Five Great Reasons To Start Walking Today

Photo courtesy of Nattu

I'm still recovering from my cold. Thank you to all those who have wished me well and to Julie Cohen, from Vicks, who saw my post and sent me DayQuil and NyQuil! While I'm recovering from this cold, I started to think about walking and its many benefits. I walk for many reasons, among them are: to keep healthy, lower my travel costs, photography and numerous others. I walk about 5 to 10 miles on a weekly basis, which includes my weekly commute to and from work (I take mass transit). Sometimes I walk much more than this. Even doing the minimum 5 miles a week adds up to 260 miles walked yearly. By my estimates, I walk closer to 500 miles a year. Even if I only walked 260 miles yearly, it is still more than what the average American does. In a recent study about obesity rates, it has been found that countries with active commuters (walking, biking and mass transit) tend to have lower obesity rates. I think this is another reason why we should all take up walking.

To give you all the reasons why you should start walking, it would take a book, even a volume of books. So I will list five reasons to get you started.

Walk for your Health

Walking is a great way to start your excercise routine. Brisk walking can get your blood circulating and is a great way to warm up your muscle before other more strenuous excercises. How much you should walk depends on your current health status. Before starting any excercise regimen, you should check with your doctor, especially if you are concerned about your health. If you consider yourself healthy, start small and add more distance on a regular basis. On a recent post, I wrote about how I do brisk walking, about 8 times around a track field. This is nothing to those of you who are more fit, and this may be too much for those who are not used to walking regularly. The key is to start walking and keep at it. Like all good habits, be it for health or other aspects of your life, the key to success is starting and keeping at it.


Walk To Save On Travel Costs

Another great reason to walk, is to save money on your travel costs. If you are used to walking regularly, then walking five or ten blocks to your local supermarket or drugstore is not a problem. If you are not used to walking, perhaps it's time to get started on a healthy and more economical habit. Walking will save wear and tear on your automobile and any monetary costs associated with maintaining it. If you take public transportation to get to destinations under half a mile away, perhaps you can think about walking instead. In some circumstances, it may be faster than public transportation.


Walk To Reach Your Destination Faster

I've had occasions when I waited for a bus for half an hour. This is in my NYC neighborhood, usually on a weekend or late in the evenings. If you just missed a bus and need to get only a few blocks away, it is usually faster to walk. I've seen people who use the bus to get to the subway station during rush hour. They live only 2 blocks from the subway station, yet they wait for packed bus after bus, to take them to the subway station. I would just walk the two blocks and get to my destination faster.


Walk To Improve Your Relationships

In the movie "Click
", Adam Sandler plays a your typical guy who wants to skip through the inconveniences of life. When he gets sick, he fast forwards, when he gets into an argument he pushes the fast forward button. At the end of the movie, he realizes he has skipped through some of the best parts of his life. Don't be like his character in Click! Many people talk about lack of time to spend with their loved ones. We are a modern society that makes work number one and family often comes second. We should do everything we can to improve our relationships and walking is one of the best ways this can be done. Instead of jumping in a car or waiting in line for a bus, walk! Walking with a friend or family and having a meaningful conversation, or even just a relaxing one, is one of the best ways to improve your relationships. Often you will get to your destination before you know it, time flies when you are in the middle of a good conversation. When was the last time you walked for 20 minutes with your husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend? This may even give the two of you time to relax and forget about everything else. It doesn't matter if you are walking to exercise or walking to get to a common destination, having company during your walk is sure to improve and strengthen your walking habits, not to mention your relationships. So why don't you take half an hour this weekend and walk with your husband/wife?


Walk To Improve Your Photography

Taking life at a slower pace can make it more enjoyable, this can show in the results of your photography. Whether you are taking up photography as a hobby or if it is your profession, you will end up with better photos if you take the time to notice the details. Focusing on your subject and studying it before snapping the photo can do wonders to improve your photography. This is especially true for novice photographers, such as myself. Take the time to walk and study your surroundings, you will develop your photographic eye as you walk and study your subject from various angles.

There you have it, five great reasons to start walking today! I'm sure many of you have your own great reasons to start walking. Please share your thoughts in the comments. I hope you have enjoyed this post. Thanks for visiting. Follow me on Twitter for additional links to Frugal tips and tricks. If you would like to contribute to Frugal NYC in any way, articles, ideas, posts, interesting links, advice, financial assistance, or anything else, feel free to contact me via email. Click here to add this to your RSS reader.