Getting the recommended 30 minutes of exercise each day can be as simple as taking a walk. If you’ve got a busy schedule, take three 10-minute walks throughout your day. “That’s 10 minutes before work, 10 minutes at lunch and then 10 minutes after work. Make it fun! Grab a partner at work to get you through your lunch routine. Then have a friend or family member meet you for an evening stroll,” suggests Johns Hopkins physical therapist Stacie Page.
Yours in Service,
Rachel Huerta, ARNP
Owner of Direct Primary Care of Boca Raton
2017 Healthcare Woman of Distinction Award Winner
Immediate Past-President of The Rotary Club of Boca Raton
Making 30 Minutes a Day to Walk Realistic
The idea of finding 30 minutes a day to walk can feel impossible on a packed schedule, which is exactly why breaking it into smaller chunks works so well. Three short walks are easier to protect on your calendar than one long one, and each of them still counts toward the same daily total. A walk before work wakes you up, a walk at lunch clears your head for the afternoon, and a walk after dinner helps you unwind — three very different problems solved by the same simple habit.
If walking with a friend or coworker makes it easier to stick with, use that. Accountability tends to matter more than motivation on the days you don’t feel like it.
At Direct Primary Care of Boca Raton, we talk with members about building movement into a schedule that actually fits their life, not a generic plan that falls apart by week two. If you want help figuring out where 30 minutes a day could realistically fit for you, bring it up at your next visit so we can talk through what actually works for your day-to-day routine.