Yes, that’s right, I said Fall. After all August is just about over, at least it will be in less than a week. And for some, that’s all right for them since the intense summer heat tends to keep them inside camped out in the air conditioning. But with August becoming part of the past, the fall months are knocking on our door. And that means less heat and fresher, crisper air. In fact, if you get up early enough even now, you can feel a bit chilled if you go out for your morning walk like I do around 5:30 AM. each morning! But as most people will say, let’s not start rushing the seasons! There are still plenty of warm days in the month of September and you know the official start of fall begins with the Autumnal Equinox on September 22. But for most meteorologists it begins when August ends and September begins. Either way, you know we will still be seeing temperatures early in September in the upper 70’s if not flirting with a few 80-degree temps as well. So don’t go saying where did the summer go this year?
Now, getting back to why I started this blog, is to encourage those people that have been keeping themselves indoors to get away from the summer heat. If you are one of them, then its high time for you to get outdoors and get moving. Yes, we all know that everyone who watches tv. Or listens to various radio talk shows keep hearing about the benefits of walking on a regular basis for improving their health. But are YOU doing something about it?
Here at PedometersUSA.com we are all about getting you and keeping you healthy. And that goes for all ages, from children, through young adults and our not too young baby boomers and those who have already collected their first social security check. A healthier lifestyle, which includes exercise and sensible eating habits can provide the necessary combination of health benefits to provide you with more energy so you can tackle those everyday tasks you may have been putting off, for one reason or another.
Getting back to walking, it’s always a good idea to get yourself checked out by your family physician to make sure you’re ready to undertake a walking exercise program. Walking is one of the easiest ways to get you ready to jumpstart your bodies motor and work on getting you used to pushing your muscles, joints and cardiovascular system! Along with visiting your doctor, it might be a good idea to see a nutritionist as well, so that they can work with you to make sure your diet includes everything you need to be able to fuel your body as you work it a bit more. After all, that old saying: “You get out of something, what you put into it” is good for so many different facets of our lives including eating right and pushing our bodies for maximum efforts which in turn provides us with a healthier body and lifestyle.
We are all human, that being said, we need accountability. If we don’t have this important nugget in our lives then we ultimately don’t see any benefits or rewards for accomplishing anything. We all need goals, something we can see out in the distance and work towards. The secret to keeping up with our routines is to set goals that can be reached. And once reached, you can set a new one, maybe a little bit more difficult, like I’m going to be walking 3 miles by the end of September, once that has been achieved. Make your walking goal 5 miles by the end of October. Maybe for November, decrease the amount of time it takes you to walk those 5 miles by 10 minutes for November and so on. But in order to monitor yourself for not only your accountability but for also rewarding yourself, you need to measure yourself, constantly. That can be done by getting yourself a good, accurate pedometer, like the Pedusa PE-771 Multi-Function Pedometer It’s a great pedometer to track your progress easily, and accurately The Pedusa PE771 Tri-Axis Accelerometer pedometer is a highly accurate, multi-function activity monitor offering Steps, Distance, Calories Burned, Active Time, 7 Day Memory and Target Goal Setting.
So you can begin to track your daily steps and compete against yourself as you progress in your walking regimen. And remember, if the weather from time to time tends to rain on your parade, don’t be afraid to frequent your local mall or indoor shopping complex. Most of these retail establishments cater to “Mall Walkers” They will welcome you with open arms as they feel that this kind of “Foot Traffic” (Get it :) ) can provide the means to market their locations in a more positive light and the stores (especially the food courts) like the fact that after a stint of walking you’re going to take a break, enjoy a coffee, ice health drink or other healthy food choices while sitting down and meeting with your friends. So again, it’s a win-win for everyone.
So, come on, get off the easy chair, lace up your walking shoes and head out the door. But not before you put that pedometer in your pocket or clipped to your belt.
And get stepping!