In Praise of WALKING
 

OK, no one fought it harder or longer than I did, and I still don't love it the way a lot of people do (still waiting for that zen feeling LOL) but today on Good Morning America, they were talking about longevity in certain pockets of population and one common thread was WALKING

30 minutes a day cuts the risk of heart disease by 40% for women

60 minutes a day cuts the risk of stroke IN HALF

holy cow! and it makes your legs look better! well, that's what my new Sketchers Shape Ups shoes say! I'll tell you in a few months LOL

ps. in summer i love indoor walking the perimeter of the air conditioned mall or our stadium, there's always a way!

I've tried several different modes of exercise and it always comes back to walking for me. I was doing C25K but got sidelined by asthma, so instead of jogging I increased my walking route to 3.5 miles. The fat is literally melting off my butt and my thighs are WAY less jiggly than before. Unfortunately, it's doing nothing for my waist (which is what you might expect). I do think I'm going to need some new activity soon as I seem to be settling down at this weight, but really--you can't beat walking!

I don't feel the "zen" feeling or the exercise high after walking, but I do feel better and I sleep better. I listen to Public Radio while I walk, so I also feel a little smarter when I'm done! :)

thanks for the reminder. I do enjoy walking once I get going, takes about 3 months for it to become natural. I Will re-start tomorrow (It's pouring rain at the minute)

Those are awesome numbers, Trazey! I've got a baby that thinks 5:30 is an acceptable time to get up every morning, so I've been taking advantage of that and getting out for a walk by 6, before it gets too hot. You just gave me a little shot of motivation to keep it up! So, thanks!

I love walking (jogging too but sometimes it is good to take it down a little)...my fav is walking at a high incline on my treadmill. Louisiana is flat so it's nice to pretend I'm walking uphill :lol:

I LOVE walking! I walk with a neighbor every morning. Knowing that someone else expects you to be there really helps me get up and going. We chat about all sorts of things and the time goes by quickly. I think it's a great way to start the day!

I love walking too!

I'll be doing a lot of it this weekend :)

Those numbers make me very glad I went for my 30 min. walk this morning.

WTG on the Komen walk Matt! :bravo:

I hated it for 39 1/2 years but finally made my peace with it, and now I miss my 3 miles a day when (rarely) I don't do it. And yes it DOES make your legs look better.

I always hated walking on a treadmill -- and I still am not a big fan, but it beats fighting your way through the snow --- but I really am enjoying the outdoor alking and hiking we are doing this summer as a family. I enjoy walking outside by myself, too, if I get out there early enough to beat the heat and the crowds.

Hey, Matt! High fives and good luck this weekend!

I am walking's biggest fan. I walk for 1.5hrs almost every day. It is my time to be at peace, and daydream, and relax(even thought I go quite fast paced). I loooooooove it. Today i walked in the pouring rain. Just me and my iPod. It was like walking and swimming at the same time lol. But it was so amazing feeling. Some people think I am crazy but it realy is my favorite thing to do.

I love walking too. I've lost the majority of the weight with walking as my exercise of choice. I jog when I can, but one knee is giving me fits lately, so I'm back to walking. I love the incline on the treadmill too, Tanee, it does wonderful things for the leg muscles! Our beautiful river trails are my favorite, but it has been between 105 and 110 here lately, so they will have to wait until it cools down.

wow, those are encouraging statistics!

I don't get a high from walking, doing a gym routine almost always peps up my spirits, makes me feel better and sometimes energizes me (tires me out sometimes too).

I remember the days when my weight made it feel tough to walk, so I still do get that inner thankfulness whenever I go out down the street that it's easy for me to walk as far as I want now. I walk around my neighborhood, which is usually pretty pleasant. We have a big park nearby too.

No car, so feets have to do their stuffs! :D

I live where walking on the road is close to lethal, so I won't take my kids out there, but I like heading into town and visiting the schools track, or the walking trails in town and at the park. I should resolve to do it more! I had a treadmill that I enjoyed actually, but in our tiny home it just took too much space (family of 6 in 1,000 sq. feet is a tight fit!), so I had to give it up. Maybe someday we will be in a bigger home...sigh.

I love walking too. I'm so out of shape I can't go very far at the moment, so I spend a lot of time walking around our yard, or doing loops through the woods beside my house.

I love using my pedometer, and every night I track at Walker Tracker. It's like competing with myself to get better every day.