Happy Trails

One great way to stay in shape this summer is to take to the great outdoors for a hike, bike ride or walk. It feels great to be outside and you can recruit friends and family to come along with you.

Some popular trails in the Washington DC Metro area include The Capital Crescent Trail that goes from Georgetown to Silver Spring and the Mount Vernon Trail, an 18-mile long trail that follows the Potomac River to George Washington's home. However, there are some new trails in the area that you should try out this summer.

The Four Mile Run Trail extension opened in May. This three-quarter mile addition in northern Virginia creates a smooth connection between the Shirlington restaurant area and the South Arlington Trail that intersects the Mount Vernon Trail.

To give you something to look forward to: the highly anticipated Metropolitan Branch Trail is opening this fall. The MBT is a proposed 8-mile multi-use trail that goes from Silver Spring, Maryland to Union Station in DC. It will provide direct access to seven of Metro’s Red Line stations and connect to the Capital Crescent Trail. The first mile of this trail will open this fall.

So grab the kids, your neighbors and your dog and hit the trails! You will have such a good time, you will forget you are exercising. Make sure you bring your pedometer and heart rate monitor along to make sure you are working hard enough.

What are your favorite trails?

Step by Step

In the last post, I talked about making healthier choices and gave some suggestions on how to do that. But, you still may need to find the motivation to make these changes.

Here is a suggestion: purchase and use a pedometer. Pedometers are sold almost every where now and are often times given away at health fairs and even in adult happy meals. (If you absolutely have to eat at McDonald's you might as well get a pedometer while you are there.) Some are pretty simple and just tell you how many steps you have taken. But you can also buy pedometers that tell you how many miles you have walked and how many calories you have burned.

It has been said that walking 10,000 steps per day helps to meet the Surgeon General's requirement of getting 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day. This is a great goal to set for yourself. Put your pedometer on when you get up in the morning and wear it all day. At the end of the day, record how many steps you have taken. Expectant mamas can use this as a goal too.

Need more motivation? Promise yourself a trip to the spa after a week of walking 10,000 steps per day. Or you will buy yourself those wonderful red shoes you have been lusting after if you meet your goal at least 25 days out of the month. You will see that you will start to push yourself to meet the goal. It will motivate you to get up and take a walk during your lunch break, to walk to the store instead of driving and to take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Now, I will warn you: if you are not currently active, it is a good idea to work up to 10,000 steps per day. For example, start off with 4000 steps as a goal for the first week. Once you have reached that goal on a consistent basis, you can increase it. It is good to have short term goals on the way to your long-term goal.

Ok, let's get to steppin!

Workout #2 for Loser Mom

Well, it seems like one Loser Mom (Sarah) is working hard and forging ahead, while Devra networks and sips martinis with famous people in NY. :)

In today's workout, Sarah learned how to do lunges. She also learned that jumping jacks are a lot harder in your 30s than in your 10s. But they are a great way to get your heart rate up.

She has been walking a lot and is wearing a pedometer.

Workout #3 is on Thursday!