Walking: The Other White Meat

Today is National Walk to Work Day, just in case you missed it. I still opted to ride the 13 miles to work. However, I thought I'd share some of this enlightening information in a company-distributed email. It was ripped from a webpage devoted to this very occasion:

About Walk to Work Day: National Walk to Work Day is held the first Friday of April in the USA, beginning in 2004. National Walk to Work Day is promoted by Prevention magazine and endorsed by the US Department of Health and Human Services and the American Podiatric Medical Association.

In case you don't know "how to participate" (i.e. WALK), no worries:

How to Participate: You are encouraged to walk for all or part of your commute to work on the first Friday of April. Aim for a minimum 15 minute walk each way. If you take public transportation, try walking to a further stop before boarding, or getting off a stop early and walking the rest of the distance to work. If your commute is too long, make it a Walk to Lunch Day. Invite your co-workers to join with you for Walk to Work Day, or join you in a Walk to Lunch.

Walking for 30 minutes a day as part of your work commute or lunch puts you into the "Moderate Physical Activity" category and greatly lowers your health risks.

And, just in case you aren't up to the adult activity of dressing yourself appropriately, here are guidelines on that, too:

Dressing for Walking: Your walking shoes should be comfortable for walking for 15-30 minutes at a stretch. If your work shoes don't work for walking, wear athletic shoes and carry along your work shoes to change into. For April, dress for the weather with a jacket (water-resistant, with hood in rainy climates). Carry your necessary papers, purse, etc. in a small backpack.

Wow, I feel empowered. Thanks to this little review I think I can get out of my internal combustion wheelchair and use my legs again. If you fear you've regressed to a pre-developmental state, maybe this information can help you too. I thought walking was natural. I took it for granted as something I HAD to do to get to appliances and devices that cut out all work and physical exertion. Who knew I could use it to go places beyond the bathroom, the parking lot and the refrigerator? I can even be creative by carrying a backpack with STUFF in it! And if it rains or gets a little chilly, guess what? I CAN KEEP WALKING!

This is amazing. I gotta go tell more friends everything I've learned about something I once thought was pretty darned useless.