502,436 parents have taken the pledge
TODAY'S PLEDGE

Today I pledge to...

Walking it Off

Ever since I moved to Chicago, I’ve become a much more active person. Living in the city requires you to walk almost everywhere (even with the help of public transportation) and now that my body is used to it, it doesn’t like inactivity. The days of lying around the house for hours, walking only as far as to the kitchen or bedroom are done. My body needs activity.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to feed that need. Even though I work out regularly, I also try to keep my heart rate up during the day (and to avoid the 3 p.m. need for a nap) by walking around the office to visit people (and save myself some emails) and taking the stairs when going to meetings. Some days, I have to drag myself up the stairs, but I never regret doing it.

Depending on the day, I’ll even walk for about 20 minutes after work to get some fresh air, exercise and decompress. And since I’ve started doing these small daily activities, I find that my energy is up, I’m more alert and don’t feel as guilty when I visit the candy jar for a few small treats in the afternoon. I just have to remember to stop at two (or three) pieces. Otherwise, it’s back to the stairs.

What are some ways that you can work a few extra steps into your daily routine?

Jessica Braun wrote this post for Together Counts on behalf of Edelman Digital.

« Back to the Blog