Purposefully sneaking in activity

Yesterday my hubby and I went on a Christmas shopping date. Because of his work schedule we are very limited in the time we get to share together so anytime we can do something alone it's considered a date.

At the first store we stopped at my hubby was planning on getting a front row parking place but before he could pull in I asked him is he would park further away from the store so we would have to walk a little further. That way I could get in a little more activity.

Of course he obliged and was joking about how far away to park but he picked good spots that gave us more steps but not so far away that it was ridiculous.

We went to a total of 9 establishments and it's funny how we are geared to find the closest parking spot. I had to constantly remind my hubby to park further away and then I laughed and said that if we were looking for close parking there probably wouldn't be any but since we weren't we were constantly tempted. :-)

We were out a little over 5 hours and with the extra walking and the walking through the stores I could safely guesstimate that I spent around 2 hours walking. Possibly more but since there was a portion of that time sitting in the car and standing while looking at something, plus we sat to eat dinner I felt that 2 hrs. was realistic. Plus I'd rather under guess than over guess cause getting activity points for no activity only hurts me in the long run.

So, if you are looking for ways to increase your activity, especially during the holidays....park further away from the store you are going to.

Another tip I heard from a lady who has lost 96 pounds is that once you are in the store, walk the perimeter of it before you start to shop. I haven't done that yet but if I am only going to one store I may give it a try.