Skip to main content

Walking


Get a FREE copy of the Heart of Happiness Workbook

Go for a walk.  Walking is a great stress reliever.  It can be quite cathartic as well.  As you walk, take time to look at the trees, flowers, houses, and people around you.  Find things along your walk that you are thankful for.  And while you are on this walk, smile at the people that you pass by.  Really observe your surroundings.  Notice the textures, colors, sounds, and smells of your environment.  Be aware of nature.  Stop and smell the roses!

There are several ways of getting your steps in each day.  One way is by simply walking.  The average person can burn between 80 to 140 calories per mile walked.  The current trend is to try to walk at least 10,000 steps per day to maintain your health.  Surprisingly, most people, unless they have an active lifestyle, do not get the needed number of steps per day.  The average person takes 2,000 steps for every mile, so if you walk 10,000 steps, you will have walked about five miles.  There are several devices on the market now to help you calculate and keep track of your steps.  Some of them will even help you track your sleep patterns and heart rate.  If you walk 10,000 steps in a day, you will burn between 400-600 calories. 

If you have pets, take them on a walk.  I’m not talking just having them do their business and coming right back in.  I mean a real walk.  Walk around the neighborhood for a few blocks (of course, only if you live in a safe area or have a big dog).  Your dog needs the exercise just as much as you do, plus the attention that it will get from you with this one-on-one contact.  A person of reasonable health should be able to walk for a mile in twenty minutes with no problem, but start off small if that bite seems too big.  Start by walking around the block.  Tomorrow, add another block.  By the end of the week, you could be walking a five-block radius and won’t even realize it.  Do it before work or at the end of the day after you get home.

Take the time to really look at your neighborhood.  Smile and wave at neighbors, then compliment them on their lawn.  Check out the blooming flowers, the warm summer breeze, the changing fall colors, or the crisp winter air.  This will do two things:  give you needed exercise and keep you in the moment.  You will find yourself more relaxed, your mind will start to quiet, and your blood pressure will reduce. 

 “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” ~ Dolly Parton




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Time Management

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” ~ Walt Disney Time is the most precious commodity that we have.   Unlike money, it is finite in supply and cannot be replenished.   Once it is gone, it is gone forever.   This is why we must make the most of the time that we have.   The great thing about time is that it is unbiased.   It does not care what your age, race, sex, income, or religion is.   You have the same as anyone else regardless.   Whether you are rich or poor, black or white, male or female, your time is the same.   It is not about how much time you have, but rather what you do with it.   Are you spending your time wisely or frittering it away?   If you found that you only had one year left to live, how would you plan on spending it?   Most of us are not given the luxury of knowing how much time we have.   Therefore, to effectively utilize it, we may want to spend it as if we only have ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Music and Its Influence on Our Moods

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” ~ Bob Marley Music plays a special role in most of our lives.  It evokes a response that is universal.  It can take you back to a place and time long ago.  It can change your mood.  It can inspire, or it can make you cry.  It can get you through a long morning commute or accompany you in a workout at the gym.  Music can help you pass the time while you are doing mundane chores like laundry.  Employees have been found to be more productive when allowed to listen to their preferred music choices over those who have no control over their musical choices.  But even background music increases performance and accuracy in employees and also enables efficiency in repetitive tasks.  Music has been a teacher to us as children, helping us learn the alphabet and numbers.  Like with color, advertisers exploit music to get us excited to buy the products that they are peddling....
2 comments
Read more

Be Positive

            In the world that we live in, it is sometimes difficult to be positive.   The news can be flooded with negativity.   Even reading your social media feed can be a downer.   But we have to remember that pessimism is not good for your health.   Negative thinkers have higher rates of depression.   Pessimists have higher levels of heart disease and do not live as long as more optimistic people.   Optimists also experience greater productivity at work than their counterparts.                   There are only two ways to look at things:   Positively or Negatively.   But we have to realize that the phrase “stay positive” is much more than just wishful thinking.   It is a matter of rewiring our brains.   We have been conditioned to accept and expect negativity, and it does not have to be that way...
Post a Comment
Read more