Shoehorns

I was in Sweden a couple of months ago, and every exit door in every house has a shoe horn – you know, one of these… 

(If you can’t see, a long plastic “blade” with a shaped end.)  The idea being, put the shoe horn into the heel of your shoe to help you slide your hoof into it’s home, without having to bend over.  It’s really only Sweden that seems to really make use of this high tech gadget.  And I do get, in winter when you are wearing so much clothing, with 3 jerseys, 2 gillets and 2 winter coats, it can be tricky to bend in your middle and reach way down to the floor.  I didn’t really think much about it, until I was sitting with my friend and co-host at workshops, Liza Kimble.  https://www.facebook.com/equinefascia/

And her comment, as we watched someone grab the shoe horn and use it to slip into their shoes – that is the worst invention ever – the simple act of bending over to reach for your toes, lifting your foot, putting it into the shoe, staying bent over to adjust the heel of the shoe, get everything in place, stand up and repeat with the other foot – it’s such a good suppling, balancing, strengthening, proprioception exercise.  And it’s these tiny “exercises”, little everyday movements and challenges that promote our overall fitness. 

There was a documentary a while ago that was looking at fitness and they compared a bunch of different people.  At the two ends of the spectrum were a businessman and a waitress.  Now, the businessman went to gym a couple of evenings a week, he’d go running on a Saturday and kayaking on a Sunday, and with 4 or 5 solid workout sessions each week, considered himself pretty fit.  The waitress on the other hand said that she did no exercise.  She lived in a second floor flat with no lift so went down the stairs every morning, walked to the bus stop, took the bus into town and walked the last bit from the stop to the café.  She would work a 9 or 10 hour shift, walking between tables and the kitchen, picking up orders, placing them on tables, clearing dishes and carrying them back to the kitchen.  At the end of the day she would help tidy up, sweep the floors, take the bus home, climb the stairs to her flat.  On her days off, she would walk to the supermarket, carry her food home, tidy up etc.  She really didn’t have the time or motivation to exercise or go to gym, and so she felt she was really unfit and should probably do more…  There were another 4 or 5 people in between these two examples.  And when they tested them all – who was the fittest?  The waitress by far.  All the small exercise that she did all day far, far outweighed the 6 hours of intense exercise that the business man did, because the other 8 hours a day, he was sitting at a desk.  And sitting at a desk is the new smoking – it’s so horrendously bad for our bodies.  If I remember correctly, they called it ambient exercise – this constant moving, shifting, stretching, and that is what is so good for us. 

Now, if I think about me, I think I am horrendously unfit.  I don’t work out, I don’t go to gym or play any formal sport.  But, I walk an average of 20km every day that I’m teaching, which can be 6 or 7 days a week.  I don’t set out to do it, but those of you who have lessons with me will know, I move.  I tend to track around the arena with you, partly because I hate standing still, partly my body, especially my back, would be crying if I stood all day and partly because we are having a very clear three-way conversation (the rider, the horse and me) and I need to be heard and to hear.  Add to that, I don’t have a car so am often walking through towns, walking to catch trains, planes and automobiles, carrying my substantial suitcase up and down stairs, exploring, adventuring, I’m not still that often.  On the back of this 20km daily walk plus some, I have climbed Kilimanjaro, can run 10km at a push, and walked a big chunk of a 100km 24 hour challenge – without setting out to do any fitness work.  So, although my cardio fitness and strength is pretty low, my base line of stamina and endurance is not bad. 

And this is what Liza was saying about the shoe horn – something so simple, that you use two or three times a day can have a massive impact.  And on the flip side of this, a challenge that is currently doing the rounds is, can you put on your socks and then your shoes, on both sides, without touching any support at all.  You have to stand on the supporting leg, keep your balance, shoes and socks on and laces tied, without wobbling over and catching yourself, leaning against the wall etc.  It’s a good, simple challenge that we can all practice without any fancy equipment, heading to a gym etc.  And, it’s really, really good for riders to find balance and control over their abs.  Which led me to think – how else do we hamper our riding by skipping out on simple exercise…  In our non horse time, how about parking your car at the furthest end of the supermarket carpark and walking that extra 200m, or getting off the bus a stop earlier…  Taking the stairs instead of the lift….  Walking around the block while you are on the phone instead of sitting and chatting…  Working at a standing desk instead of sitting, or replacing your office chair with either an exercise ball or a kneeling stool for part of the day…  And for horse people – take you horse for walks….  Poo pick the entire field with a wheelbarrow instead of the quadbike…  Thoroughly sweep the yard instead ambling around leaning on the broom and not worrying about the hay in the corners…  Give your horse a deep, thorough grooming session…   Small changes can make massive differences… 

What else can you think of switching?  And can you stand on one foot and do the sock and shoe challenge?  Post a video if you can!

Happy riding!