Tag Archives: walking

Best Reasons To Take That Lunchtime Walk!

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I started taking walks with my husband on my lunchbreak 5 or 6 years ago. It started out because I wanted to get in better physical shape and my husband was there, as always, to support me in my new endeavor. He would drive to the hospital where I work and text me from the parking lot when he got there. I would then throw on my walking shoes and off we would go. There is a rather large paved loop around a cemetery adjacent to the hospital complex where I work. I thought it was morbid at first to be taking our walks there but have come to love it over the years. It has beautiful large pines and flowering trees, deer, squirrels, birds, flowers, and a fountain. Train cars rest on their rails along on side with all of their colorful graffiti. All in all, my loop is 1 1/2 miles long. We meet and greet many of my co-workers along the path.

What started out as a way to build endurance quickly evolved in to other things. It’s some quality time I get to spend with my spouse 5 days a week. Sometimes we talk, sometimes not. Sometimes we irritate each other, sometimes we couldn’t be closer. We catch up on our day, plan dinner, talk about our plans, obstacles, kids and grandkids. It’s our time. No distractions. Our walks have made our marriage stronger and we have grown closer because of the time we spend alone, seperated from the rest of the world.

Some more motivation to get you started:

  • 30 minutes of brisk walking will get you about 1/2 way to your 10,000 step goal for the day.
  • Walking is an excellent weight bearing exercise that will help build and maintain bone strength.
  • Walking will burn calories and increase your metabolism.
  • Walking will reduce your stress level.
  • Walking is excellent for you heart and cardiovascular system.
  • Walking 30 minutes at lunch will increase your cognitive function and help you think clearly and prioritize your tasks for the rest of the day.
  • A lunchtime walk is a great way to “make space” for you partner in the middle of the day and help to keep you close and connected.

If you choose to start walking on your lunch break, I am here to tell you, you will not regret it. My husband and I are in our 60’s and it has has just a huge inpact on the quality of our lives and our marriage too. Good luck!

For more like this visit my weight loss and wellness blog at platinummuse.com

10,000 Steps A Day. Let’s Take a Walk!

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10,000 is an arbitrary number assigned to the number of steps we should take each day for good health. It dates back to 1965, a time when a Japanese company began manufacturing pedometers. The Japanese character for 10,000 kind of resembles a man walking and so, walah! There you have it! 10,000 steps became the gold standard for how many steps you need to reach each day for good health. It originated simply as a marketing tool.

In actuality though, 10,000 steps a day turns out to be a fairly good guesstimate of what it takes to maintain a reasonable state of well being. For me, it requires about an additional hour of walking on most days. It totals out at just under 5 miles per day which is over and above what I would normally do chained to my desk for 8 1/2 hours a day at work. I walk for 15 minutes twice a day during breaks, usually with a few co-workers in tow, and for my half hour lunch break with my husband. That gets me to my 10,000 steps a day goal.

Why do I do it? Besides cultivating great relationships with my friends at work and my husband, I have deemed it necessary to keep the 100 pounds off that I worked so hard to loose. And, as we all know, as you get older, you just don’t have as much wiggle room with diet and exercise if you want to maintain a good quality of life! Walking buddies just make it more fun! My co-workers have been know to taunt oncoming groups from other departments with snowballs and fake flash the police. You never know what a 15 minute walk outdoors will lead to, right?

Here are the benefits I can personally attest to that keep me coming back for more of racking up 10,000 steps a day:

1. It keeps me centered. I always return to my desk with a better perspective on things after my walk outside.

2. My legs are toned and even the skin on my legs and feet is looking good right down to my toenails! That speaks volumes for what must be happening on the inside of my body.

3. Hitting 10,000 steps makes my old FitBit Charge HR vibrate and is good for my psyche. It always makes me smile when it vibrates and it is like a pat on the back.

4. I am off my blood pressure medication and both my heart rate and my blood pressure are well within normal range since I lost weight and starting my daily walks.

5. Walking has become easy for me. I’m faster than I used to be too. Life is just easier when you are a walker. I even do some running although everything is changed up now that we are in pandemic mode.

6. I know that walking 10,000 steps a day will be key for me for continued good health into my retirement years. It’s already known to lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. It super charges your immune system too and who doesn’t want that these days. Of course, engaging in a walking program will extend your life out a bit too!

So, do you want to feel better, get stronger, trim down, tone up? I would highly recommend taking up walking. Strap on a pedometer and start counting. Figure out how many steps you are taking a day now and slowly ratchet it up! Maybe you are like me. I started with a few thousand steps and an Aleve on board! LOL. Now, I’m well over 10,000 steps a day and no Aleve, no pain.

Which reminds me, pay attention to your shoes and your walking technique. I will talk more about that next week and pass on my tips for success that have worked for me.

Thank you for spending time with me. I hope you start walking if you are not already a dedicated 10,000 a day stepper!

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