Yesterday, my son and I walked into town for our daily excursion, a 6 km walk. Along the way, we met a lady out walking. “Good for you,” she said, “Walking is my chosen exercise, I do it every day.” Hmmm…I thought.

Then just last week, I saw a former training client at lunch, and he announced that he had found the perfect exercise regime for him: walking. “I try to do about 7 km a day,” he said. “No more gym stuff for me.”

I recall another lady that was quizzing me about the need for formal training. “I get enough exercise chasing after my grandkids,” she said. “I don’t need anything more.” Yes you do. Really, think about it.

See here’s the thing (and I’ll probably get tons of emails for this….), walking is not exercise. Walking, in my books, is an activity. Exercise is when we train our bodies in a structured environment to attain a higher level of fitness and health. Activity, is, well, the other stuff that we’re supposed to do on a regular basis, like, well, walking.

See here’s the rub: when we look at walking as something out of the ordinary, then we’re saying that the norm is to be sedentary, when in fact, walking (and moving in general) is supposed to be the norm. And other things, like cutting the lawn, power washing or spring cleaning…these too are norms, things we are supposed to do in our daily lives.

Yes, I think walking is very worthwhile, and I do it every day with my dog (good thing about having a dog!), but I don’t factor that into my daily exercise regime. After our 6 km walk, I still did my 30 minutes of high impact cardio, then a 45 minute gym routine. Now I know not everyone is into physique training like me, but you don’t have to be. I always say, change your thinking, change your body…and your life. 

See you on the walking path!

Karen

PS – NEW CLASS!: I’m teaching a NEW Women on Weights class at PAK Fitness (formerly the Bodybarn). This class, and my regular Lift n’ Lose at Panorama are the only 2 group classes I’m teaching in 2012, limited seats, so sign up soon! September is closer than you think! CLICK HERE!