December 2002 - January 2003 Edition

Walking Around Fair Lawn    By Linda Rosen, Certified Medical Exercise Specialist    During this holiday season we are inundated with articles and advertisements about how not to gain weight on the holidays. Better yet, how we can take off those holiday pounds we are sure to gain. I won't do that. I won't make you feel guilty about eating the pumpkin and pecan pies after consuming mashed potatoes and stuffing. You'll give yourself enough guilt. All I'm suggesting is take a walk on those big eating days, preferably before you consume all those calories. Walking on a full stomach is extra work on your heart, even more reason not to gorge yourself. Hit the pavement in the morning before sitting all afternoon. The air feels good and so does the exercise. It's a perfect combination. It might even make you think about what you are putting on your plate. Since you've done some exercise you will hopefully like the feeling and not overeat. Perhaps, you'll even walk again the next day. Enjoy the holiday season. Enjoy your walks. And have a healthy happy new year.  1. Saddle River Park  In Fair Lawn we are lucky to have a beautiful park where we can take a walk. Saddle River Park, commonly known as "the bike path", is enchanting. Enter either from the corner of Saddle River Road and Fair Lawn Avenue / Dunkerhook Road or if you have to park your car, enter the parking lot off Dunkerhook Road. You can walk to Glen Rock, Ridgewood, or Saddle Brook depending on whether you turn right or left. If you drive your car into the lot turning left off of Dunkerhook Road you will see a barrier in front of you. That is where the old bridge was when I was in high school way back when. That rickety old bridge leading into the park was our short cut to Paramus Road taking us to Route 17 to the Fireplace or Manaro's after a basketball game. No one wanted to drive on Dunkerhook Road after crossing Paramus Road because it wasn't paved. And that's only in the 1960's folks. Anyone remember that?   2. Radburn Park. Enter "A" park diagonally opposite the Radburn post office on Abbott Road. Follow the path through the apartments and the houses. You will notice the street names all begin with "A", therefore it's known as "A" park. Go through the tunnel which takes you under Howard Ave and you'll enter "B" park. Turn right after the pool and follow the path toward Radburn School. Keep following it around. It's charming. The path winds around to lead you back to the tunnel and out the same way you entered. Or, you can go down any street, which really look like sidewalks. If you take a "B" street you'll end up on Owen Avenue. If you take an "A" street you'll find yourself on High Street. All these routes lead to Plaza Road. Turn left and you'll find the Radburn shopping area. It is hard to calculate the distance in miles of the park because it depends on which route you take. For a good cardio workout you want to walk at least 20 minutes at a good pace so you feel yourself breathing a little harder and your body warming up. I suggest you go a little longer to burn fat calories, at least 30 minutes. C'mon, you can do it. 3. Old Fair Lawn Now I'll take you on another walk through town, a nostalgic walk for "old" Fair Lawnites. Start this walk at the library on Fair Lawn Avenue. Does anyone remember when a house sat on this site and the library was on River Road? I remember it as the Eberhart house, but I am sure someone knows who lived there before. Turn right and head towards River Road. Turn left onto River Road passing the stores. There was a candy store on the right side in the 1950's and Tabachnick's Deli. Cross Hopper Avenue and you come to Homestead Insurance, which used to be Tommy's Tea Room. A little further down was Grand Union and a 5 & 10 cent store where we now have Amira Fruit and Produce, Bargains Galore, Okinawan Karate, and the new Carvel. Cross Lyons Ave and come to Dunkin' Donuts, which was Leusdan's bakery. I can still smell the pies! When you get to Berdan Avenue turn right and remember Caputo's Restaurant which is now Friendly's. Walk down Berdan Avenue to Memorial Pool and walk around the pool three-quarters of the way. Think of the day you passed your deep-water test so you could swim out to the raft. Exit the pool parking lot onto Dewey Place or Essex Street. When you reach Bellair Avenue turn left heading back to River Road. You'll now walk on the other side of River Road and cross Berdan. B&B International Deli was L&L Grocery Store when I was a kid and then a stationary store. Volare's was T&R luncheonette, which became T&J and a jewelry store and then Benny's Luncheonette. I have memories of birthday parties held at T&R. Continuing on we have the new bank on the corner of Hopper and River Road, which originally was the site of Starlight Ice Cream, and then Carvel. Cross Hopper and continue on. You'll pass The Jewelry Pavilion which was Bryant's Florist in the 50's and Kay's Pizza in the 60's with the families living above the store. Memories? Finally turn right onto Fair Lawn Avenue and go back to the library. You will have walked approximately 2.4 miles and hopefully have completed it in 45 minutes, a little longer if you were lost in your memories.       Send your fitness questions to: lrosenlaci@att.net See Linda Rosen's Previous Columns On The Tennis Court - Part 2 (October 2002) On The Tennis Court - Part 1 (August 2002) Core Exercises (June 2002) Keep Your Belly In  (April 2002) Improving Your Posture  (February 2002)