Ready to Walk Your Way Thin?
With warmer weather on the way desire to GET OUT and Get Active is stronger than ever.
Just this morning I dropped Tyler off at school and went for an extremely pleasant 45 minute walk.
Now I consider this a Luxury, for rarely do I have such a large chunk of time to spend on me….and really each day I SHOULD have – ALL busy moms should have a block of rejuvenating “me time”.
As I was walking, I realized how enjoyable this simple activity is. Not just to get my body moving, but to clear my mind, to listen to the sounds of nature and take in the 1st signs of spring….quite refreshing and much needed for the overly busy days I lead.
If Moving More is not a part of your fat loss solution, time to make it one!
How?
Get a pedometer.
They’re inexpensive ~ like $5 to $15 ~ and you can find them anywhere. Wearing one of these for a couple days puts your lifestyle into perspective…
just how active are you…really?
My 1st assessment was an eye opener…coming in at barely 5,000 steps ….ideally we should all be taking about 10,000 steps a day.
Made me realize I SIT way too long during the day.
This helped me to not only set a goal of getting up and MOVING each hour that I am on my computer, but to also take a step back to see where else I can add in being active outside of my Fit Yummy Mummy workouts. Like going for a walk, going to yoga, or playing baseball with Tyler.
No, walking more alone is not the end all be all solution….but add it in to your healthy lifestyle habits and see what a difference it makes….not only to your results but how much BETTER you feel! When you FEEL better, you make better choice and you get results that much faster!
Getting Started
Going for brisk walk for 20-30 minutes on most days will help you to accumulate 10,000 steps a day. This is my new Spring Goal!
Put on your pedometer at the beginning of each day to count every step you take for one week. This will help you determine your activity levels and how you are choosing to spend your days.
Schedule your walks. An average stride is about 2.5 feet which means about 2000 steps equals one mile. And 10,000 steps is about 5 miles. Now my days are way too busy to go for a 5 mile walk but over the course of a day – this is totally doable!
Even if you cannot get out of the house, make an effort to be more active with the things you are doing. All steps count and they all add up!
Boredom Buster Tip
Of course I would never see myself doing this on a treadmill for if I am in a gym with one…I am either doing my resistance training workout or intervals.
Walking for me will take place outside – which keeps it fresh but another way to make it fun is to continually set new routes, then push yourself to complete them in less time.
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I love walking my dog in the early morning, when the air is fresh and the day is new! My favourite part of the day. I need to do it more consistently though
Must dig out my pedometer and see how many steps I take in that rote!!!
I used to walk a lot more when I had a dog (she died in 10/08). She used to get SO excited to go for a walk, I just had to take her out. Haven’t done that kind of walking since I lost her. I need to get out to walk more when the warm spring weather returns.
Walking sounds good, but only on a treadmilll. Day 4 of a blizzard here. It’s dangerously cold with a biting wind. Please think of me when you are out walking!
Holly,
Have a great day!
I love this! This is something that I have just recently started doing as well with the warmer weather! I had posted about this over the weekend…walking early in the morning felt GREAT!!! For all of the reasons you listed above and more. Enjoy your walks…I know I will be enjoying mine
Walking has become my fallback since I’ve been pregnant. Even on days when I’m too tired to complete an entire workout, I can walk a mile or two! And my son loves to be outside. He just sits in his stroller and takes everything in.
We love walking our two dogs in the late afternoon when we get off work. It helps to calm our stress from the day and take in some fresh air. I too sit at my computer all day, I have to put reminders on my calendar daily to take my walks.
I love to walk and can’t wait to get back to it regularly now that Spring is near! Get some new music on the ipod and be free in the fresh air!
My neighbor and I walk every weekday morning at 5:30 am and walk for 3 1/2 miles. It takes about 48-50 minutes, I wear a pedometer and we try to beat our time. We get most of our 10000 steps a day in before the day begins and it doesn’t matter if it’s cold or hot, we walk! Layer up for the cold and shorts/t shirts for hot weather. We’ve done this for the past 8 years that I’ve lived here. It makes such a difference and getting it in early keeps us from making excuses for being too busy. This morning the birds were singing to us and it was wonderful!
I realized how walking actually burned the calories when I decided to walk for two weeks and then stopped. I noticed the difference because when I walked about 1 hour a day (not sure of the steps) I actually burn an additional 2 lbs per week, however, since I stiopped walking I noticed that the scale has not moved, so I credit the weight loss to my walking 1 hour per day. Thanks Holly for your daily encouragement
I am a huge fan of walking: I find it not only gets me loose and stetched out for my later exercise class, but it makes me feel happy and positive about the day, the work I will be doing,the people I will be seeing etc. I live in a place that is always warm and almost always sunny, so I feel so lucky to be able to take the time out for myself, and to be able to get out most days, with or without my dogs! I have been helping a friend who wanted to start to improve her fitness, and walking very fast, daily, for an hour together, was her first step towards improved fitness. We try to walk fast enough that we can talk but in a breathless way, and now we run up the hills. She has lost almost 8 kilos since New Years!
I used to walk an hour a day…now with babe #2 & winter, I hardly ever go for a walk. I really miss getting outside for a walk…HURRY SPRING!
I walk a lot at work. My program is a pull out so I walk to classrooms all day long to get students. During the week, I don’ have a lot of time after work and before work, I’m doing intervals or endurance training. I’m hoping during spring break the weather will be nice. Last year we had a horrible horrible blizzard in the spring. Otherwise, I’ll have to use the treadmill.
It will be so great once Spring weather is officially here! We like to take evening family walks after dinner. It gets everyone out to enjoy some fresh air before bed!
Great post Holly!
I have a group of friends that meets when the weather is nice and we walk together with our little kids in strollers. Last year, I found some stroller exercises on the web and we incorporated them into our routine. Now we walk for a minute and then do some sort of strengthening exercise for a minute. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes and we talk and laugh the whole time (except we we lunge uphill – we all get strangely quiet then!)
Walk my part Border Collie 4 times a day..he keeps up a good pace and so do I!
Holly,
Great advice. Not only for the physical benefits but the mental / emotional as well. I’ve recently found a great place to hike / walk with our young dog and it’s so, so great for both of us. I go a little over 2.5 miles and with all her running back and forth, back and forth, I’m sure she does 4 miles. I am ready to tackle ANYTHING when I return home.
Thanks for the encouragement!
In Australia we are heading into autumn so its still dark in the mornings when I walk my dogs. Its great to see the colours of the sunrise. Its hard to get out of bed at times but its always worth it when I do. And the dogs love it. I spend much of my days at work in front of a computer or in meetings so the morning walk is well worth while. I’m trying to make the distance greater but time allows me about a 40 minute walk most week days. The mental boost the endorphins give me is a bonus for the day.I recommend it for all.
Holly,
I lost 75lbs after I had my twins by walking and using the Weight Watchers eating plan at that time.
Fast forward 23 years and 10 knee surgeries later (in 10 years) and I have put all of that if not more back on in the last 5 years. Walking will have to be my excercise of choice since there is very little else I can do at this point.
I don’t have an issue with that as I know how effective it is, 45 minutes to an hour a day four or five days a week and I was in great shape within about 4 weeks. Now that was 23 years ago, but I had my girls fairly late. I was in my 30′s. So, I will be attempting it all again. with your diet suggestions to boot.
I “power” walk to & from my work for 1.5hours a day (at least 5 days a week), and walk all through the job ( full time nurse)….I do walk&run with my dogs at least 2-3 times a week..after resistance/weight training….yet still my weight is at status quo! hmmmm I guess I am stronger than used to be (my previous career put me 24/7 in front of computer! up until back in mid ’07)…but geez it’s a little hard to take in when the scale won’t move, tape measure seems also being stuck at the same spot as several months back! I gather I need more veges and fibre in my diet!!!!
Thanks Holly!
You’ve got me all revved up to start walking/running again, and really anxious for spring! I think I kinda forgot how much better it is to do it outside and not on the treadmill. New goal: Walk most mornings of the week — outside. Keep all the great info coming!
I LOVE walking! After I had my son this was my number 1 activity. I would put him the jogging stroller and hit the pavement while he had his morning nap…it was wonderful. With the warm weather we are having now I took an nice long walk on the weekend with him. We both enjoyed the fresh air and the sunshine!
I love to walk in the early AM. I started, to keep my puppy from gaining too much wieght. Didn’t know it would help me too. We walk every day that I’m not at work early or try to walk in the afternoon. Consistancy is the key and getting 10,000 steps in is not always easy!!
What a great exercise that really anyone can do! It sure does give me a mental lift to the day. Just wish I had more time to do it. My favorite is walking at the beach.
Walking indeed is a great form of exercise
Dr. OZ recommends 10000 steps a day! More of it being a vigorous walk than not. This takes about 5-5 1/2 miles to get this in each day! and about an 1 11/2 hour committment. But it can be done in smaller segments throughout the day too. :0) Listen to me talking….Now I need to get moving – easy to talk about, and not so easy to do each day!
Walking is a great way to get your body rejuvenated. Reading all the posts above it’s even more wonderful when you are blessed with nature to look up to every morn. Where i live i’m not so lucky. Builidings are being built at cost of lovely old trees. Still I plan all my errands around home by walk and try to use my scooter sparringly. An hour long walk on the beach on Sundays with my husband is a recent routine which is very enjoyable. To me here in Chennai(India), to hear winter, autumn etc is amusing as it is the start of peak summer here. The next 3-4 months is very uncomfortable. Great walking and great times to Holly and all of you on clubFYM.
I walk 15 miles a week with my dogs. 3 miles every morning. It is so great to get out in nature and breathe the fresh air. The dogs go crazy when I get the leashes out! Its one of the best parts of my day.
I used to walk everyday, your enauk today was just what I needed to get moving again! Thanks!
OK Holly, you totally surprised me. I was expecting to read a post about why walking and any form of long duration exercise is a waste of time
I was pleasantly surprised to see you recommend walking. Even though it’s not really cardio… a brisk walk does burn calories and like many of the other great comments that you received, walking does have tremendous mental benefits too.
It’s a great compliment to the short and intense interval training workouts that we do if you have the time like you said. I prefer to make the time because I know how it helps put me in a great mood, get in-tune with thoughts and body, and just connect with nature.
I can’t get myself to walk on a tredmill when there are so many great things to see outside. It’s definitely not the same experience for me.
I actually do all of my walking during the colder months. I bundle up and brave the cold and snow. It’s be nice to see the Spring like weather arriving. During the warmer months I prefer to hop on my bike and go for a ride through the country side after I get the kids on the school bus.
Thanks for being such a great motivator and role model Holly. You absolutely ROCK!
Scott Tousignant
I got into a serious habit of walking or biking everywhere during college, and when I lived in Japan. (Of course, it helped that I only got around to getting a driver’s license a month or two ago… I hate cars.)
One bit of advice: got music you really like? Pop it in and listen to that! Or if you’re overly intellectual, there are some absolutely wonderful college-level audio courses you can purchase from the Teaching Company – one lecture is about thirty minutes long, just long enough for me to get to the local school where I’m auditing classes. ^_~
I love walking get a good upbeat track in my ears and i can walk a full day with my trusted bottle of water. Amazing!!!!!
I love to walk. I need to get back into routine of taking the dog for a walk. I have a desk job and I know I sit way too much.
Need to make an effort to get my Dog and youngest outside.
Hahaha… I can’t walk in the summer. I usually am on the treadmill in my conastantly 65 degree house. I usually jog with my dog in the winter though. Sometimes we jog to the park, eat lunch, play fetch or something like that, then go home. Actually I do a 20 mile walk every weekend to the grocery store in fall and winter, and sometimes even in the beginning of spring. My family and I always go for walks together on wednesday. I don’t have a pedometer though. Maybe I should get one!