Don't Break the Walking Habit
by Dennis Parks (topic expert: walking)

Regardless of your fitness level, injuries happen. For some, the injury can make it painful to walk. If you're an avid walker, the frustration is difficult. But the good news is that if you're hooked on exercising, then you live for the feeling of accomplishment that comes from activity.

Even if you find yourself unable to do your daily walks and record your steps in your WalkStyles account, we have made it easy for you to stay in shape. Remember that you can do other forms of exercise that do not require you to put pressure on your feet/legs and convert that exercise into steps using the WalkStyles.com site. Exercise such as weight lifting, the rowing machine, and the stationary bike all can be calculated in steps. Not only can you get the personal satisfaction of getting your steps, in but most importantly, you maintain the frequency level that sustains your "good" habit of walking!

The process is easy. Log into your account and click on the Enter Steps button on your home page. Once that page opens, click on the table of step equivalents link at the bottom of the Step Entry page. A table showing the step equivalents for various exercises will open. If you have done some step activity and have captured that information on your pedometer, enter that data into the respective, Steps, Distance and Calorie boxes at the top of the calculator.

Then use the Step Calculator's drop down menus and choose the exercise (and activity level) that you engaged in. Enter the duration of the activity into the Minutes field and the equivalent step, distance and calorie data will be computed for you. You can do this for up to 3 exercises at one time. Your equivalent exercise step data will then be added to your pedometer data. Click on the Transfer button and your total activity numbers will be transferred to the top of the page where you then can enter them into your account. Simple as pie!

So, if you can't walk due to injury, or if the weather is just too nasty to walk, don't give up! Look for another form of exercise that you can physically do or one that you can do indoors and convert it to steps so that you can Live Well.....Walk Far (one way or the other).