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
Take today to plan a walking route for the weekend and each day in the coming week. Nothing elaborate. Just set a schedule of locations and write it down to check off each day. If you plan for it and anticipate doing it you will get more satisfaction and be more likely to carry through with it.
TODAY: PLAN YOUR WALK DESTINATIONS FOR THE COMING WEEK.
March is ending, but you should be hitting your stride now. No more excuses about it being too cold out to go walking. It doesn’t take anything besides putting one foot in front of the other. Left, right, left. Left, right, left. Out the door and down the street. If you want, you don’t need an mp3 player to give yourself a beat. Hum a marching tune. “76 Trombones” comes to mind. Or try the famous song from Saturday Night Fever “Staying Alive”. It’s got the perfect pace for a nice workout. Of course you’ll need to put on your white suit like John Travolta.
TODAY: HIT THE BRICKS AND WALK.
As we head into the last days of “Standard” time I want you to start “spring ahead” with your walking. It only takes a couple of minutes at a time to start having it add up to a goal of about 30 minutes a day. It doesn’t have to all happen at once. It all adds up and increases your endurance so you will eventually have no trouble walking more. Chances are you will WANT to walk more. You’ll feel better, have more endurance, more energy and sleep better. Just like they used to say that every minute of smoking was subtracting your life span, walking will add to it.
TODAY: PUT SOME SPRING IN YOUR STEP. GET OUT AND WALK!
Since I’m urging you to get out and walk this week, I figured I’d give you a walking joke to make you smile a bit while you’re doing it.
A blonde goes out for a walk. She got down to the river and cannot see a bridge anywhere to get across. She sees another blonde on the other side of the river and yells over to her “How can I get to the other side?” The other blonde looks up and down the river then shouts back, “You’re already on the other side!”
TODAY: TAKE A WALK DOWN BY THE RIVER AND HELP THE FIRST BLONDE YOU SEE.
If you don’t get time to do a full workout, don’t give up. You only need 30 minutes a day, and it doesn’t have to all be at once. It only takes a mere 10 minutes at a time. Start with 10 when you wake up. 10 at lunch. And the last 10 in the evening, while watching TV is fine, or take a walk after dinner with your spouse or ride your bike with the kids. You may even have a basketball hoop at your house that has been ignored for a while. Take a few shots and dribble away some calories.
You get the idea. Now get motivated for a few minutes.
TODAY: GET 30 MINUTES OF EXERCISE.