So, this is TheWalkingGuy.

And I am doing alot of walking.

But I have been doing some running lately, and I kinda like it.

I never saw myself as a Runner. And when I was very heavy and just getting re-started on being active in 2013, I knew that I had to be very careful of excessive wear and tear on my feet, ankles, knees, and hips. Walking made alot of sense – low impact, doesn’t require special equipment, so I went with it.

As I’ve gotten my weight back down, it’s been nice to be able to do more. I’ll probably always look to walking as my primary form of exercise.

Walking is so easy to fit in your life. You don’t need much equipment – that’s a key requirement for me. And you can do so many other things while you walk: walk and talk to friends, talk on the phone, listen to books, listen to podcasts, even draft future entries for TheWalkingGuy. (Yes, I walk and type. There will be a future entry on Safety in which I plan to chastise myself for this).

But you do need to do more – carefully, as you’re able. I didn’t start running until I was down to a much lower weight. I also started slow – first running intervals, then a mile at a time, then two miles, etc. I have worked up to 5k, but only a couple, and I only run at all about twice per week. I started to look for local 5k races, but as I thought more about it, I don’t need to spend money on them or be on their schedule, especially when I can just go run 5k when I want to. (Which I did this afternoon. It was a gorgeous day here today!)

Working in strength training is good too. The weight loss program I took made this clear and offered supplementary exercise classes. The more muscle groups you get involved, the more weight you’ll be able to burn. I’ve been using an app called the Seven Minute Workout that has a great variety of exercises for core, upper body, lower body, and more.

Then there is just plain mixing it up. Walking is great, but variety is good too. This is one of the reasons I really dislike treadmills – they’re too boring and repetitive. I personally like walking outside as my base form of activity, and supplementing with these other things.

There’s much more to say here. But ultimately, you have to find what works for you. So – take a walk and find what DOES work for you!