Walk More

People exercise their hips and knees so they can walk more, without pain or exhaustion. But doctors will also tell us that the best way to walk more is to… walk more. Here are 6 ideas to get people on their feet and moving:

• Regulate it: Every night, immediately after dinner, take a 20-minute stroll. Don’t let the weather stop you — that’s what jackets, boots, and umbrellas are for. Indeed, there’s something wonderfully refreshing and childlike about a walk in the rain or snow. Post-dinner is the perfect time for a walk. It gets you away from the television, it’s when others are outside, it’s a lovely time of day, and it stops you from eating more.
• Develop a habit: Never sit while talking on the phone. Instead, walk around your home if you have a portable phone, and if not, pace back and forth. You’d be surprised how much movement you can do when you are concentrating on a conversation rather than the exertion.
• Make it social: Plan events around walking. For example, rather than meeting friends for coffee or lunch, suggest meeting at the public gardens for a stroll.
• Take a commercial break: When watching television, always get up and move about during commercials. You’ve seen them already, anyhow. During a single one-hour show, you can get in more than 10 minutes of activity.
• Step up to it: Take the stairs, take the stairs, take the stairs. You’ve heard it a million times, but if it is three flights or less, you have no excuse to take an elevator, unless your arthritis pain is truly prohibitive. In that case, take one flight of stairs instead.
• Make it interesting: For an evening’s diversion, do some outdoor window-shopping. Strolling down a street of shops is great for people-watching, talking, and feeling alive.