Walking Tip For Weight Loss: Keep Your Sneakers In Your Car

I have recently discovered a new walking tip to help me lose weight. It is very simple: Keep my sneakers in my car! Seems almost too easy but it works. Having my sneakers available to me at a moment's notice helps me to actively seek out new places to walk. I have been trying to lose weight by eating healthier and walking daily. I can stop and walk now anywhere I find a place with a walking path or track. Sometimes I find I arrive somewhere early or have extra time to kill before I need to pick my children up. Or I have extra time on my way from the bank to the grocery store, etc. By having my sneakers ready and available, I can get in extra walking time. When my sneakers are with me in my car, I have them at my fingertips to throw on anytime I happen to be driving by an area that has a walking path or a track such as a high school or recreation area. Once I realized that I have sneakers available to me anytime I am driving; it helps jog ( pun intended!) my mind to noticing jogging tracks and recreational pathways in the towns or on the streets I regularly drive through.

Since I have been carrying my sneakers in the car with me, I have looked for and discovered numerous new places to walk in my geographical area. I take two kids to work 5 - 6 days each week. On the way to my son's house, I noticed there is a recreational path 5 minutes before his apartment. I have started leaving earlier to pick him up when I drive him to work. I can get in as much time as I want walking before I pick him up. There are some people who also walk this path every morning, so we are becoming used to each other and now say hello in typical friendly support of each of us wanting to encourage our wellness goals. This walking path is next to a river, and there are geese that live in this recreational area, and a waterfall makes a pleasant backdrop for walking. One of the best things about this new walking area I have discovered is the peacefulness of the morning air and the feeling that once I have accomplished my walk, I have done something good for myself to start off my day.

My daughter works at a Dunkin Donuts so some days, as a special treat, I will purchase a cup of Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla coffee to drink on the ride home. I did this last week and took a longer route home than usual. I drove by a recreational area in a nearby town, and since I didn't have to be home for anything in particular and had my sneakers in the car with me, I stopped at the recreational area and walked the path around the outside of the park a few times, drinking my coffee and enjoying the quiet when no one else was around. This particular area is in a small country town, and it was very quiet with the only sounds being the early morning birds, and my sneakers hitting the ground as I walked. It was a peaceful, but healthy way to start off my day.

Last week, my daughter and I took her dog for a drive and wanted to go to the beach. We found a beach in a nearby town, but the parking lot was very crowded. We headed across the street to the spill over parking lot, and instead found the cutest little park with benches along the water, a boat launch from where her dog could go swimming, and...you guessed it...a walking path. I had my sneakers in the car with me so while she threw sticks into the water for her dog to swim after, I got in a very nice walk.

Yesterday I actually discovered a new walking path at the recreational center in the town where my daughter works. I drive her to work and pick her up from work five days per week. This walking path is in a town park that also has free wi-fi at the park pavilion. And it allows dogs also to come along. So I am dreaming of days the rest of this Summer and Fall that I can bring my laptop to the pavilion, write a hub inspired by nature around me, take the dog for a walk and get the exercise I need not only for weight loss but for my well-being. This walking path is .62 miles. I happen to know this because the park has it posted. That's a great way for me to keep track of how much mileage I am putting in each time I walk it.

Having my sneakers in the car with me has opened up a whole world of possibilities of places to walk so I can get in exercise on my way to or from places I travel every day. Not only is it helping me with my weight loss goals, but it also helps me feel more relaxed, and when I am done I have a sense of well-being and accomplishment. If you decide to keep your sneakers in your car with you and discover new places to walk, or that you are walking more, please leave a comment below.

TIP: If you only have one pair of sneakers, you may want to consider getting a second pair just for this purpose.