Yay! Who wants to be healthy this winter?!
Whaaat?! ‘Tis the season of mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and snuggling fireside, no?
Absolutely! But in the last several months I’ve been increasing my movement by using a pedometer and I want to keep it up.
The number began embarrassing low but has now been at 10,000 steps for a while. Of course 10,000 is an arbitrary number but I feel great.
During the summer, I’ve habitually walked early(ish) morning in the bright blue sky while it’s still cool and late evening as the sun colors the horizon. However, I foresee maintaining 10,000 steps will be a challenge during the dark, dreary, cold days coming up.
Here are a few ideas for those in the same predicament:
Do it Scout Style aka Be Prepared: In my area weather may be partly sunny (or partly cloudy if you’re a cynic), sprinkling, downpour, sunny or any variant therein, all in a single day…maybe even an afternoon.
If the weather is bad when you would normally take your walk but decent weather strikes unexpectedly while out and about, grab a handy umbrella and comfortable shoes, which you had shrewdly prepacked in your car, and take advantage of this gift from heaven.
In addition to taking advantage of serendipitous good weather, being prepared also helps maintain the good habit of parking a distance from work or the store.
Double points, baby.
Go Online: I’m not talking Facebook or Pinterest here so step away from the keyboard. YouTube has a huge library of walking videos. You can walk on the beach, enjoy a splash of disco, or my favorite, incorporate interval training. An added benefit of these walking videos is they may use muscles not used enough in your walk around the neighborhood. For example, many videos include side steps or foot-to-rear type steps which would earn you a second look from Mrs. Pimster walking fluffy Rufus.
Step Outside the Box: Of course the whole reason for a pedometer is to increase movement. Why not try an alternative form of movement that’s fun? Zumba might be passé by now since its been around for awhile but I *HEART*
Baileactivo Evolution also on YouTube. The music is energetic, the dancers look to be having a great time, and it’s super fun.
As you try different videos, create a playlist of your favorite songs and routines. A few videos are more suitable for warm-up/cool down and others send you into high gear.
Some of the music is in English but all of the direction is either in Spanish or nonexistent. I’m not worried about following every step; I just keep moving and enjoy it.
For me, a five minute video comes in at about 500 steps.
May the walking gods be with us as we head into the coming months. I would love any other suggestions for those of us who aren’t interested in joining a gym but still want to get/stay fit.
Walk on!
The Renaissance Chick 