03 September 2009

barking dogs

{image found here}

whew. "my dogs are barking today..." 

i couldn't help but think of this quote from john candy in one of the greatest movies of all time, as i finished my dog walking for the day. my legs are tired, yet energized. although i was sweltering in the california heat, the vitamin d did my body good. i can feel all kinds of fresh oxygen moving in and out of my lungs.  

it makes me wonder....why do i beat myself up with other kinds of activity (interval training, spinning), when i don't feel half as "worked out" as when i go for a nice, long (ok, really long to feel the burn) walk? working my hardest for less than an hour a day, just to sit around for the rest of it...? doesn't make sense.

according to marco borges, personal trainer to the stars, (and don't we always believe everything that has to do with celebrities?) walking a mile burns just as many calories as jogging for a mile (hmm, questionable, but i like his theory). plus, it saves your body from injuries that other, more intense burst of exercise can give you. even if that isn't true, i do believe that walking for hours today gave my body exactly what it needed. i have been somewhat bored with my exercise routine lately, and today was perfect. stretching my legs in the fresh air (while working my biceps holding a pack of dogs).

stuck in a rut? go for a walk. does anybody else count walking as their workout? 

two posts in one day....i like it. 

2 comments:

Nate and Lynlee said...

I count walking as my workout! Last night Nate and I went for a walk and when I got home, I had muscle spasms. The mini hike in St. George is going to kill me! Can't wait to see you!

Ashley Blackburn said...

hmmm...it's hard for me to believe that walking burns as many calories as running...it all depends on your heart rate i guess. If it's higher then it seems logical that you would burn many more calories running at a fast pace. That's just my opinion though. But walking is good. It's a lot better than sitting on the couch, especially hauling around 11 dogs. :)

Love you.