House-walking. Is that a thing?

How to get more walking in

If you live in an area with seasonal walking conditions (i.e. lots of snow, ice, or rain), you are like me. I want to build up my walking this year but it is hard to get out and do it. Besides our rainy fall, winter, and spring, I live in an area that requires me to go up or down a very steep hill right from our driveway. So, I’ve had to look at some alternatives.

1. Find indoor walking opportunities

Many community centers have indoor walking areas. I have ShoWare near me (hockey center). But they are only open 2 days per week. I could drive to a mall and do some walking there too but I admit it, it is too easy to talk myself out of the drive. If you have more motivation than me, check out a mall. Sometimes they even have walking groups. I’ve also been known to walk all the aisles of our local grocery super store. I’ll probably get questioned by the store though if I do it everyday and don’t buy anything. (Lucky me, my husband does all our grocery shopping).

2. Walk your sidewalks

But the most walking I am getting in is right in my home area. I walk the sidewalk out my door. My neighbors probably think I’m crazy but what do I care. I started off doing the length and back 10 times at least once a day. Now I’m up to 25 times about 3 times per day. Its easy even in the rain because I can use my hooded jacket. I just put on the headphones and Pandora and I’m good to go. I’ve even been known to do it in my pajamas (look out neighbors).

3. WALK IN YOUR HOME

I’ve also found ways to increase my steps indoors. In the evening I like to watch a couple shows on TV. In order to indulge….I make a commitment to myself. I have to walk in place during the commercials. Again, this is really easy for me to do and I end up going to bed a little tired. I also have stairs in our house so I try to do those in spurts of 4. Another trick I do is to use the upstairs bathroom instead of the downstairs bathroom so I have to go up and down a flight of stairs each time I use the restroom. I figure any extra steps can only help.

4. Free on-line walking videos

And my last little trick is to do one of the free videos I found on YouTube. Just search “indoor walking workout.” I really like a couple of them because they add other movements other than just walking. You can get in some balance and arm exercise.

In summary:

Other than weight loss, I’m committed to walking more because of my heart health. According to cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD (with NYU Grossman School of Medicine), walking lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation, and improves overall health. Also, research in the journal Hypertension found that even just 4 weeks of aerobic exercise like walking lowers systolic blood pressure by 7 points and diastolic by 5. If you are someone that is concerned about your blood pressure you know that is huge!

So, are you ready to go for a walk with me? Any other ideas on how you get your walking in? I am always looking for ways to switch it up. This is so important to me for the obvious reasons (weight loss and heart health), but even more important now that I’ve retired, I want to stay active and continue to enjoy my extra time. My goal is to “Die young, as late as I can.”

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