easylivinginamerica

I’m talking about legs! Most women have them, and most of us can use them. Get maximum mileage out of yours! Forget ethanol–our legs are the fuel of the future.

In high school, I ran cross-country. I could eat two whole pizzas at a sitting, nosh on bagels and ice cream every day, inhale fast food and candy bars four meals a day, and barely keep enough weight on my body to hold up a pair of size 4 pants. Those days are long gone. I no longer have a 15-year-old’s metabolism or the time to devote to serious athletic training. But I’ve still got my legs, and I plan to get a lot of mileage out of them. Unlike with cars, the more you travel by the power of your own body, the more energy and longevity you have. The idea of “use it or lose it” applies here.

It’s easy in the short term to hop in the car and go to work or to the grocery store, but integrating more walking and cycling into daily life has some amazing benefits.

We all know walking burns calories and increases muscle tone, but it also increases circulation throughout our bodies and brains and makes us smarter! By walking to work, we up our energy throughout the day and heighten our ability to think fast and remember details.  Moving our bodies even slows cell aging. That means staying mentally sharper longer and looking more youthful. Regular exercise (even of a casual nature–it doesn’t have to be pumping iron or sweating hard on the treadmill) also increases mood, perhaps better than antidepressant pills for most women. And there are no negative side effects.

The benefits of walking and cycling continue through the night, too. Regularly moving our bodies, especially activities like walking and cycling that pump blood through our legs, butts, and abdomens, increase sex drive and function. Although exercise gives us more energy in the daytime, it also helps us sleep better at night, so we can get higher quality rest in the same amount of time. That in turn increases brain function, mood, physical healing, and the softness and clarity of our skin!

Another interesting tip: Walking in high heels can be good for women. Not only does it feel powerful and sexy to be taller (and increase people’s respect for us at work and perception of authority), but walking in heels shapes our calves and strengthens our pelvic floor muscles. That means less risk of incontinence during and after pregnancy and more powerful, easier orgasms.

Of course, we shouldn’t walk in sky-high heels every day or ever wear shoes that cause pain or significant discomfort. Comfy work shoes, even heels, can be found at some lower-priced stores such as Sears. Look for natural materials like real leather that have flexibility, and if you aren’t sure about fit, try walking in the shoes for a few days inside your house. Then you can return them if they rub, chafe, or pinch. Insoles and small pads that you can stick inside all kinds of shoes, including stiletto sandals, can make a huge difference.

To walk gracefully in heels, imagine being pulled up by a string attached to the crown of your head. Good posture is important not only for health reasons (circulation, preventing injury) but because of how it makes us look–confident and in shape. Good posture can make us look 20 pounds slimmer and 10 years younger. Hold your shoulders back and engage your abdominal muscles as if you are bracing for a hit in the stomach. Then hold it in gently; you don’t have to suck in hard. Now look in the mirror. Suddenly, you’re fierce! When I find a good pair of heels that don’t hurt my feet and completely transform my mood and appearance, I call them “Magic Shoes.” Every woman should have a pair.

Walking to the bus stop or to work or to the store might be an easy step for you, depending on your lifestyle and transportation needs. But the benefits are enormous.

Want to go the extra mile? Ditch your gym membership and your dusty treadmill and buy a bicycle that you can use to commute.  When my husband decided to do this, he lost 80 pounds in 6 months. All that exercise made him hungry, and he gained some of the weight back… as hard, strong muscle. It works for women, too. That kind of a lifestyle change comes with its challenges (it takes longer to get to work, you have to change your clothes, etc.) but also with major benefits (no gas in your car, a ferocious body in a short period of time, no more boring exercise regimens).

Got kids? Little ones love riding in bike trailers! The new ones are extremely sturdy, complete with roll cages and many other safety features.  Bike trailers are also a great way to tote groceries or other bulky loads. Living a healthy lifestyle is also a great example to set for growing children. When a person is raised in a healthy living family, there is no struggle later to make difficult “lifestyle changes” after habits have been ingrained. Also, walks and rides are a great way to bond with family and friends.

Do you live in an area that is not accessible to pedestrians and cyclists? Talk to your city council about creating bike lanes, sidewalks, and public transportation in your area. They are good for businesses and good for individual people. Many cities and townships are making such improvements right now. American urban life is becoming more and more local–people live closer to work, and communities’ needs are being met more and more at the local level. The trend may catch up with your area soon. Until then, stretch your legs at every opportunity: park farther away from the door of your destination, and take the stairs instead of the elevator (especially good for your butt and thighs if you take the steps slow).

Do you have a lawn to mow? Try using a manual push mower. I use mine on my half-acre lot. It can be an intense workout, but I get to enjoy the smell of fresh-cut grass without the gas fumes, ear-damaging noise, or fuel expense. Once you get pretty good at it, it also takes less time than a gas-powered mower. While my neighbors chug away with their ample behinds planted on rider mowers, I zip back and forth across my lawn wearing running cleats and workout clothes and finish in half the time. By the end, I’ve worked up a sweat and a healthy appetite that I can feed guilt-free, and I haven’t inhaled any carcinogenic fumes or spent a dime on gasoline. Also, my daily dose of exercise is finished at the same time. That’s seriously efficient multi-tasking!

There are lots of ways that you can use your legs to get healthier, sexier, smarter, and more successful while saving time and money (that you could use to indulge your shoe fetish!) Any increase in the time that you spend using the power of your own body, no matter how small, will have an impact on your life. We all start by taking baby steps.

To summarize,

1. Use those legs that you have there.

2. Reap massive benefits.

What could be easier?

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