Step Into Zen, By Tony Del Zompo

Step Into Zen

By Tony Del Zompo

Iheard a pounding behind me as I climbed the stairs that rise from the village to Depot Hill. I moved to the right and studied the young woman when she sped past.

She was taking the steps two at a time. Her jaw was set, her arms were tense, and she pumped her clenched fists vigorously for extra momentum. One of her legs swung to the side, and her knee jutted out beyond her ankle.

When she reached the top, she bent over at the waist to catch her breath.

I’ve been a physical therapist for years, and like most people I didn’t pay much attention to my body when I trained for “cardio.” If my heart pounded and I broke sweat, mission accomplished.

I pushed as hard as I could for as long as I could, but I wore myself out in the process. When I had both of my hips replaced in 2019, I made a vow not to abuse my body the way I did when I was younger.

After I completed my acute recovery process, I took to the Capitola steps to challenge myself. I started out slowly, up and down once, maybe twice, before I called it a day.

It wasn’t long before I noticed how hard other people are on their bodies, and I wondered why we often sacrifice our health for the sake of fitness.

We speak of the mind-body connection, yet, ironically, the mind and body are often the most disintegrated when we exercise. Go to any gym and you’ll see what I mean.

The elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and stair-steppers are full of people with their heads bent over a magazine while they listen to music or a podcast. Sometimes they’ll glance up at the television monitors on the wall, but they wait until they get into a yoga class to practice “mindfulness.”

“Capitola Steps” page 15

Tony Del Zompo enjoys a Capitola sunset.

By adjusting your technique, the Capitola steps can provide a full body workout.

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