MAKING LISTS

I have a bunch of friends who are really well organized, have tidy homes, run errands in proper order, cook according to menus they prepare with food they purchase at the grocery store from the lists they've written. I envy them. This sense of organization eludes me.

But, I have gotten a handle on one thing. Making lists when I need to get things done. I don't do it on a daily basis for things like errands and the grocery store. But, when I get especially busy, like around the holidays, I make lists of everything I have to do and use those lists.

Lists are magical! Really! If I write something on a piece of paper, like a list, I'm far more likely to get it done than if I just make a mental note.

You, like me, probably here all the TV gurus like Dr. Phil talk about 'putting yourself on the list'. I usually find that amusing. Yeah, right. I'm going to write my name at the top of the list of all the things I have to do. What? Am I a chore?

No, not a chore - but I have things I want to get done and things I 'need' to get done. Those lists need to be merged and prioritized. Now, I get it.

Here's what works for me. If I write down something, I'm likely to do it. It's kind of like a promise to myself. So, if I write that I'm going for a walk at 5 PM today, then it's far more likely that I'll actually go for that walk than if I just have a plan that after work, and after I get home, and after I empty the dishwasher, and after I get dinner started, and........

Well, you get the idea. If I wait til all those things get done, I'll never have time to go for a walk.
So, I have to PUT MYSELF on the list. I write down that I'll take a walk - and I will! Try it. See if it works for you.

Later, I'll tell you another story about writing promises to yourself.



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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

MAP MY WALK

Thanks so much to Lisa who posted a comment informing me (and all of us) about the site www.mapmywalk.com.

There's a wealth of information on this site that will benefit all of us. Please check it out! I'd love to hear back from readers to learn which parts of sites like www.mapmywalk.com are the most useful, helpful, satisfying, etc.


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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

UNINTENTIONAL?

Is your walking intentional or unintentional? Most of it will be unintentional - rather, as a product of daily life. We typically must walk around the house, at our place of work, to run errands, etc. Most of us can't NOT walk.

What about intentional walking? That's what most of this blog is about. But, we shouldn't dismiss the unintentional. Since the American Heart Association and other 'healthy' organizations encourage us to walk 6000 steps a day, we can wear a pedometer to determine how close to that we come without 'intentional' walking.

That said - we NEED to do some intentional walking. That unintentional stuff is all fine and well. We usually can't avoid it no matter how we might try. How many times have you driven around a parking lot to get a 'good' parking spot - meaning the one closest to the door? Guilty.

The unintentional walking is good for us. It'll keep our bodies in better shape than doing no walking at all. Once we confine ourselves, or are confined or unable to walk, it's really difficult to maintain a healthy (or even reasonable) body weight. But, the unintentional walking is what'll keep our heads on straight, make our lives better, bring us all the added benefits that I've written about before.

So, do the unintentional all you must - but head for the intentional too. It's a completely different mind-set that comes over us when we walk intentionally. It's a whole different mind-set that gets us out the door to walk (or to the gym or mall or around the living room) to improve our health and quality of life.

It's the intentional that'll keep us moving forward at our best.


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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

JOT DOWN A FEW THINGS ABOUT YOUR WALK

Continuing on the theme I recently wrote about from SAS, their idea to jot down a few things about your walk. Their little walking journal includes these headings:
Date
Distance in Miles
Minutes per Walk

Pretty good for starters. Some other items to note might be:
Weather
Where You Walked
With Whom You Walked
Feelings at the start of the walk - happy, sad, tired, angry, groggy, etc.
Feelings at the end of the walk - energetic, revived, tired, sweaty, happy, not-angry.
What you saw on your walk - especially if there was something of interest.

Why note these things in a walking journal? We forget things so quickly. One day blends into another. Walking is not only about starting with baby steps and working toward miles. It's also about exploring the world around you, making friends, learning more about ourselves, accomplishing our goals, encouraging others, and much more.

Your journal can be a tool to motivate yourself to walk farther, more often, harder. It can give you a good handle on which walking situation works best for you. Does one friend make you push farther than another? Does one route especially appeal to you? Does walking improve your state of mind? Does walking make you tired or energetic?

So, start with a simple journal. Start with those few headings - Date, Distance in Miles (or feet or yards), and Minutes. But, at least for now, leave an extra area with no heading and write down in that box anything special you note about your walk - mood, weather, beauty of your surroundings, a secret you were told (in code, of course), something you learned about yourself (you CAN walk a mile!!!).

Later, you may find some other headings to be useful or imformative. What a great record of progress and accomplishment you'll be creating for yourself!


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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

SAN ANTONIO STROLL

I took my mom to the SAS (San Antonio Shoes) store at an outlet mall about an hour's drive from home. Mom, at age 86, is still very active and loves her walks. However, she wears an 8.5 AAAA shoe and there are hardly any of those made anymore. SAS has a couple styles that she can wear. So, for an early Mother's Day gift, my husband and I took off the afternoon and drove to the outlet mall. While there, I tried on the SAS walking shoes - and liked them! Will wait a while to buy another pair of shoes - but will give these a whirl when the time is right.

At the checkout, there was this interesting little walking journal pamphlet that I snagged for free. I've been looking at different journals to see if I can design one that will be both practical and inspirational - and cheap or free. This one has some good ideas in it. It is entitled "Walking Sense Serious Walking Information" by the SAS Shoemakers - or by Eric Neveride, the self-appointed Mayor, Philosopher and Critic of Siesta Valley - wherever that is. Turns out that one of the SAS factories is in Conway, Arkansas, about 20 miles from where my mom grew up.

A couple of the little things in this book that I enjoyed I'll share with you here - a shameless rip-off of SAS - but an endorsement, too.

1. Exercise - Intentional and Unintentional (more on this soon);
2. Cars are noisy and dangerous so you should walk everywhere;
3. Roads are paved paths (well, yeah.....);
4. Eat less processed food (makes you walk better???);
5. Jot down things about your walk (hmmm. This idea might have merit.).

So, stay tuned for some updates on these ideas.


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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS??

Yes! Better Homes & Gardens Magazine has created a great website for walkers. Whether you're a beginner or a long-time walker, this site has some goodies for you. One thing I particularly like for beginners is their video about how to deal with potential pain. They have a nice list of easy things to do that actually work!

The site is attractive and packed with good information. Another feature I like is that they have a way for you to enter your regular walks so you can easily find how far you've walked over any given period of time.

So, visit the site and see if you'll find it of value to you. I do! Here's a link to the site:
http://walk.bhg.com/?ordersrc=rdbhg0475

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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.

PRACTICAL WALKING

Sadly, it's really not practical for me to walk to the work, grocery store, or other errands. St. Louis is comprised of a fairly small urban area surrounded by huge suburbs and what has come to be called exurbia. We have very little mass transit and our streets are not bike-friendly.

My office is a 7 minute drive from my home. You'd think I could walk or, at the very least, take a bus to work. Despite the fact that there is a 4-lane divided 'highway' that leads almost from my front door to the door of my office, there's no bus that runs on that route! And, because it's built like an interstate with a few traffic signals, one can't walk on it or ride a bike.

To make matters worse, the other routes to my office are truly two-lane country roads on which it is hazardous to walk or bike. I'm not brave enough to queue up with cars, trucks, and school buses on these black-top roads. They also take circuitous routes to my office, thus increasing the 'commute' by as much as 100%.

Crazy, isn't it.

There are a couple grocery stores within walking distance - IF i can cross an interstate or walk up The Hill (see my previous post about The Hill) carrying groceries. It can be done but I'm really not inclined. I can even walk to a library - but, again, there's that highway to cross. Quite a hazard. Not for me.

So, where can you walk? Can you walk to work? How about the grocery store? Your other errands? I'm envious of those who have mass transit for these chores. I'd much prefer the commute if I didn't have to drive.


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Remember my 100% GUARANTEE. Should you decide to stop walking and resume your old habits, I personally guarantee that you'll get back 100% of your former life - your pain, your lifestyle, your attitude.