Sunday, February 10, 2008

Money Reward For Walking

Money as a reward gets the attention of a lot of people. I'm not offering you money for walking, but maybe I can help you see the reward part differently. I realize that for those of you who have been fairly inactive, walking or exercising more is more physical work than you've done in a while.

Unfortunately, one BIG reason to get your walking in is to avoid health problems. Or at least to lessen the possibility or intensity of those problems. I mentioned my brother had pancreatitis when I started this blog in January. Since then I found out that a friend of my son's dad had a heart attack and I think he's around 51 like my brother. He will recover, but it's still a big deal. Today I visited a friend from church in the hospital (who is also 51, coincidentally) and he was initially admitted for pancreatitis and then had a problem with a burst blood vessel. I can't promise that if you walk that these health problems won't happen to you, but I know being in better shape lessens the probability that you'll have certain problems. Plus, being in better shape can lessen the severity of what you're going through. I still remember how well my sister-in-law came through her pregnancy some years back when she was working out at the gym regularly. Being in such good shape helped with a smooth delivery and got her back on her feet much quicker.

How much does it cost to get sick? You can lose work days as my brother did. Most of us have to pay something when we go to the doctor or the hospital, even if we are insured. Those are real costs when they happen to you. (Come to think of it, they're real costs even when it's not you paying for them.) NOT having to pay those potential costs is itself a financial reward. Not missing work and pay is a reward. Maybe you prefer to think of those scenarios as punishments. If that's the case, you're increasing your chances of NOT being punished by walking. I realize that this point of view isn't sexy or exciting or wow, but it's a real and legitimate way to view one of the rewards of walking or otherwise exercising and getting/staying in shape. Maybe I'll be more exciting next time. I know I'll be walking.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.