Thus far my blog has not addressed the topic of exercise (aside from my brief Turkey Day advice). But doing some sort of daily physical activity is crucial to living a healthy and happy life, which is exactly what this blog is promoting! And though my forte is definitely cooking and nutrition, I was a member of my college's dance company, taught dance for a number of years, and occasionally teach Zumba classes...so I have a thing or two to say with regard to being active. The caveat: I am not a personal trainer. If you want advice on creating a weight-loss exercise plan or you're looking for a super intense workout to do, go to a gym and sign up for a session with an expert. I'm here to talk about exercise for the happy life and more specifically, walking.
Many of you may already exercise - running on a treadmill, hittin' the elliptical, Zumba classes, yoga, kickboxing, etc. I admit, sweating a lot can be quite satisfying and finishing a difficult abdominal workout leaves me feeling great about my body. However, more often than not, I get home from work and I'm so exhausted from the day that the last thing I want to do is go for a run. It's incredibly important to get some sort of physical activity into your daily routine - I won't go into the specifics of how exercise benefits your body (disease prevention, cardiac strength, mental health, etc.) because you can look that stuff up online if you feel so inclined. You'll have to trust me for the moment when I say that exercise is imperative to a healthy and happy body. So how do you complete a daily exercise regime when you're tired and sore from work and life? Go for a walk.
I know, it seems too simple, but walking is a great form of exercise - it gets your body moving, blood pumping, and gives your mind a chance to relax. Having a crappy day at work and frustrated about something going on in your personal life? Go for a long walk and let off some steam. Guaranteed you'll not only feel mentally better, but your body will be thankful for the exercise. Feeling tired in the morning or early afternoon? Go for a brisk walk. It won't wake your body up with the same WHAM! POW! IN YOUR FACE! that hittin' the gym at 5am will do, but walking will get your mind and body back on track for the day. Don't think you have enough energy to go to kickboxing? Take a walk and still get your exercise in for the day. Any exercise is better than no exercise; so when you feel like taking a nap and forgoing the gym (because the prospect of any exercise machine is making you anxious), opt for the middle road and take a walk, even if you walk for only 10 or 20 minutes. That is better than not doing anything at all.
The great thing about walking is that you can do it whenever and for however long you want. You can take lots of short walks throughout the day (10 minutes when you first get up, 20 minutes during your lunch break, 20 minutes when you get home from work before you cook dinner, 10 minutes after you've eaten) or you can use the hour plus time that you would've spent at the gym to take one long walk. On days when the gym is not an option for me, I go for a 4+ mile walk instead. It usually takes about an hour, I'm sweating by the end, and my legs are usually sore the next day. On days when I'm feeling in the mood for a harder walking workout, I find places with stairs or go on uphill paths to spice things up. Sometimes I take my Ipod, sometimes I don't, and on special occasions I have a walking partner (which I'd highly recommend, as it's a great chance to catch up with someone, it makes the time go by in a flash, and you'll be more inclined to walk further distances if there's somebody to do it with you).
A minor side note about exercising: in addition to walking, you should try to do some sort of strength training at least 2-3 times per week. If you like to hit the weights at the gym, great for you; but if not, there are plenty of strength training exercises you can do at home (in fact you probably do some of them already without knowing it). Take a few minutes to search online for some fun, non-body-builder, strength training exercises.
Be active, exercise, and go to the gym when it suits you; but don't kill yourself trying to do so. The point of this post was to show that no matter how you're feeling, there is always an option to walk. Like I said, some exercise is better than no exercise. So say yes to walking on the days when you want to say no to everything else. For those of you in warmer climates (such as California), there are no excuses for not walking. And though those of you living in naturally colder climates (such as New England) will eventually have to embrace winter (at which point, you can either walk in the snow, walk on a treadmill, or research some at-home workouts), thus far the weather has been gorgeous and perfect for taking long walks. There's no snow (yet), so take advantage of the sun and warmth, and go for a walk in a not-so-winter wonderland!
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