Thursday, May 01, 2008

Walking to Save Gas & 4 Other Paths to Easy Exercise

A little while ago, I spotted a family friend walking and multi-tasking. His goal: conserve gas, get exercise and finish an errand.

"Saving gas and saving money," he said from across the street.

His pedestrian efforts prompted me to think of other easy ways to save energy through frugal exercise. Here's my list:


1. Walking School Bus: Walk your kids to school. Here's a link with details about creating a walking school bus. Basically, instead of gas-guzzling car pools, parents can organize a neighborhood walking tour to school. Substitute the walking school bus for any or all of the car pool rides.

Think about it: Sometimes we drive our children to school, which may be just a few blocks away.

2. Errands: Is it possible to walk to the grocery store, the dry cleaner or the pharmacy? Too often, we pop into stores to accomplish errands that can be undertaken on foot. And consider this: Because you're walking --no trunk space -- you'll limit purchases to items that you really need and can really carry.

3. Visit Friends: On weekends, I will walk 20 or 30 minutes to visit friends. Get more mileage out of social visits with a round trip hike.

4. Walk to restaurants or ice cream stores: Walk off calories from a restaurant meal or from sweet treats. The average family dines or purchases desserts from nearby cafes and shops. Why waste additional money and gas by driving?

5. Use public transportation. Bus and train fares cost much less than driving and paying crazy prices for gasoline. That's the word from my fourth-grade daughter. Public transportation typically involves foot traffic. And walking -- from a bus stop or to the train station -- represents another opportunity for easy exercise.
______________

Digg!

1 comment:

gate valves said...

walking is a great excercise and its good for the body at the same time it saves fuel and gas