Walking

One of the most healthy things you can do for your body is get exercise.  It does not have to be complex exercise or going to the gym.  Going for a walk is one of the easiest and simplest way to get exercise and studies show that walking just 30 minutes a day can add years to your life.  Below is a little but about why I walk and a few examples of how I fit walking into my daily life.  This is for those of you who are reading this thinking there is no way you can find the time to walk.

One of my favorite things to do is go for walks.  I am lucky that I live in San Francisco, California, so there are always interesting things to see in the city.  There are also a lot of hills, so I manage to get a lot of good exercise.  I try to walk 30 minutes a day at a minimum and over an hour on the weekend.  Set yourself a goal like this and work up to it.  I try to set goals that I would be proud to talk about (or blog about).  Here are some of my secrets to ensure I get my walk each day.

1) Walk to buy groceries as often as possible.  There is nothing like fresh vegetables or fruits fresh from the market.  There is also nothing like buying what you would like to eat that day instead of buying food on the weekend for the whole week.  I walk to a grocery store that is 20 minutes away.  It takes me about 15 minutes to drive there and back plus park, so it only really takes 25 minutes out of your day.

2) Go for a walk when you are on a conference call.  People are always on their cell phones and driving when they are on conferences call.  Go for a walk during the call.  I personally schedule weekly conference calls at the time of day where I would like to walk.  If you set up one meeting a day, you can get your walks in without impacting your day.

3) Instead of meeting friends for lunch or dinner, get take out and go for a walk with your friend (this means getting healthy take out, not McDonald’s).  You get to chat with your friends and still enjoy a meal.  And since you are out walking, you get a chance to see things of interest.  My other favorite is just watching people you see on your walk.  The things you can see in a city just by walking can be incredible.

4) Take a break.  Sometimes, I get so wound up in my work that I need to re-think things.  Going for a walk is a way for me to generate new ideas.  There is nothing like a short walk to reduce stress and ease frustration.  I am sure it lowers my blood pressure.

I would love to hear of ideas you use to ensure you get your walk each day.  I am very busy, but I try not to let that stop me.