Step out with Peter, Onlineshoes.com’s Executive Family Man, as he walks to better health.

Walking with Dogs

Just for clear disclosure…I want you all to know that I am not counting my daily walks with the dogs. Our dogs, Ruthie and Beatrice, move at such a glacial pace that there is really very little athletic value whatsoever. They are pugs in every sense of the word. If they had it their way, they would never move more than a brief walk from the sofa to the food bowl and back again. They were bred about 2,000 years ago to sit on the laps of emperors…so sitting down and generating heat is their core purpose in life. Clearly they’re not the type of dog that gets their master in shape.  But we do love them for their personality.

However, last week did contain a great deal of walking mostly for transport. I was the proud attendee at the Outdoor Retailer trade show where some of the coolest brands of outdoor shoes, hiking apparel, weatherproof outerwear and technical climbing gear were on display. As you can imagine, it was a massive exhibit floor, and I had a blast walking it all day from brand to brand. Maybe that doesn’t really count as walk, but I am willing to push the definition a bit. I guess the true walking I did was to and from the event, which was about one mile each way. It was still not a “full on” walk. But given how busy things have been, I am squeezing in a walking event wherever I can.

Sometimes I think about how I could reengineer my life to put more transport walking into the flow. It’s about removing the car from the scenario wherever possible. It’s difficult to make the big leaps like not driving to work (and walking to the bus instead). Or walking to the grocery store, which is really not far from our house. There are a million excuses that keep us from these simple changes. I am trying to swap in walking for driving once or twice every week.

The past two weekends have been pretty good as well. I ran once last weekend and twice this past weekend. It’s been great getting out the running stroller with my daughter. She loves the entire event and we try to turn it into a morning out together. In most cases, we run about 3 miles round trip with the first half being a fast-paced run down the hills of Kirkland, WA to the lake shore and then into the city center. After some fun in the downtown area, we have the painful and slow trudge back up the hill. It’s worth every ounce of energy to get out for some fun together.

I want to thank all of you who have been reading and posting. I have read every post and really appreciate the comments and ideas. This week, tell me about the dog (or cat, bird, or snake?) that helps you get out and get energized. I look forward to reading your posts!