Family Shape-up on the Tammany Trace
by Shea Garrison
photography by Stephen Faure
Your alarm sounds at 5:30 a.m. In between yelling at the kids to hurry up and helping your husband find his keys, you grab a cup of coffee and a (hopefully) clean outfit. Then you rush through your day, trying to accomplish everything on your list. Evening is a blur too, packed with homework, dinner that you hope isn’t too unhealthy, computer games and TV. Finally, you collapse into bed.
Where did the time go and, more importantly, when was the last time you had fun spending quality time with your kids? This weekend, take a few hours to relax, catch up with your kids and teach them healthy ways that will last a lifetime. “Throw your bikes into the back of the SUV, kids—we’re going to the Tammany Trace!”
“Coming to the Trace with the family is a low-cost, fun healthy activity,” says Lisa Pratt, executive director, “whether you bike, walk, play on the playground, bird watch or attend one of the many events like the Mandeville farmer’s market. Kids love the Trace and it gets them active and moving!”
On the Trace, everyone can improve their heart health and decrease their risk of heart disease, burn fat, and condition and strengthen their legs with biking or hiking. Kids who are overweight—as are approximately 30 percent of American children and adolescents—have a 79 percent chance of being overweight as an adult. Spending time with your kids outdoors engaging in physical activity will teach them to turn off the television, put away the video games and make activity a regular part of their lives. As a result, they’ll be healthier now and live a long, quality life as an adult.
The Trace Adventure
Maybe the simplest way to start your adventure on the Trace is at the Mandeville Trailhead on Gerard Street in downtown Mandeville. This is the perfect place in mild spring weather to find a parking place, unload your bikes (or rent them), take a last-minute bathroom break at the public facilities, and warm up and stretch before you head off on the path to family fitness.
Before you go, make sure everyone is warmed up and ready for biking by using the Trailhead Stretch Series. (See page 155) Use the Seated Spine Twist with Forward Bend to loosen your hips and low back for a more pleasant ride and less chance of injury. The Quadriceps Stretch will ease any tension in the fronts of your thighs that you get from biking or walking.
After your warm up, head north on the Trace toward the Tammany Trace Trailhead and Green Caboose (4.27 miles). This is where you’ll find the Kids Konnection playground, restrooms and picnic tables where you can eat a healthy, high-energy brown-bag lunch.
If your kids are small and worn out from playing on the monkey bars, just head back to the Mandeville Trailhead to finish your journey. If your family is more energetic, continue north to where the Trace crosses over Highway 59 in Abita Springs (4.5 miles from the caboose) before turning around and heading back.
“Every once in awhile, stop along the Trace to do some push-ups, sit ups, squats or lunges with your kids,” suggests Larry Conner, general manager of Franco’s Athletic Club in Mandeville and co-owner of LaAdventureRacing, LLC, an organization where kids compete in running, hiking, and obstacle courses alongside mom or dad. “Kids love this type of interaction with their parents, and making fitness a family event is the best way to show your kids that fitness can actually be fun.”
Once you pedal your way back to the Mandeville Trailhead and the end of your adventure, be sure to do the Trailhead Stretch Series once again. Because your muscles are warm, you’ll be able to stretch a little farther than you did in the beginning, increasing your flexibility. Also, stretching after biking cuts down on soreness and stiffness the next day.
Trailhead Stretch Series
Your body has a built-in safety mechanism called the stretch reflex that keeps your muscles and tendons from stretching too far. If you stretch too far or too quickly, the stretch reflex causes the muscle to contract instead of to release and stretch. So, move slowly and stretch only as far as you feel comfortable. You should feel a mild tension in the stretching muscle, but you should never be in pain.
Stand up tall with your stomach pulled in and feet together. If you need to, use the right arm to hold onto something to help you balance. Lift your left foot up behind you. Grab your foot with your left hand and gently pull your foot toward your buttocks. Keep your left knee directly under your left hip. You should feel the stretch in the front of your left thigh. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds and switch to the right leg.
Seated Spine Twist with Forward Bend—eases fatigue and tension in the lower back, hips, and neck
Sit on the ground with your left leg extended in front of you. Cross the right leg over the left leg and put your right foot flat on the ground on the outside of your left knee. Use your left arm to pull your right knee in toward your upper body. Sit up very tall and twist your upper body as far to the right as you can. Place your right hand on the ground behind you to help you twist. Turn your head to look over your right shoulder. Keep pulling your knee in toward your body, and hold the stretch for 30 seconds while you inhale and exhale deeply. Now extend the right leg out over the left leg. Gently lean forward toward your feet. Hold for 30 seconds while inhaling and exhaling deeply. Switch legs and repeat on the other side.
