Home
Walkability Study
Article: Make Time for Short Walk Breaks
Hi. It's Dr. Bill Reger-Nash again. Talking about... what else? Good health
and walking.
As we discussed last week, walking on a daily basis is one of the most important
steps you will ever take to protect your health and improve the quality of your
life.
Americans report being busier and more stressed than ever. Our jobs, family,
friends, organizations, and an endless series of commitments all take time.
Everyone seems to want a piece of us. We move from one activity to another, and
we barely have time to breathe. We return home mentally exhausted. Time to work
out? Fat chance!
However, if we examine our lives closely, we will find many times during the day
when we could take the time to walk a few extra minutes. We go to work, to
lunch, to the store, to the mall, and we take care of our children,
grandchildren, or even our parents.
How about incorporating ten-minute segments of walking into what you are already
doing? Take ten minutes to walk the dog prior to work (Think of your dog as an
exercise machine with hair!), or park the car 5-6 blocks from work. Join a
friend for 10 minutes before or after lunch. Take the long way around and walk
10 minutes back to your car after work. If you take your children or
grandchildren to athletic practice, walk around the field while they practice.
Set a date to walk with a friend or family member before or after dinner.
This region is blessed with wonderful workout facilities, rail trails, and quiet
country roads. Use them when you can. The good news is that you don't have to
join a health club, buy special clothing, or go anywhere special to be able to
work out. You can integrate 10-minute walking segments into your day. Curiously,
people who do the three 10-minute segments have health benefits that are just as
good as those who do one 30-minute workout.
Thirty minutes of walking may not seem like much, but I assure you that our
community each of us will be healthier if we made this investment in ourselves.
Many scientific studies demonstrate the extraordinary benefits of walking for
people of all ages.
Get started this week. Right now, stop reading, and think about where you can
add 10 minutes of walking each day to your life. Be specific. Identify the time,
place and conditions when you will do it.
Walking will make you feel better, especially when you do it with others. If you
have been sedentary, beginning to walk regularly for 10 minutes daily can be
your most important first step toward rip-roaring good health.
Isn't it time you started walking?