If you can take a shortcut, don’t take it



Image by 💚🌺💚Nowaja💚🌺💚 from Pixabay

So this week, I was excited because I had a week of walking planned. Sixty minutes separated by two times. So two thirty minute walks in a day.

As I walk this thirty minute path, I have noted there is a possible shortcut to get to my destination and every time I think, maybe I should look this shortcut up, I instantly tell myself, “No, because you want more steps to walk, not less.” 

And then I discovered another short cut, the bus. Instead of walking thirty minutes, I could probably spend between 10-20 minutes on the bus and get there quicker. It’s so easy to use and with Queensland’s 50 cents public transport fares in Australia, you can easily justify the cost.

So why not take walking short cuts? 

Well that’s really easy and you can tell yourself every time a shortcut arises. It’s simple, the point of walking for health is to walk as many steps a day as needed to see a result. For me, it’s 9,000 - 10,000 steps a day at a minimum but I know I get really tired if it’s more than 12,000 steps. So I try to keep it between this range. 

If I take short cuts, I’m losing about 5-20 minutes of walking in the thirty minutes that I have dedicated to walking. So, is the shortcut worth it? Not unless I’m in a hurry to go somewhere. But be careful with that excuse because when are we not in a hurry to get somewhere? 

You have to find time to incorporate walking for your health so work out what excuses you will accept and what is an absolute excuse you will not accept to take that shortcut. 

Also, be careful because I find once you let one excuse on one day win, soon other excuses are harder to ignore and the result of this is, you walk less.

Because let’s face it after a big day, you aren’t wanting to get home quicker just to go on a treadmill? If you can walk home, it’s forced exercise, so you either walk home or you catch some sort of transport. Why not, make the time to exercise? It could be your only time to exercise.

Honestly, most excuses to get somewhere by getting there quicker with a car or other transport is just not worth it. What is worth it, is scraping out time to walk.

Now what you do on this walk is up to you. But I suggest if walking along a busy road, play some dance music. One so you can hear the beat to walk to and two so you can hear it. If you aren’t walking on a busy road, pop on a podcast to help your walking for health journey. 

So write what’s your reason to not take shortcuts when out for a walk to meet your goal? 

Then write excuses and then answer these excuses with no, I can’t take this short cut because (insert reason above). This will hold you accountable to achieving your walking goals. Don’t give up! 

There is nothing wrong with adding a walking routine to your every day. Actually, it’s perfect for walking for health. Write down your plan today and get walking! 

#walkingforhealth #noexcuses #meltoye 

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