Exercise?

ex·er·cise (ĕk'sər-sīz')
n.

    3. Activity that requires physical or mental exertion, especially when performed to develop or maintain fitness: took an hour of vigorous daily exercise at a gym.

I walked for hours and hours and hours this weekend, criss crossing (jump jump!) San Francisco looking at apartments and seeing friends. I didn't pay attention to how many miles or minutes I walked for so I made a very conservative estimate in my fitday journal. But for the purposes of the 50,000 second challenge, does walking count as exercise for me? There were certainly hills that made me breath harder, and walking the 2.5 miles to the Caltrain this morning with two bags was more laborious than a leisurely stroll. But I'm in reasonably good shape, so can I really call walking exercise?

I think that I can, to an extent. Regular non-stressful physical movement is great for your body, joints, connecting tissues, digestion, etc. I count yoga as exercise because it provides a nice stretch, warms up my muscles, puts me in great touch with how my body is feeling, and improves my balance and core strength. I count the brisk walk I do to and from the gym in Los Angeles as exercise as it's the warmup and cooldown for my "real workout." Walking alone isn't going to make me a fast runner or cyclist, or a powerful lifter or rock climber. But I think variation in physical activity, just like variation in the food you eat, is fantastic for your body.

So I counted 60 minutes of the 4+ hours of walking I did this weekend as exercise in the 50,000 second challenge. Add in the 30 minutes of elliptical on Friday and 45 minutes of weightlifting this morning, and I've broken the 10k mark. Yay! I'm right on schedule.