Get Healthy Carefully

Day 37
11,229 steps

Did this walk in two stages and in two places. The first stage was with Suzi, our dog, a little black and  white terrier. We went through the neighborhood for 36 minutes. This area is not the greatest for walking but the dog adds an element of fun, wagging her tail and checking out the surroundings. Decided I needed another walk around 2:30 PM-- and went 62 more minutes, for a total of 98 minutes and 5.31 miles.

You cross a threshold when you get to the 5 mile mark in a single day of walking. You get close to 600 calories of exercise. Something happens. The expenditure of energy and movement brings a certain peace, a kind of cleansing over your body. I've heard about endorphins and that may be it. But exercising over time-- a duration of more than 1 1/2 hours-- may be a benefit in itself. You burn the calories slowly and move your body without putting your joints through extreme stress.

Jim Cramer, the stock guy from CNBC, has a book out called Get Rich Carefully. I would call this kind of exercise program, the 10,000 steps program, a case of Get Healthy Carefully.