Progressive Wednesday

I’m not lovin’ it: Walk

April 25th, 2007 by Progressive Wednesday

Any weight loss program worth its weight in cubic zirconium, will tell you that in order to be healthy and keep the weight off, you have to increase your exercise. So shell out 500 George Washingtons, join a gym, and start training like an Olympic triathelete. What’s that? You’d rather be fat? Point taken. How about something easier? Try walking one extra mile per day. Then two. Then three. Then four. Then five.

Studies have shown that walking just one extra mile per day can keep you from gaining any more weight and seriously reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, or even cancer.  Walk a little more, reduce your risk a little more. Walk a lot more…you get the picture.

The best way to do this is to buy a pedometer to measure the steps you take in a day. The average person takes about 2,000 to go one mile. So take the dog for a walk, or maybe your spouse (they could probably use it too). For women, those 2,000 steps have even been shown to reduce their chance of losing bone density with age.

But even if you don’t count your steps, just be conscious to take more of them. Do some light activity instead of watching TV. Park in the farthest spot in the parking lot, or better yet, walk to the store.

Being a progressive means making the world a better place, even for yourself. So let’s collectively lose a few pounds, get in shape, help the environment, the economy, small farmers, improve the lives of animals, and for that matter, humans, and maybe feel a bit better and live a bit longer too. ‘Cause you won’t want to miss that Super Bowl CXI party, baby.