one step forward, two steps ...

i hate having a desk job.

sit, sit, sit all day with no movement from the waist down.

and other than walking (very minimally) from point a to point b, i don't utilize the greatest exercise opportunity that i have within myself.

i'm working on changing that.

simply increasing the steps you take per day can really have a drastic affect on your life.

according to wendy bumgardner, walking blogger extraordinaire, you should begin by increasing "your pedometer steps by 2000 per day, up to a goal first of 6000 steps per day and eventually to 10,000 steps per day."

be sure to warm up before you walk. you need to wake up your muscles and let them know you'll be needing to use them for awhile. go at an easy pace for 5-10 minutes or so. about.com says "this will tell your muscles they can't just sit back and burn up the available sugars in your body; they need to call on the fat reserves." consider this an exercise primer.

for the next 30-60 minutes, you should walk at a "determined" pace.

(you remember that one time you were late for that one thing, and how you walked as fast as you could to get there? the sense of urgency in your step? yeah, kinda like that.)

i like to use the talk test.

taken from the center for disease control and prevention, the talk test is a simple method of measuring activity intensity. "a person who is active at a light intensity level should be able to sing while doing the activity. one who is active at a moderate intensity level should be able to carry on a conversation comfortably while engaging in the activity. if a person becomes winded or too out of breath to carry on a conversation, the activity can be considered vigorous."

be sure to give your body a cool down time by walking at a slower pace for five minutes. (it's also recommended to finish off your walking excursion with some stretching. i'm not there yet.)

something new i learned today: it is not recommended to add outside weight to your body while walking. if you do, you should add no more than 10 pounds and wear it in a backpack or at your hips so your body can remain balanced and your posture is not thrown off. walking with poor posture or adding weight to your arms or legs can lead to injury.

oops. i occasionally use ankle and wrist weights to add intensity ... this is a no-no now.

even if you don't have time for a regimented exercise plan, try implementing a few of these in your life:

• park your car farther from the store, work, etc.
• use part of your lunch break as a chance to walk around the block (or building)
• take the dog around the block a few times
• (for those in apartments) walk to get your mail or visit the front office
• use a push lawnmower instead of a riding one!
• use the stairs instead of the elevator

and finally, what would an informational post be without calculators?

walking calories calculator

walking calories and distance calculator

pedometer walking calories and distance calculator

go, my friends! take the world by storm!

we can do it, one step at a time.