Walk A Day Picture 1

I know there are tons of great programs out there to motivate and encourage folks to get out and get moving every day. Ten thousand steps a day programs, Couch-to-5K, and lots of other great ideas. I'm feeling called to something simpler for me right now.

Every fall I get motivated and re-energized by the weather and start going for walks and hikes and tell the boys, "I want to do this in all kinds of weather. Don't let me stop when it gets cold." Sometimes I do a different version in the spring, just insert "when it gets hot." And then there's when it rains, or when there might be a breeze, or when, or when. And then the first day I didn't sleep just right or things got busy or whatever and I don't walk that day and it snowballs from there. I don't want this year to be like that.

Last summer our neighborhood community banded together and advocated and volunteered and installed a lovely 3/4 mile hike and bike trail. It goes through woods and past two retaining ponds. There are lots of birds in the morning, and it goes in and out of the woods enough that you can even feel changes in temperature depending on where you are on the trail. It's really is lovely. And never crowded. And less than 1/2 a block from my house. So it really couldn't be more pleasant or convenient.

So I've decided I'm going to once again try to walk a minimum of one loop around every day. Right now, without working too hard I can do this in 13-15 minutes. One would think that every day I could find at least 15 minutes. I prefer to walk first thing early in the morning. Some mornings when we have to be somewhere, one loop will be all I can manage time wise. But I should always be able to pull that off.

And that can be my baseline minimum for exercise every day. I've got some other things I've got to work on too, like this crazy bike ride we're going to do, but this will be the foundation of what I hope to be improved fitness, energy and mood. To keep me accountable, and give me a little break every walk, I'm going to take and post a picture from my walk each day. Just a little something to keep me motivated and honest. Here's my first shot from this morning:

3/4 mile

See you tomorrow!