I told you about the pedometer exercise plan where you add steps to your daily routine, but you don’t need a pedometer. You can use your watch and still have your exercise add up..
If you’re finding it hard to get motivated or it seems like you’ll never get that 30 minutes of walking in each day, start with just 5. But do it 5 minutes out of your front door and then 5 minutes back. That’s easy isn’t it? It even sounds easier. Come on… you can walk for five minutes and turn around and come back. Do that three times a day and you’ve met your daily goal. Then when you’re ready add a couple of minutes. It will just get easier and easier. It’s simple math that even a diet dummy can figure out.
TODAY: PUT ON YOUR WATCH AND WALKING SHOES.
Yesterday I told you to dig out that pedometer you have. I know one is around your house somewhere. McDonald’s even gave them away just a few months ago. The reason to use the pedometer is to find out how much you usually move around each day just doing what you normally do. They say that we take an average of 5,000 steps. I think that’s a bit low. Or maybe the average person is really sedentary. It may be revealing for you to find out this benchmark for exercise.
The next goal is to simply step it up. Add 1,000 steps to your total. Then the next day add some more. You get the idea. Think of the little device as giving your fitness a treat. Maybe you could call it a “peds dispenser”.
TODAY: TAKE MORE THAN YOUR AVERAGE NUMBER OF STEPS.
You probably have a pedometer in that drawer of stuff you ignore. Likely you put it on the day you got it and never again. It’s also likely that you simply didn’t see how it could be of any benefit. Well I have a plan for you to put it to work. You see we all get exercise every day without even knowing it. When you get up from the couch and walk to the refrigerator you get exercise. When you walk to the car to drive a block to the store you get some exercise. (I hope you see some of my sarchasm here.) To cut to the chase, (another pun) the average person takes about 5000 steps a day. But just like the car commercials say, “your mileage may vary.” So today dig out that pedometer and find out how many steps you are taking. Tomorrow we’ll take this plan one step further.
TODAY: DIG OUT A PEDOMETER YOU ALREADY HAVE, OR GO BUY A CHEAP ONE.
Just so you don’t think that I nag you to walk because I think it’s a good idea. The nags all have factual basis. I may not be a doctor, but I’ve read what they recommend. And the big guy, the Surgeon General, recommends “30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on five or more days per week to improve your health and fitness.” It can be accumulated walking of 30 minutes, meaning it can be done in shorter lengths throughout the day. 10 or 15 minutes at a time during different parts of the day is fine. The ‘moderate intensity’ means you feel the exercise and get warm and slightly out of breath when you do it.
So get up and walk or we’ll have to stick a big red surgeon general warning on the side of your couch, because it’s hazardous to your health!
TODAY: GET OUT THERE AND WALK!
On this 41st Anniversary of the first moon landing, let’s use those famous words to get moving.
Here is some more walking data to chew on. Walking is great because anybody can do it. It doesn’t really take any special equipment other than comfortable shoes and a watch to keep track of your schedule. There is a proper way to get the most out of it though.
Start every walk by doing a few stretching exercises so you warm up your muscles for 5-10 minutes. Then hit the bricks. Walk at a brisk pace that will get your heart rate up a bit and generate a sweat. Do that for 30 minutes then slow down to an easy speed for 5 minutes to cool down. Then finish by doing a few more stretches before hitting the shower.
On a couple of days weekly (like weekends) walk twice as long. If you can’t do that yet, work up to it.
It’s important to remember that you should never take no more than 1 to 2 days off a week. Believe it or not, you’ll actually get hooked on the habit after 14 days.
It all starts with that first step. You’ll feel better, sleep better and make “one giant leap” to dieting success.
TODAY: DO I REALLY HAVE TO TELL YOU TO WALK AGAIN? I KNOW, I’M NAGGING.
Newton’s First Law of Motion states: “An object in motion tends to stay in motion and an object at rest tends to stay at rest, unless acted on by an outside force.” Sound familiar? It pretty much describes how we let ourselves gain weight and resist loosing it. It’s time that you act on it. So get moving and lay off the (Fig) Newtons.
TODAY: TAKE AN EXTENDED WALK.
We’re creatures of habit. Chances are that you have a daily schedule that is within minutes of being the same every single day. The same wake-up time, meals, relaxation, computer, even sitting in the same place to do it all. Well now you need to add another scheduled time. Schedule a specific time to walk every day. Morning, noon, after dinner, whatever will work for you. Morning is most likely the best because you can adjust your existing schedule for it easier. You also will be less likely to skip it because you are tired, too busy, or just lazy.
Start by walking the neighborhood route I suggested yesterday. Walk that same route every day at the same time, every day for a week. Then alternate with another route for a week. Then the magic happens. Studies show that doing something for 14 days will imprint the action on your brain. You will then do it as your routine and actually miss it if you change it. You will also begin to get a lot of satisfaction out of your dedicated success.
Beginning today, start every day on the right foot.
TODAY: SCHEDULE YOUR WALKING TIME AND WALK THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Daily Nag, Exercise | Diet Nag | 
August 13, 2010 6:06 am | 
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