Week 6: Switch Up Your Walks

Hi All,
I am so lucky to have a beautiful place to walk-- just recent-- my weather is Florida is starting to change so that I can safely take a morning walk.  I walk about 2.5 miles-- using my pedometer- sometimes more depending on the route.  I actually walk to a beacj-- across a draw bridge on the intercoastal.  have lived here 1 month and will never get tired of this walk!!!  Before had a great 1 mile walk and often would walk in the eve on a golf course-- various miles, but this was fun-- walked in the eve when playing was finished or early am.  Have a gym with a treadmill when the weather doesn't cooperate.  BUT really love being outside-- when I was in NE and it was winter a treadmill was my salvation.  Keep walking even if you can only do 10/15 minutes-- good for the body and good for the soul

During the week days I tend to walk in my development, but I do "shake it up" a bit by changing the order I walk the streets in the develpment.  On weekends I walk in an area called the "Silver Comet Trail", this is a old railroad track (track has been removed) that is about 34 miles long, I only walk four or five miles of the track, but I do enjoy the walk.  Now that cooler weather and rain has hit the Atlanta area I use a walking tape, which has proved to be challenging.  I find that by "switching up my walking" I enjoy walking more, feel more challenged and feel healthy.  

Good luck everyone, hope you are doing well with the fall walking challenge.

Hey fellow walkers!  It has been beautiful these past couple days but cold weather is coming our way again so it is time to think about alternate places to walk.  When I walk outside I am fortunate to live near a beautiful lake road and there is also a great walk into town.  I live just outside of town enough to make it a couple of miles to go to town and back.  Many times I will walk to the stores to pick up small items rather than drive the car.  We also have a beautiful Outlet Trail that runs between the two Finger Lakes.  I do love to walk there as the trail is well taken care of but offers some hills.  The Outlet Trail is usually where I walk the shelter dogs on the weekends.  Now depending on which dog I take, I can get in interval walking just by taking one of the more unpredictable ones.  For instance, the day the one dog realized that she hadn't seen a squirrel to chase in a long time!  Well, when that squirrel ran down the trail ahead of us, you bet I did a sprint that for sure got my heart racing.  All kidding aside, I do vary up my speed and take my pulse every once in awhile to make sure I am working at my target heart rate for part of my walk. 
    This past weekend, when camping in Letchworth State Park, we walked the trails along the gorge, which has plenty of steps and we all know that what goes (or walks) up must walk back down.  A beautiful hike to be sure and gave my legs a good workout. 
The nearest mall is an hour away and I am not really a fan of mall walking unless it is before everyone gets milling around....too many people in the way.  When the weather is bad I have my trusty treadmill and I have recently purchased a Gazelle.  I do like to use both but my favorite walking is done outside in my beautiful country side.  We are blessed with many trails and state parks to walk in around this area. 
    I especially like to walk with my hubby when he is home.  Lately, our Sunday breakfast date has been to walk to town for breakfast at our favorite restaurant.  The whole trip is a 3.4 mile walk and it really gives us time to catch up because he is on the road most of the week.  I also like to walk with friends but am not opposed to walking by myself and listening to a book on my mp3.  It goes without saying that I love to walk the shelter dogs as they are great company.  I miss my old dogs but just can't have a dog right now and my cats are rather opposed to having a harness and leash put on them ;o)  Because of the arthritis damage in my knees, I am supposed to be careful and not do too many steep climbs.  Even when we were walking the gorge I took it at an easy pace for my knees. 
   Well I hope you are all doing well.  I do have a question for some of my walking buddies.  Have any of you ever walked dogs for pay?  If so how did you get started?  Did you have any problems with it?  A friend of mine told me that I should advertise to walk dogs, which would then help me make the money to keep being online with all of my SB buddies. 

When I was walking to town with my hubby, I had him check my form and every once in awhile he said I was leaning forward into my walk too.   I guess I didn't even realize I was doing it.

I agree, mall walking holds no interest to me!  It must be beautiful back East with season's changing.  I think the beach walking in Florida sounds great!!  I think I might be weird but one thing I like about my walk is I go by several horses and I just love the smell of horses and hay.  It's like a taste of country living.  There is something about just getting outside, it's good for my soul!!!

I grew up around horses.  I raised Arabian/Appaloosas as a teen.  I would love to walk past horses every day.  I am a real animal lover so to walk past them on my route would really encourage me to get out there and take my walk.  Lucky  you. 

I have a few different routes that I walk.  There is a cemetery just one block over and I like to walke the paths in there.  I can also go around a couple of streets that aren't busy to make a longer or varied walk.  Sometimes I walk over to my middle son's house which is about 20 min there and back.  When I can, I really like to walk the trails at a nearby state park.