The Quick-Seat Chair Walking Parkour Program
By Khadi Madama Quick-Seat Chair Wellness Coordinator
Sometimes the best thing we can do is simply get up and move away from our desk, or change our scenery, create a stop-gap in our brain from what a feels like a problem solving explosion. We need a 180° change from where we are at the moment. I learned all about this and developed my own system for those times when on business travel and long meetings and too much of having to be present to listen was difficult to endure. And you can do this too, whether it’s at your office, an Assisted Living residence, an apartment, or a mall walking program. The only four components are, that you’ll be walking, carrying a small pouch with simple necessities for the journey, and a plan for where you’ll be walking and what you’ll do when you get there. Of course you will wear proper walking shoes, take the weather into account and let someone know where you’ll be heading if you aren’t with a small group.
I used to have a very small bag that I could sling over my shoulder. It didn’t hold much, but it did hold some anti-bacterial wipes, throat lozenges, my mobile (with ringer on silent), and a small pad and pencil should I want to do a sketch or I got a great idea that I wanted to write down, since that’s when they’re most certain to come to you. You can bring a small bottle of water as well, depending on whether you will be inside or out. You can create “themes to think about” while walking to keep your mind off work or negative events. Keep them in your little “Break Away Bag,” ready for each of your parkour segments. Another fun idea is to use music that you can get on your mobile phone to create a theme such as Caribbean music to imagine you’re walking along a tropical beach, Egyptian music to imagine a trek to the Pyramid of Giza or a motivational audio as you stroll along imagining that you are on a wellness or happiness trek. You are only limited by your imagination.
Plan for about a 30 minute time period, but if you need to make it less in the beginning, by all means. This little program is great for your lunch time if you are working in an office. Plenty of time to eat and walk for a real refresher. Think of some of the exercises that you are used to doing such as standing stretches, hip flexers, toe touching. Remember that less is more and getting yourself sore will just slow you down the next time. Slow and steady wins the race in this practice.
Start your walk with a slow pace to warm up your body, then pause somewhere where perhaps there is a nice feature and do a round of one portion of your stretches, then move on to the next spot and repeat. When you reach the point where you have performed all of your exercises. Sit, relax, close your eyes and read a poem, do a little sketch, take a picture, write an affirmation to uplift your spirits. Enjoy your lunch.
Then walk back leisurely and keep your mind on the theme you have chosen for your parkour. In this way you are including a bit of mindfulness, creativity and physical movement to help clear your mind, banish stress and gain a new perspective.
Temporary Seating that closes itself