150 Minutes of Exercise a Week

Fitsugar posted a great article with some new ideas on how to get 150 minutes of exercise a week (which is what is being touted as the current minimum amount required to maintain a healthy lifestyle).

I am more than intrigued by the Tabata workouts, and definitely plan on trying the one below as soon as possible.  Have you done any before?  Let me know!

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And without further ado, the inspiring article:

Exercising 150 Minutes a Week for Health Benefits

Indoor Barre Routine

Fitsugar, another amazing health blog, recently posted this awesome indoor barre routine.

With the price of barre classes through the roof these days, it's awesome to find out that good ones like this exist that you can do right in the privacy of your living room!

Enjoy - and get ready to feel it for days!

The "You Can Literally Do This Every Single Day" Workout

The world is our gym - and this is proof!

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What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

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This is one of the best metaphorical parallels to working out and a healthy lifestyle that I have ever seen.  Bravo, bravo!

An active lifestyle is one of our best bets to ensure a long and healthy life.  So let's go out there and kick our life-mousetrap's butt, shall we?

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, indeed.

Burning Summer Calories

The summer solstice is upon us (at 7:09pm EST, in fact!) - and that means summertime is about to be in full swing - hooray!  Warm weather!  Watermelon!  Other words beginning with "W"!

As much as I love this time of year, it's not always the easiest season to maintain a healthy lifestyle, since, if you're like me, you tend to inhale pretty much every good comestible in sight as you make your way through barbecues, picnics, ball games, pool parties, and the like.

Luckily, Fitsugar posted an amusing and helpful chart that equalizes yummy summer eats and drinks to fun calorie burners in an aptly titled post called How to Work Off a Corona and Other Summer Favorites.

It's a great way of keeping things in perspective, too - multiple hours of tennis to make up for a funnel cake will certainly make me reconsider my portion size when it comes to that delectable treat!  

Hope you enjoy!

Check out the whole article here.

By the way, Fitsugar (as you may know from my Monday Afternoon Links posts) is one of my favorite health blogs.  They have tons of great fitness, food, and general well-being tips and ideas and present them in super cute ways.

Check them out, and get inspired to be healthy!

Pump It

Last Wednesday, I went to a BodyPump class at Fitness First with my super sweet mother-in-law Judy (aka Mama Bracks) and cutie future sis-in-law Margo (remember her?).

It was challenging, high-energy, fast-paced, and made me repeatedly (and intensely) use muscles I wasn't even aware that I had.  Rhythmically set to an awesome and upbeat playlist of music, the class featured lunges, squats, presses,  bicep curls, and a heck of a lot more - all while holding a barbell (not a barbel - though that would be pretty intense too for different reasons, I could imagine).  

Mama Bracks, me, and Margo - taking BodyPump by storm!

Exercise classes used to be the scariest thing in the world to me.  I've never been athletically gifted, and the idea of being in a room with 30 other people who seem to not only know what they're doing, but do it amazingly well, was incredibly daunting to me.  I had to face a major fear of mine to go to this class.  My determination to get my body in tip-top shape had to trump any terror I had about looking stupid in front of my peers.  I had to take a chance, and I'm so very glad I did.

Don't get me wrong - I didn't get there and all of a sudden transform into Super Bizzy.  I felt like such a newbie and weakling.  My knees were wobbling, my thighs were shaking, and there were moments when I felt like my arms were actually going to fall off of my body. I was fumbling and bumbling around with my barbell, struggling quite openly with the hardest moves and at times throwing up my arms in exasperation (which was quite a painful maneuver in itself after lifting barbells for 45 minutes).

Meanwhile, next to me, Mama Bracks was kicking butt and taking names (she goes twice a week!!) and Margo is a natural athlete so she had a great grip on what to do.  But they were both sweating and feeling it too, and it was great to have moral support and someone to turn to and laugh with when things got really ridiculous (or, on occasion, to exchange looks of pure apprehensive horror with about upcoming moves).

Today is one of the first days since the class that I haven't wanted to shrivel up into a ball every time I have needed to use my legs.  It's a class that gives you pain that you feel everywhere afterwards, but it's the good kind of pain.  It's the kind of hurt that makes me know that I'm doing things to better my body and tone my muscles.

BodyPump is available worldwide, and I highly recommend it if you want a fast-paced way to get your muscles working big time with great results.  Don't worry if you're like me and have a perpetual fear of group exercise classes - once the music starts pumping, it's just you, your barbell, and a very supportive instructor pushing you through.  I ended up having such a good time that I can earnestly say that I'm  'pumped' to go back (couldn't resist that pun)!

I just have to wait for my body to stop being sore, first.

All in a day's work for Super Bizzy.

K&K Come to Town!

This past weekend was wonderful - a mini-reunion with some of my best friends in the entire world!

mini-reunion!

The two lovely brunettes on the left, Kimberly and Katie, came down from New York City to visit Kerry, Blair (remember them?), and me.  All of us met when we were in the same sorority at UVA, and we love each other dearly.  We definitely missed our sixth counterpart, Valerie (she's getting some blog love of her own tomorrow - stay tuned!).

We made a lot of healthy weekend decisions that I was very happy about.  For starters, we were active!  So important for fitness maintenance.

Ready for some hardcore walking!

We took a 3.5 mile walk on Saturday, bopping down the footpaths along I-66, crossing over the Key Bridge into Georgetown, and walking along the canal, all while enjoying each other's company and what was absolutely a perfect spring day.

map calculated with my Pedometer app - the avg speed & time are off because I forgot to turn it off when we returned from the walk, oops!

We even headed back to Georgetown later that day to do some store exploration - another two hours of walking around from store to store can really be an effective way in which to get your daily step requirement. It's amazing to watch them all add up!

Food-wise, we ate tons of veggies, oatmeal, egg white omelettes, and turkey sandwiches with cranberries.  We got substantial amounts of sleep (which is always an accomplishment when five ladies are cramming into a two-person apartment), and drank plenty of water.

Healthy snacks, courtesy of Kerry!

We were healthy for the most part, but... I got distracted.

Maybe it was the excitement of all of us being together, maybe it was the non-stop fun we were having, but I found myself straying from the healthy ideals I am striving to attain and getting caught up in the moment.  I made a lot of healthy decisions that weekend, yes.  But I made some unhealthy ones, too.

I had an extra glass (or two... or three...) of wine when we were out together that I probably did not need.  I inhaled junk food, most notably the lethal combination at a party of melted processed cheese product and hamburger meat (which - for the record - was incredible.  I am determined to devise a healthy version of it ASAP).  Once the girls headed home on Sunday, I avoided any form of physical activity, preferring to lay down watching TV and reading books instead.

This is what happens whenever I lie down.  So you can see why once I was lying down, I was kind of stuck.

My body is really starting to become used to my healthy lifestyle changes, and it reacted very adversely to those negative health decisions I had made.  I felt achy and a bit nauseous.  And it wasn't just physical - I was getting irritable and feeling anxious for no reason.  Not the best way to feel going into Monday, knowing that you still have a full week of work and responsibility ahead of you.

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I stated in my recap of my weekend with my mom last week that it's okay to indulge every once in a while because it keeps you from becoming resentful of having to avoid things that you really enjoy.  But I also stated the importance of keeping the indulgence in check - that moderation is the key.  I overindulged, and I paid the price for it.

At first I was really angry with myself.  I had been doing so well and I had regressed.  It took some self-reflecting, but I finally had to come to these ultimate truths:

I'm human.

I make mistakes.

And sometimes I slip and make unhealthy decisions.

I'm not going to let my slip-ups keep me from becoming 
the healthy and fun person I ultimately want to be.  

I'm back on track now, filling up on nutrients, getting plenty of exercise, and staying hydrated.

Please don't let slip-ups discourage you from your health goals, either!  If we were all perfect at making healthy decisions, the mission of this blog would be irrelevant, wouldn't it?  So while my blog's purpose is still relevant, let's keep on working together to find optimal ways to treat our bodies and minds.

I had an amazing time and so much fun with my girls this weekend. I let my fun tip the scale a bit too much, and I'm okay with it now.  Heck, sometimes I probably tip the scale a bit too much on the healthy side too!  It's all part of the journey to discover the perfect balance between a fun and healthy life.

Loves!

Musical Monday #3 - The Time Edition

Here are the jams that are keeping my legs pumping and my mind occupied in the gym this week:

Winner of the Week:

Back in Time - Pitbull

Gosh, I love Pitbull.  This song has it all - a strong beat, a good pace, and high energy to keep you pushing all the way through.  Really fun, and worthy of any cardio machine.

The Contenders:

Brokenhearted - Karmin

My go-to elliptical song at the moment.

Learnalilgivinandlovin - Gotye

Excellent beat, oldies feel.  Gotye is tearing it up these days, but this is one of his older school jams.  Great for a warm up/cool down on the treadmill or elliptical.

Hungry Like the Wolf / Rio - Glee Cast

Eep, the first Glee song to make it onto the blog.  This is a really fun one with high energy and a good beat.  I think it works especially great on the elliptical.

Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

A fast one for a intensely-paced workout on any cardio machine.

Girls Weekend

This past weekend, my mama and I took advantage of the gorgeous April weather and awesome spring travel deals by getting out of dodge for a ladies weekend.  

It was filled with long walks, lots of wine, sporadic mini-workouts, plenty of delicious food, and some classic goober hanging out.

Example:
Me: [as I climb into the car at the start of our road trip]  Mama, you're my BFF.
Mama:  Biz, you're my BFD.
Me: ...
Mama:  Best... Friend... Daughter...?!

That, ladies and gents, is how our weekend began.

We had a great time, and since we're both trying to get healthier, it was a very interesting challenge for us.  We tried our best to follow our pre-determined mission:  How to balance having fun on vacation while still being responsible about your health.  

All in all, I can confidently say that our weekend combo of health and fun was a raging success...






...despite the fact that we made a pit stop at a potato chip factory not two hours after heading out of town.

It was Route 11!  Any native Virginian could tell you that you can't just bypass a Route 11 factory sign.

My mama and I came up with a list of fun ways to keep health a priority when you're on vacation, and I have compiled them here for your pleasure (and hopefully for some healthy future vacation inspiration - or as I like to call it, future vacayspiration).


So without further ado, Mama T & Bizzy B present...

The Queen & Bizzy Bees' Guide to 

Having Healthy Fun on Vacay:

#1 - B.Y.O.S. (Bring Your Own Snacks).  We stuffed a big cooler to the gills with fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, bottled water, Vita Coco, tomatillo salsa (zero points!!), seltzer, and more.  In addition, we brought some veggie crisps and multigrain tortilla chips.  It was great to have healthy options while we were on the road, and once we were in the hotel room we moved the perishables to the minibar - voila! - healthy (and cold!) snack options all weekend long!

Yes, that is 3 buck chuck.  My mum and I keep it classy.

#2 - Take the stairs.  I know that this is not always an option, but if your room is on the second or third floor of your hotel, use the stairwell instead of the elevator.  It's a super easy way to get some extra cardio in without having to go crazily out of your way.  Our room was on the second floor, and we promised each other when we arrived that we would not use the elevator for our entire stay - and we didn't!  And wouldn't you know it, we consistently arrived on our desired floor at the same time as those who took the elevator.  More than once, as my mama and I skipped out of the stairwell, we heard our elevator counterparts remark: "Oh, darnit, we should've taken the stairs."  Let's replace those "we shoulds" with "we dos!"

#3 - Walk it out.  You all probably know by now that I'm a big proponent of walking for fitness.  One of the great things about being on vacation in a new place is that there is so much to explore!  Which means there are plenty of opportunities to walk around!  Our hotel had plenty of foot paths and trails surrounding it, and we took full advantage.  Like good little walker bees, we brought our pedometers and had a great time watching our steps add up as we explored our surroundings.  So make sure you pack a pair of walking shoes or sneaks, grab your pedometer (or your pedometer app), and make like Dora!

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#4 - Your Hotel Room = Mini Gym.  My mama and I would start each day off by doing a quick under-10-minute ab workout, and a series of stretches.  Hotel rooms aren't the most spacious of places, but there is usually enough to stretch out and get your muscles warmed up for the day.  I definitely recommend making a habit of doing it before you head down to that breakfast buffet.  It was amazing how good we felt after starting off our days with little strength training routines!

Work it out!

#5 - It's okay to indulge every once in a while.  After all, you're on vacation!  Though I'm not suggesting that means we should all throw caution to the wind and take a bath in a giant tub filled with macaroni and cheese (though let's be honest - it would be awesome), vacation is about stepping away from the norm and having fun doing it, isn't it!?  We don't always have to deprive ourselves.  So, for example, when the lobster mashed potatoes were calling our name at our restaurant on Friday night, we ordered them (to share).  I think I've dreamed about them every night since.  Totally worth it.

Whoops, forgot to take a pic of the lobster mash.  But this is the place.  Isn't my mama the cutest?

So there you have it - just how my mama and I were able to have an indulgent weekend full of lobster mash, potato chip factories, wine, and the like, while still eating (mostly) healthy, staying active, and feeling good all the while!

Since vacation season is fast approaching, I encourage you all to brainstorm your own tips and strategies for how to balance fun and healthiness while out of town.  Both are possible and work wonderfully well together!!  It goes without saying that when you're on vacation, sticking to your typical health regiment is more difficult.  But what is wonderful about this type of challenge is that it offers you the opportunity to get creative- to find new ways to have fun while still being good to your body and mind.

Queen Bee & Bizzy Bee

Especially when you get to stop at a potato chip factory along the way.


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If you want to read a bit more on how other health-focused peeps handle being on the road, here are some great links:

• 5 Tips for Eating Healthy While Traveling 
• Hungry Girl's 2012 Travel Survival Guide!

Musical Monday #2 - The Starship Edition

And we're back with week two!  

Here are the jams that are keeping my legs pumping and my mind occupied in the gym this week:

Winner of the Week:

Starships - Nicki Minaj

The beat is fun, the song is catchy, and there is a club-style section directly after the chorus that gives me a burst of renewed energy every time.  Good for any cardio machine.

Contenders:

Mercy - Kanye West (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz)

WARNING: Language.  The song has a steady beat that works very well with the elliptical.  Kanye West's part comes in just in time to really give me the push I need to keep going in my workout.

What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction

I don't know what it is about sugary bubblegum pop, but it sure is energizing.  I was grooving along to this on the elliptical last week and it kept me alert and pumping.

Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye

It's definitely a slower jam.  But it works surprisingly well for a cool-down on any cardio machine.  Plus, the beat is rhythmic and the chorus picks up to a decent energy level, so it will keep your mind occupied.

Turn Up the Music - Chris Brown

This jam is a great cardio-bumper.  High energy, fast beat, catchy tune.  Good especially for the treadmill and elliptical.

Spaghetti Squash Silliness

On Tuesday night, I got together with two of my closest friends, Blair and Kerry, for a night of catch-up and yummy eats, all while partaking in some good old fashioned healthifying (as far as I'm concerned, this is a real word now).

Cuties - and I'm apparently a giant now?

Like many of my friends, Blair and Kerry have been very health-oriented for as long as I've known them.  Blair is a rock star at working out and eating healthy, and Kerry is a physical therapist, so it comes with the territory that she is in terrific shape and eats well.  Not to mention they are both hilarious and two of the nicest people you will ever meet.

We headed off to the grocery store to pick out stuff to make a healthy meal, and decided on the following:

• White Wine Spritzers with Fresh Mango
• Spaghetti Squash with Tomato & Meat Sauce 
• Asparagus, Tomato & Feta Salad (a concoction courtesy of Kerry's mom)  

We started our initial food prep (getting the squashes ready and putting them in the oven), then headed off on a leisurely two mile walk (approx 3800 steps according to my pedometer) around the neighborhoods of Georgetown.  The walk was easy-going and took about 40 minutes - such an easy and fun way to hit almost half of our 10k steps for the day!

We returned and the food prep began in earnest.

With the wine spritzers in hand, of course.  Cooking is always more fun when you have a wine spritzer in hand.

The meal was ridiculously good.  On almost every healthy food blog I follow, they rave about the idea of using spaghetti squash in place of regular pasta to eliminate unnecessary carbs and sugars and to in their place fit in another serving (or two, or three!) of veggies.  I had been jonesing to finally try it, and I am so glad we did - though the texture is nothing like pasta (it's crunchy!), the stringy quality is very similar to spaghetti noodles, and when covered in sauce, it's a fun, revamped version of the classic meal.  YUM!

The finished product, sans spritzer.

Without further ado, here is our Tuesday night menu:

White Wine Spritzers with Fresh Mango  

Printable recipe
1 glass = 0 WW points+

Inspired by this recipe from LaaLoosh.

Ingredients:

1 cup dry white wine

4 cups flavored seltzer water

Fresh mango (peeled,  cored and cubed)

Ice cubes

We divvied out the wine and flavored seltzer water (in our case, we used grapefruit flavored Perrier) among three wine glasses, dropped in 5-6 pieces of mango into each glass, and then added the ice cubes last.  Light, refreshing, and very reminiscent of white sangria.  I think I'll be pulling this one out over and over again this summer.  Feel free to use a different flavor seltzer water if grapefruit isn't your thing.

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato & Meat Sauce

Printable recipe 
2 cups squash + a little more than 1/2 cup of sauce (with meat) = 4 WW points+ 
If you use olive oil to brown the meat, add 1 WW point+

Ingredients:

2 spaghetti squashes (each slightly smaller than a football)

1 jar Classico Fire-Roasted Tomato & Garlic Sauce

1 lb 93% lean ground turkey

Olive oil or cooking spray

1.  Preheat the oven to 375°F
2.  Cut the spaghetti squashes in half, length-wise

Yes, Kerry.  Just like that.

3.  Scoop out the seeds

Scoop Scoop!

4.  Brush the halves with olive oil (or cooking spray)
5.  Fill a baking dish with an inch of water, and place the halves pulp-side-up in the dish
6.  Bake the squashes for one hour
7.  Remove the squashes from the oven, and use a fork to shred the pulp

 (it should have the consistency of spaghetti)

8.  Put the shredded squash in a bowl, serve hot!

Blair is ready for spaghetti!

Meanwhile, for the sauce: 
1.  Drizzle some olive oil or cooking spray in a skillet
2.  Add the ground turkey to the skillet, brown it
3.  Add the pasta sauce, stir until well combined and heated
4.  Serve over the shredded squash, as you would normal spaghetti sauce!

Asparagus, Tomato & Feta Salad

Printable recipe

(1 cup = 2 WW points+ - and only if you're liberal with your feta intake)

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 cluster of tomatoes on the vine
4 Tbsp reduced fat feta cheese (we used Athenos)

1.  Use hands to break off the tough ends of the asparagus stalks
2.  Cut asparagus in half, put in large pot and boil for 10 minutes
3.  Chop up tomatoes into large chunks, put into a large bowl
4.  Add the hot asparagus to the bowl
4.  Add the feta cheese
5.  Stir to combine
6.  Serve warm!

This is a real rock star meal - and it's super low in WW points+.  My entire meal (and I was stuffed!) only cost me 10 WW points+ (and only because I got second helpings of the spaghetti squash/sauce). 

A win-win all around.  I hope you enjoy it as much Blair, Kerry and I did! 

Monday Afternoon Links ~ 4.9.12

Here are the health links that have my mind and body buzzing this week:

10 Overrated Health Foods
Some literal food for thought.  I don't agree with everything she says, but it's great to have a devil's advocate every once in a while.

25 Photo-Illustrated Reminders to Help You Find Happiness
Marc and Angel Hack Life has the most amazing list posts.  This is one of them.  The photos look like something that belongs on an "inspirational" board on Pinterest.

28 Ways to Boost Energy Instantly
Learn how to tackle the afternoon slump organically.

50 Ways to Nurture Your Happiness
Another Marc and Angel Hack Life post.  Very inspiring.

Find a "Comfort Food" for Your Mind
A brilliant take on how to beat the blues.  My current "comfort food" has to be re-runs of The Simpsons or How I Met Your Mother.

Focus On: Weight Watchers
A 101 guide to the program that is helping me change my lifestyle.

The Hunger Games Guide to Survival
A creative post on a very topical subject.  I love me some HG !

Tippy Toe Diet's Top Ten Favorite Quotes
Some inspiration for my workouts this week.

Workout Mistakes Most Women Make
Enlightening.  I have a ways to go.

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Find all of the links mentioned in posts here (also permanently linked as a tab at the top of the site).

Musical Monday #1 - The "Luv" Edition

Welcome to your first edition of Musical Mondays.

In these posts, I will highlight five songs that are currently pushing me to work hard at my fitness goals.  Workouts are infinitely easier with some great beats to bop to, so let's get down to business!

Winner of the Week:  

Give Me All Your Luvin' - Madonna (featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.)

Oh deary me, I cannot get enough of this song.  I sometimes listen to it 3-4 times in a row while I'm on the elliptical.  It's very easy to move to its beat, and it has interesting parts (read: Nicki & M.I.A.'s cameos) that keep you jazzed and alert throughout the entire song.  A really fun jam.

The Contenders:

Dance (A$$) - Big Sean

WARNING:  I am providing the "cleaned up version," but the original has strong language/material.  The chorus is repetitive and has a strong beat.  It's made for a hard elliptical workout or a decent running pace on the treadmill.  The spontaneity of the different sections of the song keep my attention from diverting, and the song itself is just ridiculous.

Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO

"Girl look at that body... I work out!"  Nothing like a song to narrate my cardio to keep my spirits high and my legs pumping.  Good for any cardio machine.  It's a funny song with a good beat.  

Feel So Close (Radio Edit) - Calvin Harris

Made for jamming out in the club, but great for jamming out on your cardio machine of choice, as well.  The beat I feel is more suited to the treadmill or bike than the elliptical, but it's strong and a good listen.

Boyfriend - Justin Bieber

Excuse me, Bizzy, but a Bieber song??  Yes.  Because it's amazing.  It's a slower jam, so this song is perfect for a cool-down on the treadmill or elliptical.  

You can access the complete list of songs posted on the blog here (it's also accessible via the tab at the top of the blog).

MM & BB Yoga It Up

Peeps, I made a big step in my fitness goals last night (and no, it was not related to my pedometer).  I attended a yoga class put together by LivingSocial with my darling health-guru future sis-in-law, Margo.  It was intense, it was comprehensive, and they gave us free wine at the end.  Always a plus to any workout.

The class was held in LivingSocial's new downtown space.  They brought in an awesome instructor from Yoga District named Cara and over the course of an hour, we stretched, we posed, we relaxed, we struggled, we sweated.

I was beyond nervous to do this, guys.  For one thing, I am terribly inflexible.  Do you all remember the v-sit in elementary school?  I do.  It basically scarred me for life.

For another, if your impression of yoga is anything like mine (and this is coming from a girl that has definitely participated in yoga classes before - even if... well... it hasn't been for a few years), you're constantly assuming that you'll need to be able to stand on your head like this within 15 minutes of the class starting:

(source)

But luckily for me and the rest of the inflexible populace, that is not entirely what yoga is about.  As our instructor, Cara, explained to us, yoga is about approaching the divine inner light within your heart.  It's about coordinating your movements with your breath, and becoming one with the process.  Cara was constantly reminding us that if we were uncomfortable with a position, we could remain in one that worked better for our bodies.  It was very reassuring for a novice like me.  I was blown away by how receptive and accommodating yoga can be, while still challenging your mind and body deeply.  

Despite the fact that I was sweating my butt off and practically every muscle (including ones I didn't know I had) was shouting at me by the end of it, I felt at peace.  The combination of mental relaxation and physical exertion was in perfect balance.       

If you live in the DC area and are interested in pursuing yoga, you should 100% check out Yoga District.  They have five different locations and offer classes on a donation basis ($10/class).  Their classes are affordable, they offer tons of options for all skill levels, and the center works on a volunteer non-profit mission basis.  It's a super cool way to get in touch with your inner light!

I know I'll be heading back.  Let me know if you'd like to join me!

Walk It Out

It’s National Walking Day - which is a perfect segue into my first fitness-related posting!  

Walking is one of the easiest ways to keep your heart happy and your body moving, and today I’m going to give you some tips on how to turn something you have to do anyway into a legit commitment to a healthier body.

Before I dig in, the current recommended guidelines for the daily # of steps are:

• 6,000 for health and body maintenance
• 10,000+ for weight loss and optimal health (and to be truly “active”)

Here are my favorite walking tips:

#1:  Pedometer, baby.  The first step (ha, pun completely intended) in becoming aware of my walking activity was to get something to record how many steps I’m taking on a daily basis.  Reality check - 10,000 steps is HARD to attain - a fact I did not realize until I acquired a pedometer.  This is the one I currently use, and it’s a great product.  I have been very satisfied with it so far - before using it for the first time, there's a setup process that is essential to tracking a more accurate reading, so don’t skip it! It will ask you to measure your stride, which you can find out how to do here.  If you don’t want to shell out the bucks for a pedometer just yet, consider downloading this free app, which uses GPS technology to count your steps. It was my go-to before I buckled down and got an independent pedometer.

#2:  Take the long way.  There’s a copier three feet away from my desk, and another one about 40 feet down the hall.  Guess which one I use? The same applies for where I park (the farther from the door the better), which Metro station I use (if I need to switch lines and know that the line I'm transferring to is walkable, off I go!), and which walking routes I take on strolls and errands.
#3:  Bring distractions.  Grab your iPod before you head out the door.  I used to love jamming out to tunes, but lately it’s been audiobooks for me.  I love audiobooks.  I subscribe to Audible, an Amazon service that lets you download audiobooks directly to your iPhone (or iPod or Droid or Kindle).  Time flies fast on otherwise mundane walks when someone is telling you a captivating story the whole way!
#4:  Lunchtime = crunch time.  I keep a change of clothes and a pair of sneaks at work.  On beautiful days (of which there have been many in the District lately), I don my workout gear (usually a tee and cropped sweatpants), hook up my current audiobook (right now it’s Christine by Stephen King - I have creepy tastes, apparently) and head off to explore my city during my lunch hour.  My favorite route lately is just under three miles round trip and takes me all the way down the National Mall to the Washington Monument and back.  I'm aware that not all of you work in the DC area, so this option may not be available to you. But strolling down the streets and sidewalks surrounding your office or neighborhood works just as well - especially if you adhere to my #3 suggestion.
#5:  Keep track.  I log how many steps I'm taking a day.  Remember - 6,000 is the minimum and a great start, but 10,000 is optimal.  I keep track of mine with my Activity Tracker via Weight Watchers, but there are tons of options out there for non-WW subscribers. You can enter it into your own Excel or Google Docs spreadsheet or use one of these nifty logs provided for this very purpose: AHA's Tracker and About.com's List of Top 8 Pedometer Walking Programs.


Here's a few more cool links to check out (both have been referred to above):

• About.com’s Walking Guide gives awesome daily guidance on how to add some more spring into your step.  There’s even an option to sign up for daily emails that give awesome and incredibly helpful tips (check it out in the upper right corner).  It’s made a huge difference for me so far and I hope it will for you too!  
• The American Heart Association’s “Start Walking Now” program is great. Register to receive tips, ideas, and incentives to get you on your feet. AHA is the creator of National Walking Day, too!

It truly is amazing how much walking can improve your heart, health, and mind.  I look forward to my lunchtime walks every day, and it has made such a difference in my afternoon demeanor, my overall daily morale, and my self confidence. Not to mention it's helping me get in shape!

I invite you to pledge to take a 30 minute walk with me today to celebrate National Walking Day. Walking for fitness doesn't need to be a chore, and hopefully with the tips I've laid out, you will be able to find a routine that works for you! It’s an easy and surefire way to be good to your body. Let's get going!