Four Simple Criteria That Will Keep You Fit

Before I dive in, let me set the stage a little for you. 

If you've been following me for even a short time, you'll know that I'm a big fan of walking. I walk a lot! I even took a course on walking not that long ago to up my walking game and ensure that I will continue walking for many years to come. So given that, you probably won't be surprised when I say that if something gets in the way of my walking routine (like violently bad weather), I get a little agitated. And by that, I mean downright grumpy.

On this particularly blustery, cold, rainy, yucky evening, I had planned on getting out to do at least 5,000 more steps (not that I obsess over the number) but I had already had my day’s fill of wind and rain. So, I took a deep breath and turned that agitation into creativity. 

Home walking circuit

My home is not big, but I decided that I would see how many steps I could do around my living space before I got bored. I started my circuit in the kitchen. Then I looped the living room and around the dining table. Then up the stairs to the TV room, around the bedroom, back down the stairs to my office, through the “movement room” and back up to the kitchen. I was saddened to find that it was not quite 160 steps. Not great. But I decided I would still do a few more loops. After all, a few hundred steps are without a doubt better than no steps.  

I know I sound like a crazy person when I say that it was one of the most fun "walks" that I've had in a long time.

Then, things started to get interesting when I realized I was walking right under my pull-up bar with each lap. So, I decided to do five pull-ups each time I went under it. Then I noticed that the bedroom has a big empty piece of carpet between the bed and the door, which is perfect for some push-ups. So, you guessed it, I did 10 push-ups every time I hit that spot. 

Now I was cooking! I was inspired to find more ways to expand this circuit, so I opened up the door to the garage and added that to the loop. I also included a few extra steps by adding the bathroom to my circuit. Since the bathroom is small and wasn't adding much step-wise, I decided to do 10 bodyweight squats in there. 

I know I sound like a crazy person when I say that it was one of the most fun "walks" that I've had in a long time. I definitely hit my 5,000 step count, plus I did probably 50 pull-ups and at least 100 push-ups and squats. Talk about getting a great workout—in my home, in my regular...

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