By Jack Witt

Move away from your computer and participate in a local Run-Walk.

In a time not so long ago in my memory, hard working adults re-centered by experiencing “me” time to decompress from demanding jobs and get more in tune with themselves. There were no cell phones, beepers or Internet. People indulged in good books, had ample stress-free vacations, took self-improvement classes, meditated and volunteered in their communities. 

Fast forward to today. Well, we still read books (e-books), go on vacations (long weekends), and volunteer (hopefully not per a court order), but not as much and it’s much more hurried. We’re now part of a faster paced society that’s got to have more, more, more. We’ve become alarmingly overstressed, depressed and obese because of the lack of quality “me” time for health and wellness.  

One thing I blame is the Internet. If Al Gore actually did invent it, he forgot to include an automatic shut off devise so we could take some “me” time. In a term I dub as “Internet Paralysis,” we’re constantly glued to our screens for work, family, associates, friends, research and more.   

You see it in the corporate world, executives and employees with blackberries and other PDA devices in that constant state of the slight head tilt sending emails for their job. It may even be after 6pm, but the work stays with them long into the evening cutting down on “me” time.  Or, once they get home from the office, it’s fire up the computer and login to the office email account and get some more work done. 

You see it with your network of friends, family and associates. Long threads of email conversations and responses that take so long to answer and respond to that before you know it, you’ve been “internet paralyzed” right through your “me” time - the time you should have taken to improve your health and wellness. 

You see it when you want to plan a vacation. You insist on getting the best deal and researching online travel sites to book your itinerary. Instead of calling a travel agent, you’ve worked your way through any “me” time you would have had researching. Now you’re overstressed and really need a vacation.  But, when you finally go on vacation, you find yourself going into withdrawals to check your emails…the thing that you were supposed to be getting away from. You just can’t help not knowing what’s going on out there in your job and network of friends and associates.  So, you go to the hotel lobby to the room with the computer and internet instead of being on the beach meditating and getting more in tune with your spiritual self. 

You see it with pop culture. Because of your computer, you know more about your favorite rock star, movie star or celebrity through fan websites, blogs and chat forums than maybe they know about themselves. Do we really need to know what nightclub they were walking out of at 4am last Saturday night? Wouldn’t it be better to discover more about us and our own spirituality and strengths by having some quality “me” time. 

Maybe the best thing we can do to improve this situation is set a daily reminder to pop up on our computer screens reminding us not to forget our “me” time and stay in touch with ourselves.  But, then again maybe it’s just…”me.” 

The many charity run-walks, relay events and marathons going on each year are great ways to motivate yourself to train (by yourself or with a friend or team), get in shape, take some “me” time and make a difference by raising money for AIDS, Cancer, MS, Asthma, etc. 

A “Run-Walk” is typically a 5k (3.1 miles) event where you pay a small registration fee (typically $15-$30) to participate. You can raise more money by having friends, family and co-workers sponsor you. The organization will usually give out a free t-shirt or hat for the minimum registration fee and have other prizes for larger raised amounts.  

A “Marathon” is typically a 26k event where you actually start training months ahead of time with a local team. These events sometimes have higher registration fees ($100 and up). Many participants hold local fundraising events in addition to getting sponsorships from companies and organizations.  

A “Relay” is a team event. One person from each team needs to be on the track walking or running for the duration of the event (in many cases two days). These can be fun and allow for teams to set up tents with themes and/or advertise their business or organization. 

Here’s an overview of some of the up-coming events and teams you can get involved in: 

• American Cancer Society Relay For Life. Local North Hollywood event on August 11-12, 2007 at Walter Reed Middle School. www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/northhollywood
• San Fernando Valley Marathon Team in Training. Half or Full Marathon Training for several events. www.sfvtnt.com
• Hands for Hope “Hope Walk”. Saturday, June 9^th 2007 in North Hollywood Park. www.hands4hope.org/latest/hopewalk.php
• Light the Night Walk. Sunday, October 7, 2007 at Warner Center Park, Woodland Hills. Benefits Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. www.lightthenight.org
• Fight it! 5k Race and Walk a Thon.  Saturday, May 12, 2007 at Central Park in Santa Clarita. Benefits the Brenda Mehling Cancer Fun that supports patients 18-40 currently undergoing cancer treatment.  www.fightit5k.com
• Los Angeles Lung Cancer Walk for Hope. Sunday, November 18^, 2007 in Manhattan Beach, CA. www.lungevity.org
• Asthma Walk. Saturday, April 28, 2007. Ventura Harbor Village. www.asthmawalk.org
• Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. September 15-16, 2007. (2 days, 39 miles) 1-800-510-WALK.
• AIDS Walk. Usually late in the year. Check back at www.aidswalk.net
• Revlon/Run Walk for Women. Saturday, May 12, 2007. LA Memorial Coliseum. Benefits Women’s Cancer. www.revlonrunwalk.com
• MS Walk. Sunday, April 22, 2007. Pasadena Rose Bowl. 5k or 10k. Benefits Multiple Sclerosis. 310-479-4456

Contact:
Jack Witt, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer
www.getfitwithWitt.com
818-760-3891 

President
UCNH Jaycees
“The Premiere Leadership and Development Organization for young adults in the SFV.”