The ten-minute walk that counts as exercise
You do not need a gym to meet the national activity guideline. You need a sidewalk, and we have a good one.
If the word exercise makes you think of a gym membership, here is some good news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A brisk walk counts.
What the guideline says
The CDC says adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as brisk walking, plus two days of muscle-strengthening activity. A common way to get there is 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
You do not have to do it all at once. The 150 minutes can be broken into smaller pieces across the week, and the CDC is clear that some activity is better than none.
How brisk is brisk?
Moderate means your breathing and heart rate are noticeably faster, but you can still hold a conversation. If you can chat with a friend while you walk, you are in the right zone.
A Carson Street loop
From our door near 12th Street, walk east along East Carson Street for five minutes, then turn around and come back. That is ten minutes. Do it in the morning, at lunch and after dinner, and you have your 30 for the day.
There is plenty to look at on the way. The storefronts on this stretch are part of a historic district, and Bedford Square is a block off the street at 12th and Bingham.
If you stop in for a bottle of water at the end, we will not count it against you.
This is general information to help you shop, not medical advice. If you have a health condition or take medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist what is right for you.