's motd Wednesday February 23, 2011 - Walking

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WALK IT OFF!

Wednesday, 23 February 2011

Do you know how many walking clubs

there are sprinkled around the United States? Oh, I'm

sure there must be thousands of them. Some

neighborhoods put together walking clubs where many of

the neighbors meet and walk together. Of course,

there are lots of mall-walkers from coast to coast,

too. Many parks and recreational centers have

beautiful walking trails built in so you can have some

comforting interaction with Mother Nature as you go

for your walk. And okay, you know how I

feel about walking. It's the simplest form of

exercise and so good for you, too!

But, I'm sorry to say, so many

people will do all they can to avoid walking. You

know how it is, they'll drive around the mall parking

lot, repeatedly, looking for that "perfect"

parking space as close to Macy's as possible. I mean,

they'll waste all of that time and expensive

gas to keep from having to walk a little bit

further. (I don't get it.) Then there're lots of

people who don't take the stairs...ever! Now

come on, if your office is on the 30th floor of a

skyscraper, okay, I understand. Of course you'll take

the elevator. But if it's only a flight or two up,

you couldn't take the stairs? Come on!

People in our society have gotten just plain lazy.

Okay, raise your left hand if you want to lose

weight. Well, if you raised your hand, then get

ready. You've got to...walk it off! Now if

you haven't been engaged in a walking routine before,

don't make the mistake of trying to do too much your

first time out. Start with a short distance and build

from there. Get your body strong and build your

stamina.

I know one lady who began a walking program and when

she started out, could only walk a block or two. But

you know what? She kept pushing herself to walk a

little bit further each day. And get this, just last

month, she participated in a 5K walk for cancer. And

remember, when she first began, she could only walk a

couple of blocks. She kept a journal of the distance

she walked each day and challenged herself to walk a

little bit further each week. How cool is that? And

oh, I forgot to tell you, she's lost 100 pounds so

far!

A good walking program can fit

into just about anybody's schedule. Some people

prefer their walks in the morning, getting every part

of their body off to a good start at the top of their

day. Some people fit a walk in during their lunch

hour at work. They change into their walking shoes

and then...hit the road, jack! Others like to

de-stress after a hard day at work and a long evening

walk turns out to be the perfect stress-reliever for

them.

I know your time is valuable but you have to use your

legs all day long. That's right, keep 'em moving and

don't let those good-looking legs of yours cramp up on

you. When you go to the supermarket, make an effort

to park not-so-close to the front door.

Those extra steps you take equals more calories

burned. And when you're working to lose weight, every

calorie burned...counts! And besides that, I

believe having walked those extra steps, you'll be

more committed to making healthier choices

once you enter that supermarket, too.

And oh yeah, if I were you, I'd invest in a

pedometer. It looks like a little clock you attach to

your shoes and measures every step you take during the

day. Women should aim for 10,000 steps a day and you

guys should shoot for 12,000. And one more thing,

before you begin your walk, be sure to warm up your

legs and cool them down as you get ready to...walk

it off!

Love,