Get the most out of a walk
Fitness these days might be all about a newfangled studio fad — but sometimes there’s nothing better than a good oldfashioned walk. Here are a couple of ideas for getting in your steps:
App acts as a tour guide
Try the Detour app for some colorful insight into the neighborhood you’re ambling through. Detour brought in personalities such as pro skater Eric “Tuma” Britton, who narrates a 45-minute piece about the history and sights of Venice — enough to clock in a healthy 1.5-mile walk. Other venues include downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
“It’s a very cinematic and immersive experience that’s not a typical tour where you’re getting ... a bunch of facts,” Heather Schuster, the company’s head of content, said of the individual downloads. Schuster said she hopes an offering like this will get people “bingewalking.”
The Detour platform allows for multiple users to be in sync so groups of friends or family members are hearing the same material. The system is location-aware, and starts at the appropriate starting point. The company is in the process of creating additional 15- to 20minute walks for other parts of Los Angeles, covering the city’s most pedestrian-friendly and well-known neighborhoods.
How much: $4.99 per tour. Info: Detour.com
1,664 stairs to glory
Come Friday, don’t worry if you see crowds congregating at the stratospheric U.S. Bank Tower in downtown Los Angeles; they’re getting ready to climb it.
The 1,664 steps (75 stories) of California’s tallest building will be trod by an expected 4,000 enthusiasts — ranging from elite fitness pros to seniors, casual walkers and kids as young as 8. The event begins at 11:30 a.m., and walkers will be staggered throughout the day.
The fundraiser for the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA takes an average of 20 to 30 minutes to complete — although last year’s winner, 19-year-old Lucas Matison, did it in 8 minutes, 56 seconds.
Online registration has ended, but there will be some opportunities to sign up on the day before the event, or the day of the event. Afterward, everyone celebrates at a block party with food trucks, a beer garden and live music.
How much: Late registration is $150. Info: events.ymcala.org/stair climb