Walking a little more each day is one of the easiest ways to build more activity into your life, burn a few extra calories and reach the recommended weekly goal of 150 minutes of exercise. Yet few Americans are taking advantage of the opportunity. In fact, less than 25 percent of us walk or bike for transportation (say, to get to the store or work) more than 10 minutes continuously in a whole week, according to a recent study from Yale University.
The few Americans who are pounding the pavement?or getting ?active transportation,? as the study authors called it?are reaping some serious benefits. Those who got the most active transportation had a body mass index (a ratio of height to weight) more than one point lower than those who got the least. They also had a three-point lower waist circumference, a 34 percent reduced chance of high blood pressure and a 31 percent lower risk for diabetes.
You?re probably formulating the reason why you can?t walk in your head right now, right? Maybe it?s, ?I?m too busy.? Perhaps you?ll go with, ?It?s too cold.? Or it could be the standard ?I don?t have the time.? That?s the beauty of walking: You don?t need the time?you have to do it anyway. You just have to plan ahead and find ways to sneak in a few more steps.
Here are a few suggestions to help you hoof it more often:
? Have some holiday packages to return at stores on opposite ends of the mall? Instead of parking, making your return, then driving to the other side of the mall, walk indoors from one store to the next.
??Don?t have time to walk the whole way to work? Walk part of the way. Park a few blocks from the office or get off at the stop before if you?re taking the train or bus and walk the rest of the way.
? Walk the kids to school. Get a few neighbors together and form a walking school bus. You can catch up with all the neighbors, get the kids to school and score some exercise.
? Stop searching for the closest spot. Here?s an oldie but goodie: Park far away from the store and walk.? I know, you?ve probably heard this hundreds of times before, but it?s easy and it works!
? Choose a nearby store and walk to it once a week. You?ll save gas and the environment, too.
Another helpful tip: Use a pedometer, a gadget that counts your steps. It?s fun to challenge yourself to increase your daily steps, and it?s also very rewarding to have a tangible measure of progress. I recommend Omron?s pedometers.
Ready to take the walk-more challenge? Where are you going to walk today?
Pin ItAbout Bob Greene, Best Life Founder
Bob is an exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer specializing in fitness, metabolism and weight loss and the driving force behind The Best Life. He holds a master?s degree from the University of Arizona and is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. For 30 years, he has worked with clients and consulted on the design and management of fitness, spa, and sports medicine programs.
Bob has been working as a personal trainer to Oprah Winfrey for more than 15 years. He has since become a contributing editor for O, The Oprah magazine, and writes articles on health and fitness for Oprah.com. He is also the bestselling author of The Best Life Diet Cookbook, The Best Life Diet, The Best Life Diet Daily Journal, Bob Greene's Total Body Makeover, Get with the Program!, The Get with the Program! Daily Journal, The Get with the Program! Guide to Good Eating, Make the Connection and Keep the Connection.
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Source: http://members.thebestlife.com/blog/do-you-walk-the-walk/
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