La Vida Lenta

AMC Outdoors, December 2006

Savor and stretch for better health

Hurrying is so passé. That’s according to the arbiters of slow, an assorted bunch of bon vivants bucking the daily grind. It appears they may be on to something. “Turning every moment into a race against the clock is taking a toll on our health,” says Carl Honoré, author of In Praise of Slowness (HarperSanFrancisco), citing burnout and bad eating habits as two side effects. But all is not lost. “The holidays can actually be a good starting point for finding that tortoise mode,” Honoré suggests. It’s as simple as “going for a walk in the forest.” Just as easy, pack fresh fruit and stretch before tackling that next trail. What follows are more in-depth tips for living la vida lenta.

DINE WELL  Long before Fast Food Nation hit the mainstream, gourmands declared war on society’s McDonaldization. Indeed, the Golden Arches’ 1986 arrival near Rome’s Spanish steps inspired one Italian activist to fight back. The Slow Food Movement, his love song to artisanal cooking, was born.

Today the gastronomic group boasts devotees worldwide; it has more than 80,000 members, including 15,000 stateside. Slow foodies promote regional culinary traditions and the pleasures of the table. They champion alternatives to supermarket standardization—for example, farmhouse cheeses and fresh pasta. “It’s the exact opposite of a fad diet,” explains Erika Lesser, executive director of Slow Food USA. “You eat for flavor.”

Which doesn’t require Martha Stewart-savvy in the kitchen. Lesser offers these practical suggestions. Buy local, seasonal items that aren’t premade; farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture, and co-ops are good sources. When shopping, think like a picnicker, creating meals of cheese, fruit, and nuts. Or throw together snacks like granola bars from scratch. “What did people do before they had Luna bars?” she quips. Lastly, eat dinner with family or friends. “It’s a value that anyone can appreciate. It grounds you.”

STAY LOOSE  Eating isn’t the only aspect of everyday life that suffers from shortcuts. In the age of the fast workout—count the Curves franchises—stretching is often dropped from the routine. That’s a mistake, warns Kim Rostello, founder and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Athletes may assume, “I can get away without stretching,” Rostello observes. “They think it’s less important” than cardiovascular exercise or weight training.

Not so. In fact, she says, skipping stretching can lead to injury and to a loss of flexibility. Conversely, doing it can help stall the aging clock. Just ask Bob Anderson, who wrote the book on stretching in 1975 (Stretching, Shelter Publications). Anderson, 61, credits flexibility with allowing him to keep up with younger runners and cyclists. The goal, he says, is to “maintain what you have”—for example, to still be able to touch your toes.

Rostello, who sees hundreds of athletes each year, gives a few pointers. Warm up for five minutes. Next, hold each stretch for 20 to 30 seconds, targeting those muscle groups used in the activity at hand. Then work any injured areas, extending it for two minutes.

Anderson adds, “Stretching doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but you can’t rush through it.” Such an unhurried approach brings its own benefits. “It gets me to slow down,” he says. “There needs to be some time, that little pause of reflection.”

- Megan Lisagor