to get a true reading. So that leaves us with the simplest alternative, the basic step counter.
So what and where are some fun destinations to visit and perchance to shop in St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton? This time the focus is on foodstuffs -- not restaurants -- places that can provide ingredients for your favorite ethnic recipe or round out a home cooked meal (some people still do that). All are less than a mile radius from Victory Boulevard and Bay Street, and really ought to be experienced on foot since parking spots are hard to come by. Remember, you did want to increase your activity level.
Step counts will vary with different heights. I'm 5'5".
| | |
Grocery Lanka, at 353 Victory Blvd, is a Sri Lankan grocery that carries, among other things, chutneys, spices, some frozen breads, and other treats from Sri Lanka. This, our most westward destination will give you 1,728 steps from Bay Street and Victory Boulevard. Just think, a round trip will get you almost 3,500 steps!
The Polish Place, at the corner of Corson Avenue and Daniel Low Terrace is another little jewel in the neighborhood. There you can buy polish breads, polish newspapers, pickled cabbages and other goodies. I know I said this was to be about foodstuffs, but I just can't resist mentioning The Polish Place Café, adjacent to the Polish Place. Among the meals on the menu are vegetarian dishes and meat dishes, pierogies, soplica, tripe soup, barley soup, white borscht with egg and kielbasa. Located near where Corson Avenue forks off of Victory Boulevard, it is 548 steps from Victory Boulevard and Bay Street.
Charmar's Deli, at the corner of Stuyvesant Place and Wall Street, directly opposite the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, is our most northerly store. It has a good selection of natural cereals, snacks, soy milk, lactose free milk, and an incredible selection of international beers. From Victory and Bay, walking along Bay Street to Hyatt St. to Stuyvesant Place and Wall Streets counts in at 1,422 steps.
Bay Street Bazaar, at the corner of Prospect and Bay streets, has an eclectic array -- standard fruits and vegetables along with a variety of peppers, "homemade Russian bread", among other goodies. From Victory Blvd. and Bay Street, 1,112 steps.
Wear your step counter for a week and divide by seven to get your average daily steps. Next, set goals in increments of 500, adding to your daily steps each week. Good luck and happy adventuring!
|
| 
|