Seven Ways to Walk More

In today’s hectic world where we each have a hundred commitments and dozens of daily stressors, one of the major barriers to regular physical activity is lack of time. Even though you may want health and wellness to be a top-priority commitment that you make with yourself, reality often gets in the way—the meeting goes late, the kids need a ride and you also need to sleep! We all have the choice of submitting to reality or innovating ways to make reality work in our favor. With a few slight changes, you can incorporate extra steps into your day that can really add up over time.

Here are a few examples:
1. Walk with your dog- just another reason dogs are mans best friend.

2. When you need a break from work, take a quick 5-10 minute walk. Do this a few times each day. Not only does this help to keep you focused and productive, but walking in short intervals of time has been shown to be just as effective as walking continuously for the same amount of time. So break it up!

3. Bring your walking shoes with you to work and take some time to go for a brisk walk around the building during your lunch break.

4. If you take public transportation, such as a bus or a train/metro, get off a few stops early and walk the rest of the way to work.

5. Even if you are snowed in at home, there are ways to take a few extra steps each day in confined spaces. And no, this does not involve purchasing a treadmill. If you live in a multi-story house, set a target number of times that you will go up and down the stairs each day. And since there is always cleaning to be done, grab the vacuum, crank some tunes, and take a few laps from room to room.

6. Rather than sitting while on the phone or while watching television, pace back and forth.

7. When you come home with groceries, try being inefficient for once—take multiple trips to the car to unload your bags.

These are just some creative ways to incorporate more walking, meaning more mental and physical fitness, into your daily routine. See what innovative ways you come up with!