7 Reasons to Go For a Walk

"Walking is man's best medicine." ~ Hippocrates

According to the Mayo Clinic, something as simple as a daily brisk walk can help you live a healthier life. For example, regular brisk walking can help you:

- Maintain a healthy weight

- Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes

- Strengthen your bones and muscles

- Improve your mood

- Improve your balance and coordination

The faster, farther and more frequently you walk, the greater the benefits. But the best reason to walk is because it's fun and makes you feel great! Some of my best memories are of beautiful walks that I've taken.

As we move through our list of 52 Simple Changes That Will Transform Your Life (which you can get FREE by clicking here), #10 on the list is "Walk Daily, Even if It's Just for 15 Minutes". Write down a reminder for yourself to go on a daily walk, and hang it up where you will see it until you make it a regular habit.

My daughter Christina on a walk

Walking is a super-easy habit to start because:

1. It's free

2. It's a natural movement we all learn at a very young age

3. It doesn't require any special equipment (you can even walk barefoot!)

4. It can be done anywhere (if the weather is bad, you can go to a mall and walk inside)

5. It can be done at any time of the day

6. It's a great stress-reliever

7. It can be done alone or with family or friends

Another benefit to walking is that if you walk in the middle of the day with some skin exposed, you can easily get your Vitamin D for the day. Your skin makes Vitamin D when it is exposed to the midday sun. There is an app in the App Store called "D Minder", which tells you at what time of day on that particular day in your particular location is the most optimal for getting outside to get your Vitamin D.

Whenever we have all the kids over for a family dinner, one of our favorite things to do to go for a family walk after dinner.

I started going for walks when I was about sixteen years old. We lived out in the country, and I loved getting up early and going for a 5 mile walk every morning in the summer at 6am, before it got hot outside. There was just something so quiet, meditative, and beautiful about walking through the vineyards shortly after sunrise, before traffic started, while most of the world was still asleep.

When my kids were young, I kept walking by buying a double stroller and a front pack and taking the kids with me. Michael, Christina, Katherine, and I would stroll through a nearby park with a gorgeous rose garden and a duck pond every day when we lived downtown. When we moved to the foothills, the walks got more challenging (try pushing a double stroller full of kids with a 15 pound baby hanging off your chest while walking uphill!), but just as beautiful, as those hills overlooked a beautiful lake and the city below. As we had more children, the youngest three would ride in the stroller or the front pack, and the older ones would walk alongside. Walking is the perfect habit to start with young children!

Michael at 2 yrs old walking on a play set on the beach at Lake Tahoe in California

Later we moved to Malibu, where the weather was always perfect for a walk, and we lived in the Santa Monica mountains, overlooking the ocean. Walks were more challenging there because the roads were so steep, but the scenery was amazing. I also loved walking barefoot on the beach at the water's edge.

Favorite thing in the world - barefoot walk on the beach!

One of the many days when I had the beach pretty much to myself!

These days I'm going on walks in Tennessee, where I am enjoying the lush, green trees and rivers. It rains a lot more in Tennessee than in California, so everything is gorgeously green most of the year.

The river running next to a walking trail in Tennessee

Even while out on tour with my daughters' band, Mike and I would sneak away and get our walks in while doing some site seeing.

Taking a walk with Mike on La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain (along with everyone else!).

Wherever you are, make sure you make it a priority to get some walking in every day! Your body will thank you, it will help you clear your head and put you in a great mood, and you might even get some beautiful pictures as a side benefit!

Get your FREE copy of "52 Simple Changes That Will Transform Your Life" by clicking here!