Walking off the baby fat

Do you know the most popular form of exercise? It's walking and it's no surprise --it can be done anywhere, has no learning curve, needs no special equipment and can be done at any level of fitness. Walking helps take off the fat because it burns a decent number of calories (approx 80-100 per mile, more on hills) and tones the major muscles of the legs.
The best way to start walking more is to measure the number of steps you take with a pedometer and then add on whenever you can. By keeping track it becomes a competition with yourself to increase the number of steps you can take in a day. Several years ago we tried this at the office where I was working. Many were shocked by the small number of steps they were taking. It led to many people going out for a walk after lunch just to up that number.
While I am pretty active during the week - taking aerobics, lifting weights, spinning and doing the elliptical trainer at the gym - walking is my favorite weekend activity because the whole family participates. My husband and I put the kids in strollers and walk about 3 miles to a playground and then back again. The path we take is wooded and serene. While 6 miles of walking may be too much if you're not currently active, keep track of your steps using our new walker tracker page and you'll see the amount of walking you can do jump in no time. (It's about 2000 steps per mile.) Finding a great destination and beautiful surroundings helps, too.

Race ya!

Think you need to join an expensive gym or buy lots of pricey equipment to get yourself in shape? Not according to a new study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Wearing a pedometer - a basic one usually costs under $10 - may be all you need. In the study, participants increased the amount of physical activity by 27% when they started wearing one and better yet, they experienced significant health gains. They lost body weight and lowered their blood pressure. Setting a goal of 10,000 steps per day was helpful; even if they didn't acheive the goal, they were more likely to increase their activity somewhat.
Try this: Go get a pedometer for everyone in the family. (You can make them your Valentine's Day presents.) Start a contest to see who can get the most steps by the end of each day.
I'm going to try this with my family and I'll keep you posted how we're doing. My four year old is obsessed with races and who can "win" at anything and everything (fastest getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc). He's going to love this challenge!