"I walked to work today!" he said happily. "It was great!"
My friend was a walker long before I took up the habit, but since we moved to our downtown office, he'd let his walking slide a bit. But now, because of my incessant ramblings about how great I feel walking, he's walking again. Four days now, he has chosen to pop in his headphones, put on his favorite podcast, and hoof it nearly 4 miles to the office. I've always wanted to be a trendsetter!
This also means at least two of us who work downtown are helping ease our terrible traffic issues. Given that everybody and their dog and their third cousin has moved to Austin, and those who haven't seem to be packed and ready to move here any day now, it's not a big surprise that Austin just landed on a list of the top ten cities with the worst traffic in the United States. The fact Austin landed at #4? Pretty miserable news.
Last week, one of the administrators at my daughter's school looked at me with curiosity and asked, "Did I see you walking by the tennis courts at UT the other day? And were you wearing a backpack?"
I'd like to suggest that she was somewhat shocked to see me wearing a backpack because I'm such a delightful fashionista, but I think she was just shocked to see me walking.
"Yep," I said, "I started walking to work in January, and some days, I walk about a mile towards home and my husband comes and picks me up. It's pretty hilarious and out there, but it's changing my life!"
After she popped her eyes back into her head, she admitted that she and her husband were living fairly close to the school for a while, and they always promised to ride bikes to work, but that it never happened. When she admitted this, she seemed ashamed of herself, so I reminded her that it's never too late, and even if she could just do it every now and then, it might change the way she feels.
Here's the thing. Whether you live in Austin or somewhere less congested, it can't hurt to consider switching things up a bit. I'll bet that many of you have thought about walking to work, or riding your bike, or even carpooling. I would like to challenge you to try getting to work just once a week by an alternative method that saves gas, reduces your stress, and reminds you that by leaving your car behind - even on an occasional basis - you can make a big difference in your quality of life.
Let's consider Austin runner and author Russell Secker. I met Russell years ago when we worked at Hoover's. After I'd been there a while, I started noticing Russell running in the mornings as I was driving to work. I'd be driving the slight 2-mile drive to the office, usually in a hurry, multitasking by putting on mascara while listening to NPR, and I would see Russell running along, looking as peaceful as a gazelle.
But Russell wasn't just jogging a few miles to the office; he was running around 14 miles. One way! Then I learned that 14 miles was nothing for Russell. He's run across several European countries, multiple times. Read about him here in a recent Austin Fit Magazine article. He's a pretty amazing guy.
For most of us, that kind of running is extreme beyond comprehension. But there's one thing I always noticed about Russell. He was happy. He was relaxed. As an EVP who undoubtedly encountered pressure in his job, he never appeared stressed. I believe firmly that Russell's pleasant demeanor and professional success are due in large part to his choice to stay fit.
That dedication to fitness is becoming more and more appealing to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm barely able to jog two miles without collapsing in a dramatic heap on the ground. But a few months ago, I couldn't jog half a mile. Baby steps!
And by taking baby steps every day, I am starting to realize how my little 3-mile hikes to work are doing great things for my health. A May 12 article from Time magazine discusses the impact of commuting on a person's heart health and waistline. According to the study of Texas-based commuters, the longer your commute, the more likely you are to be overweight, have heart disease, and other health issues.
I am overweight, so please don't think I am preaching here. I want you to know I'm overweight so you can know that you absolutely don't have to be a skinny Minnie or an Abercrombe & Fitch customer to walk a few miles a day. Weight loss was not the primary factor I chose to start walking, but I am certainly not complaining about that benefit. Since I began walking consistently in January, the scale is moving in the right direction. I'm down one size (nearly two). Every day that I walk to work, I arrive in a better mental state than when I ride in a car (some days, my husband drives me to work). I sleep better. I think I'm nicer, too, but don't go confirming that with my husband just yet.
When I see people I haven't seen in a while, they don't notice my weight loss right away. Some people do, but mainly, people say, "Wow! What have you been doing lately? You look great!"
I'm super vain, so I love these comments. They make me want to keep walking, because the results are so powerfully positive. I will take these compliments any day, and if gross old men start cat calling me on my walk to work, I will eat that up as well. I'm just that way.
You can do this, too. I promise. It's doable, as long as you can figure out a way to make it work. Ask your spouse to support you in biking to work once a week, and offer to support them in doing the same. Work out a one-way carpool and walk home. Have someone else pick up your kids on Tuesdays, and return the favor for them on Thursdays so you can both walk. And many of you have told me that you live too far to walk. If biking is an option, get a bike! Just please wear a helmet and be safe. Or, take the bus and get off 3 miles away from your desk. It may seem inconvenient, but just consider the benefits!
Would you rather spend 45 minutes listening to music or talking to your Aunt Wanda and moving your body than sitting in bumper-to- bumper traffic? I thought so. And let me tell you this: the first time you beat a car to the next traffic light because you're so much faster on foot than they are sitting in the parking lot we call Austin, I am certain that you will give yourself a mental high five, because it happens to me all the time.
Feel free to post comments if you're willing to give it a try!
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