If all it takes to stay healthy is walking thirty minutes a day, why are you sitting there? Grab your cell phone and chat with a friend while you walk or listen to music or a TV show, and you won’t even feel the time fly by. Or better still, leave all that at home and give yourself a half hour of freedom from everyone and everything. Use the time to think, organize your day or just let your mind wander amongst wonderful memories. Break from the world and life. Walk or run for the pleasure of it.

Before you start, however, it is important to wear a proper pair of athletic shoes. The easiest way to get the correct shoe is to bring an old one with you when you shop. If you go to one of the speciality athletic shoe stores below, the sales people have been trained to evaluate the wear and know what you should be buying.

The most important thing they do is to make sure your foot stays stable. Stability is important to avoid injuries. If your foot is not stable, it can eventually lead to knee and hip problems.

They understand the bio-mechanics of gait. Does your foot pronate, stay neutral or supronate? Are you wearing the right width or did you buy a larger size in order to make your foot more comfortable?

Why type of shoe do you need? Cross trainers are popular for people who may take aerobics, do leg presses and squats, play tennis and perhaps also do weight-lifting. However, they are also a little bit of this and a little bit of that. A running shoe is lighter, has more cushioning, more support and is quite breathable. A walking shoe is heavier, but it lasts longer and is sturdier. It looks more like a shoe, if you need it to wear to work.

Remember these words that Carl Andersen, owner of Distance Sports, prints right on his business card: “We who have no time for our health today will have no health for our time tomorrow”.

Distance Sports, 5922 Sherbrooke St. West at Royal Ave. Phone: 514-482-1010. Hours: Monday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open fourteen years now, this personalized shop orients itself to the specialized needs of runners. Bring in an old running shoe and they will analyze it and lead you to the shoe (Mizuno, Brooks, Asics) you should be wearing. Running clothes are here too, along with a tiny bit of soccer shoes.

Boutique Endurance, 6579 St. Denis St. at Beaubien St. Phone: 514-272-9267. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Buying an athletic shoe in which your feet will have to endure undue stresses should be more than just popping into a mall and finding one on sale. If you want to save your feet for your old age, shop here where the sales reps have been trained to fit them. What is the shape of your foot? Will you be running or walking? Do your feet turn in or out? Are you a beginner? After they assess your gait on the indoor track, you will be helped to choose from the Asics, Adidas, Saucony, New Balance and Brooks in sizes AA to 4E. Running and cross country ski clothes are sold, and orthotics can be inserted. www.boutiqueendurance.ca

Running Room, 4873 Sherbrooke St. West at Victoria Ave. Phone: 514-483-4495. Hours: Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is an Edmonton-based chain that offers service along with running shoes (Nike, New Balance, Saucony, Asics, Mizuno, Reebok, Adidas) and clothing. The concept of the store is for those of you who want to learn how to run or walk and don’t know where to begin or what you need to wear. There are ten-week clinics that start at “learn-to-run” and lead right up to running marathons. For those who already know how to put one foot in front of the other, you may want to join a running or walking club. Other locations: 1159 Bernard Ave. (514-274-5888); 950 St-Jean Blvd. (514-695-8744); Brossard (opening April 4th), Quartier Dix-Trente, 10 Lepage Blvd. (450-678-7070). www.runningroom.ca

For about the last five years, there has been a resurgence in the desire to learn the new craft of beading. The making and wearing of beaded necklaces and jewelry is hardly new. For both men and women, the adornment of beads for ornamentation goes back to ancient civilizations.

Besides the beauty of the beads and the finished items, “more and more people use it as a tool to relax”, says Ruth Shine, owner of the grandmamma store of them all – the Bead Emporium – which has been open since 1974. Beading can be repetitive, so it is soothing. It is also a hobby that doesn’t take up much space.

Beads are also moving out of the traditional stringing them on a string routine. For instance, they have been fashioned by Pandora in Denmark as charm bracelet items to be given one at a time for special occasions. At the Bead Emporium, beads are being used in “altered art” classes to make art cards.

Beads can be a history or geography lesson, if you want to learn where they come from. Shine also uses beads as the theme of escorted vacation touring in Mexico. Rare bead specimens from all corners of the world are also bought and sold to collectors.

Bead Emporium of Montreal, 368 Victoria Ave. at Sherbrooke St. Phone: 514-486-6425. Hours: Monday to Wednesday and Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shop was started by Ruth Shine, both because of her interest in the history of beads, be they from Guatemala or India or Mexico, and her passion for their beauty. The shop carries beads from all over the world (semi-precious, silver, glass, bone, horn, tribal, collectible, etc.) which can be used to make your own necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Books, tools, threads and findings are here, and if you like to take your beading with you while you travel, they even sell cutters that are airline friendly. Help with designing jewelry has always been the strength of this shop. During January, it is a good quiet time to bring in grandma’s or mother’s old beaded necklaces and get them re-modeled (for a fee). Fimo clay, videos, classes and birthday parties are also available.

Frabels, 5580 Pare St. at Devonshire Rd. Phone: 514-842-8561. Hours: Monday to Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you’re into making jewelry, this wholesaler has sixty-four years of knowledge. Hy Stern started the business back in 1942 after being introduced to the Swarovski crystal beads by F.B. Allen, so they were the first to sell them here – and you can still check out their sparkling Swarovski wall. Their airy bright new showroom is oriented to the retail trade (you must spend at least $200) and is packed with findings, beads, rhinestones, pearls, semi precious stones and resin beads for jewelry-making. All kinds of rhinestone trim, tools, chain, wire, leather cord, etc. are here along with catalogues you can look through to find exactly what else you might need. You will discover things here that are not found in the other businesses mentioned – perhaps large crystal pendants, donuts (semi-precious discs) or even crystal chandelier components. www.frabels.com

Bead Box 17B Cartier Ave at Bord du Lac, Pointe Claire. Phone: 514-697-4224. Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a passion here for teaching beading, so that you too can create beautiful jewelry. For those who are looking for something special, it’s their unique beads and colors that follow the fashion trends which makes their customers happy. This is the store which sells the Pandora charm bracelets from Denmark. You can add silver, gold, semi-precious and Murano glass beads to it. Beginner courses start at $40 (plus materials) for two hours, and then you can go on to crocheting with wire thread, wire wrapping and looping, peyote stitch and more. Looking at the rainbow wall of beads (natural, semi-precious, Swarovski, pearls, resin, silver) and displays of finished work which will entice you to sign up.

Club Bead +, 65 Cremazie Blvd. West at St. Laurent Blvd. Phone: 514-389-1616. Hours: Monday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This treasure chest is full of seed beads from China, Czech Republic fire polished ones, crystal beads (the whole line of Swarovski) along with wood, bone, horn, cat’s eye, golden coral and semi-precious stones in special shapes. Titanium and aluminum jump rings in wild colors and colored copper wire can be purchased. The club has the largest selection of English and French books on beading, and offers workshops. The beginner artisan workshop lasts five weeks, and you learn the basics of beading and jewelry making for $125. Club membership is free with your first $100 purchase and after that, if you spend over $50 you’ll get your 30% discount. www.clubbeadplus.com