In less than 2 weeks I will be participating in the Beaches Jazz Tune Up 5K Walk with Slimband colleagues, patients and MySlimband members.
I am very excited about this because I feel not only is it away for myself to get more active this summer in a fun way, but I believe this event will be a good way for everyone who is struggling with the idea of exercise and physical exertion to realize it can be fun, you can do it with friends and you can fit it into a busy life.

I can’t wait to see everyone there and do this 5K walk with you! In the meantime I wanted to share some tips that I have been doing to prep for it.

Practice – You don’t have to be Perfect!
I didn’t become a fitness pro, I just used this opportunity to give my puppy some extra long walks or just do laps around a track. I never rushed, I started slow and stopped when I felt I needed to. Then I have been gradually trying to extend my walking time each day. Another tip is how about getting your phone chat time in while on a stroll or bring a friend along? When you catch up with family or friends you will be distracted and before you know it you’ve walked for 30 minutes!

Water – H2O is so Important!
I started keeping track of how many glasses of water a day I was drinking and it was pretty bad! I was at 2 glasses maybe 3 if I was lucky. So my next goal became upping that number to at least 8 per day. It wasn’t easy at first but I noticed that by drinking more water I felt “cleaner”, had less muscle cramping, didn’t feel the need to eat as much and had way more energy!

Healthy Snack – Getting that Energy!
After a long day at work I would often have no energy and feel drained! If I wanted to accomplish anything I needed a boost. Having a healthy snack about 30 minutes to an hour before my walks really gave me a kick start. Including protein in my snacks really helped too!

Bragging – Tell Everyone!
OK not because I feel like I have to toot my own horn, even though this will be a pretty awesome accomplishment, but this will create a sense accountability and motivation for myself. My friends have been asking me how the prepping for the walk is going and want to know how I do. I get a sense of encouragement and motivation to stick with the practice walks even on those days where I would rather procrastinate.

Music – Get your Groove on!
Nothing makes me want to get up and go more than a high-energy good tune. I pick a bunch of my favorites, usually the kind that make me feel like dancing, and download them to my MP3 player. While listening to the songs I try to match my walking pace to the beat of the music, not always easy mind you! But it definitely help me up the ante and keep going just a bit longer when I start to get tired… at least until the end of that song.

Try some of these tips to help you stay “on track”!

~Rian