Thousand steps a day

There is one of the many things I did in Europe that I am trying to bring with me to the Philippines: WALKING. I am truly amazed how, every week, I drive my car to church, which is just a couple of meters away, but was able to walk KILOMETERS EVERYDAY while in Europe! AMAZING! And to think that I realized that actually enjoyed walking!

I asked myself, what is the distance I walk or how many steps do I actually take in a day? And I think…the distance I walked in Europe in 19 days must have been equivalent to the distance I would walk in 5 monrhs in the Philippines! Gosh! So depressing! I decided to do something about it. In my simple mind, i know there are advantages to walking:

     –Walking can serve as your exercise (as a complement to diet pills).

     –Walking is good for the heart and your health.

     –Walking gives you the opportunity to see the wonders and beauty of a place (instead of just zooming them by).

     –Walking gives you the opportunity to have interaction (even if just a smile) with another person.

     –You will save on gas (and money). And walking is free!

So I will try to hang up my keys and try to start walking more.

(Although, it is important to note that it helped a lot that Europe had almost-pollution-free streets and the place was cold, so walking was actually easier and more like a luxury. Unlike here, it’s hot and you’ll likely catch all the smoke from cars. But hey, I said I’ll try. But I’m dead serious about trying…)

PS, There is one thing though that I loved in Europe that I know would not work here…biking (Odette is sooo lucky!). Sayang kasi it is also a form of exercise and is environment friendly. It was so nice to see people in suits riding a bicycle to work. How I wish that the Philippines can also be a bicycle country.