Walking easy way to stroll into fitness routine

By Krystle Wagner

Created:
05/28/09 4:58pm

Last updated:
05/28/09 4:58pm

4 comments

Before the rainy weather started, it was beautiful and warm outside. So I started trying to find time to spend outdoors.

Working out doesn’t have to include lifting weights or doing sit-ups. It can be as simple as going for a walk or run around your neighborhood. Last summer, I took our family dog, Spazy, for long walks. He grew to dread the words “do you want to go for a walk?” Even when I go home on the weekends and mention “walking,” he drops his head and walks away from me.

At first we only walked a mile or so a day, but the more free time I had, the more we walked. I think we walked four or five miles every other day. I find walking to be a relaxing way to unwind from the stresses of daily life. I enjoy walking outdoors more than I do on a treadmill because I think the scenery adds to the enjoyment factor.

When I lived on campus, I walked everywhere. I still walk while on campus, but nothing like I did my freshman year. I lived on one side of the campus and had a class on the other end. Instead of taking the bus, I walked. I bought one of the step counters and in any given day, I had walked between three and five miles.

Looking back, I did most of my walking for relaxation at night. It wasn’t the smartest to walk alone on campus in the dark, but a few times a friend went with me. Before I got my own pepper spray — courtesy of my brother as a birthday gift — my roommate would have me take hers.

I’m going to sound like a hypocrite when I say this, but I do not recommend walking alone at night. Let me repeat, I do not recommend walking alone at night. Even if the area is well-lit, it’s not safe. I get restless at night, so I hit the treadmill in my apartment complex’s 24-hour gym.

Another alternative I’ve found to walking alone and exercising alone, is finding a friend who wants to get into shape too. We are going to set up a workout schedule and start running. I’ve never really been much of a runner, but she likes running. I’m going to work up to it by starting small with power walking and then jogging.

Maybe I’ll become the female version of Forrest Gump, although I don’t see myself running across the country anytime soon.

Commentary

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huh?

(05/29/09 8:48am)
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What is this article even about!? Walking for exercise, practicing safety while exercising, or walking your dog?? This is one of the worst articles the State News has ever published. Between this and the Jon and Kate article, I am incredibly concerned.

omg

(05/29/09 1:02pm)
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re: “huh”‘s comment. are you an idiot? this isn’t an article, it’s a blog. similarly, the jon and kate “article” is a blog. blogs are meant to have a lighter tone and sometimes take on more topical issues. if you don’t understand that, then get off the website . it is perfectly clear in the description of the BLOG and if you actually read it, what the BLOG is about. use your head!

huh?

(06/01/09 8:25am)
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Dear “omg”,

Blog or not, this piece has absolutely zero flow and does not directly address any specific topic. It is choppy and lacks any organization whatsoever. Maybe that’s what blogs are supposed to be, similar to 15-year-old girls’ diary entries. No thanks.

Agreed

(06/01/09 10:25am)
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You definetly needed to start out with one theme and help make it flow. I don’t know how to tell others how to write like some brillant people do. But I do know that this story did seem all over the place and hard to read. Maybe next time pick a topic and stay with one theme. HOPE that I was a help.

About Summer of Fitness

State News features writer Krystle Wagner gives you the skinny on her journey through a summer of fitness. Read as she examines all aspects of her strides to become a fitness fanatic.

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