Today is National Walking Day and it’s a beautiful one to celebrate! Walking is a great activity all of us can do and it’s important to continually work towards getting at least 10,000 steps a day which is 5 miles (2000 steps in 1 mile)!. The first thing you need is a good pair of tennis shoes. This picture is of my trusty shoes that I love to work out in. Finding a good pair that fits your foot and arch is very important as a poor fitting shoe will most likely result in you not being as active and not enjoying it as much! If you have can’t find a good fit, I recommend you check out a shoe specialist such as a place like Scheels to fit you with a good shoe for working out. Next up it time management and this is a biggie! We all have excuses for working out and many just really don’t enjoy it, but the fact of the matter is we all know we have to do it and it makes us feel much better in the long run! Schedule your workouts in just like a meeting or your job and plan for them! We recommend at least 30-60 minutes/day or at least 150 minutes of moderate activity/week. If you can’t get that, strive to get at least 3 days/week in. If you engage in vigorous activity such as jogging or running, then the recommendation is at least 90 minutes/week…higher intensity, less time. No matter what you do, something is better than nothing so don’t be afraid to give it a try and start with 10 minutes and gradually increase your time from there! Thirdly, pick an activity that you enjoy. We discuss this alot in our STRIVE 2 Survive lectures and sometimes it’s a challenge finding an activity you enjoy…if this is you, broaden your horizons and give a variety of activities a try…you never know when you’ll find the right fit! If you find activity is boring, turn on some tunes, watch your favorite show on tv while you’re on the treadmill, or find an exercise buddy. Making activity fun will make it more enjoyable and you will stick to it long term. So today, in celebration of National Walking Day, I encourage you to challenge yourself to increase your activity and work towards getting at least 30 minutes of activity/day! You can do it…now get moving!
-Kelsey
