Walking

I love to be outside. It is something that brings me joy. The fresh air is rejuvenating and when it is sunny it is so uplifting. Even when it is snowy it is beautiful. The spring brings new plants and flowers daily that sometimes I have to stop and take a photo like this one (on the left). The other great thing about being outside is that I can get moving. I am generally a pretty active person. In part, this is because I am just not good at sitting around doing nothing and in part because I believe that being fit is part of a healthy (long) life. On top of that I know that it makes me feel good once my workout is complete. With that said I always want my family to be fit and to feel good. I am always trying to find ways to engage my family in fitness. I hate not being near them to actually workout with them but COVID-19 has opened my eyes to another approach! I have started tele-walking. It has been great! My mom and my brother have been walking with me and we chat over the phone while we walk. I feel good that I'm helping them to get out and walk and I can be outside myself, walking and staying connected to my family! If you haven't tried tele-walking I highly recommend it. It is easier to get out and walk if you have someone to talk to while you are doing it.


As we are home during this crazy time try to get out for daily walks. Don't even think of it as exercise. Think of it as a mental health break from your day. Time to de-stress. Remember at work you get up from your desk and walk places multiple times a day. Going for a walk is just consolidating all those walks into one! :) Are you a numbers or goals person? I love numbers and data to see what I have accomplished. I love my Garmin watch for this reason. Yesterday I had a lot of walking...with my brother, my mother, both of my kids (at different times) and with Jason along with a couple of other workout items. I can see exactly what I completed for the day. I also like that it shows me what I have done over time like this picture of my steps over the last year. It is also a good check to see if the amount you think you are walking is actually what you do. I found that when I was working I thought I took a lot of steps because I was up and down from my desk a lot. In reality, it was not a lot. It made me realize that I needed to do more steps outside of work to be fit. It can also keep track of everywhere you have run/walked. So years from now when I can't remember exactly where I ran on a trip somewhere I can look it up and relive that run.

Whether you track what you are doing or not, you are worth it to take time for yourself. You deserve to be important too and sometimes you need to make a conscious decision to put your needs first. When you do that you will be better equipped to help and take care of others.