IMMUNE FOR LIFE/WOGGING: THE HAPPY EXERCISE
In one of my previous books, The Beverly Hills Medical Diet, I introduced an exercise I called wogging: a combination of walking and jogging. I explained how I wogged through Beverly Hills in the morning or evening, alternately walking one block and jogging one block, past the beautiful homes and shops.
I’ve added a new step to my routine since then: skipping. That’s right, skipping, just like a child. Sure, skipping may sound a little silly, but that’s what helps make it so effective. First of all, when you’re skipping you’re using and toning muscles you don’t use when you walk—the muscles you use to hop. More important, however, is the fact that skipping is fun. It’s childish, it makes me smile and I get a smile from people watching me. And all that smiling makes me feel great. As we’ve learned, feeling good about yourself is good medicine for your “doctor within.”
Wogging is easy. Begin with 50 paces of brisk walking. Then shift to a comfortable jogging pace for the next 50 steps. Now skip for 50 paces with a broad smile on your face, and you’re ready to start another wogging cycle with brisk walking. When you’re new to wogging, you may have to take it easy on the skipping. Skipping is a lot of fun, but it takes quite a bit of energy to skip for more than a short distance. You may want to start by skipping slowly, or only skipping 20 or 30 paces, building up to 50 paces as you get stronger. Make sure to wear good-fitting, well-padded exercise shoes for wogging.
Wogging is a happy exercise. I enjoy wogging around the high school track, where the regular joggers often stop me to enquire about my unique exercise. Other times you’ll find me wogging through Beverly Hills. I wonder what the tourists on Rodeo Drive must think about the man they may have seen walking, jogging and skipping down that ritzy street?
*105\80\8*
