All posts by Anita Kapoor

Ushasri's Wit

One Single Step

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” Edith Lovejoy Pierce

As 2016 starts let us remember that today is a blank page and we have the power to write amazing things each and every day.  Many times I have heard from ladies in our club that they didn’t submit a collage because they didn’t have enough steps.  But what they don’t realize is that every single day is an opportunity for us to improve.  If yesterday you only walked 1000 steps, then make sure today you walk 1001 steps.  Yes even that single step is an improvement over yesterday! One single step – that is all it takes.  Make a collage share it with your friends in your group, the encouragement from your team leaders and other walkers will propel you to take one more step the next day.  Then the day after take one more step, and the day after take one more step.  If every single day, we improve from the day before, just imagine where you will be by next year!  I never thought I would have walked 420 miles in 6 months! There were days where I only had 5000 steps and other days I had 12000 steps.  It doesn’t matter if you are a Goal Pusher or  Mellow Fellow – we all have bad days.  Days where we are just lazy, or kids are sick, or we have too much work….But  remember that the next day, we can do better by just adding one single step!

If you find yourself discouraged by not meeting your step goal one day – submit a collage at the end of the day anyway – let us inspire you to do more tomorrow.  Isn’t that why you joined Happy Feet? To be surrounded by positive encouragement and to know that we all have bad days and good days.

This year I encourage you all of you to have a goal of submitting a collage every day, whether you meet your personal step goal or not, and remember that every single day is an opportunity to improve from the day before.  Happy New Year! Let’s start walking!

Ushasri's Wit

My obsession with Happy Feet and Walking

Most people go on vacation to just relax, enjoy the scenery and spend time with their families.  But this past September as my family and I went on vacation to London, I was all about the steps and walking.  Happy Feet had become so ingrained in me that I did not want to miss the opportunity to not only get my steps in but to faithfully compete on challenges.  So I made sure my Fitbit was charged and as I woke up to leave for the airport I was ready.

I faithfully wore my Fitbit every single day, took pictures and through the magic of WiFi even uploaded collages at night.  Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, the Crown Jewels, the London Museum of Art, Madam Tussards, and the London Eye- all of these were places where you needed to walk in order to see them.  The walking never stopped!  Even at night as my feet ached, I found myself taking an evening stroll by myself through Trafalgar Square, just to get in more steps. We travelled to Scotland and my family wanted to relax in hotel  after walking all day in Edinburgh but I offered to walk down and get snacks for everyone.

It was crazy!  I was obsessed with Happy Feet!  But for once my obsession was healthy.  Happy Feet is not just about steps and challenges it is about making permanent changes in your daily habits to include walking.  Once the walking becomes a daily habit – you just feel like doing more and more because you start to feel healthier. It is cycle of improving health, vitality and happiness.

So as the holidays roll closer and you consider taking a vacation ,  I hope that you can also say that while you enjoyed the sights and experience, you found out that you too were obsessed about Happy Feet and walking!

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The London Bridge from the outside with the bridge road opened to let a magnificent sailing ship through.  Then we walked on the bridge across the top – Check out my floating feet and the road below! I can’t guarantee that all Happy Feet adventures will lead to flying but they might 🙂

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Sree Lakshmi's Sentiments

Lost some and gained a lot……

Lost some and gained a lot……

Dear Happy Feet Walkers, stop a second and pat your backs for being part of this awesome club.

As our club slogan says FUN, FITNESS and FRIENDSHIP. Yes we have FUN walking with FRIENDS while attaining FITNESS. For me that is WIN WIN situation.

Since I joined this club I lost something and at the same time gained something……..

Can you guess what they could be?

Yes I lost WEIGHT and gained lots and lots of FRIENDS and HAPPINESS came with it.

Every day when we see our friends walk and submit beautiful collages it motivates me to walk. Recently I went to visit a friend and she said “Kukki, looks like you lost weight.” It made me feel so happy. That’s when it hit me.
With this club I lost weight and gained friends.

Now a days, “its cold” is not an excuse. I am finding ways to walk. If I have time I am looking for ways to walk. We all have busy schedules we are working women. We have work at office, work at home, taking care of kid activities and so on. Earlier I use to drop kids for activities and go groceries or just sit to get rest. After joining club I drop kids at activities and use that time to walk to finish my goal.

Within that also I see a big difference. Improved my pace. Earlier when I walked with my husband I use to struggle to keep up with him now it’s so easy.There are days I feel tired and want to skip my walk and just relax.

Somehow my friends know…

They text or call asking if I want to go for walk. As soon as I hear a friend asking I can’t say no so I get up and go and again I am active. Friends are always so supportive. We have so much fun at Saturday walks. Lot of us don’t know each other. We became so close once we joined Happy Feet Walkers Club.

Thanks to Happy Feet Walkers Club I lost some but gained a lot.

 

Namitha's Notions

Nature’s Canvas

As I walked,
The prairie path today,
Nature’s canvas,
Just blew me away.

So many colors,
So many shades,
You could guess some,
And there still will be more.

Browns and greens of the grass,
That stands proud and tall,
Yellows and pinks of flowers,
That bloom big and small.

So many shades of the sky,
In the colour blue,
Dotted with white clouds,
Someday many, someday few.

Colours and patterns bountiful,
On butterflies floating by,
Orange stripes on a black snake,
That just slithered by.

The colours of the meadow,
So serene and beautiful,
Make my mind calm
And my soul peaceful.

#happyfeetwalkersclub,
Gave me a chance,
To appreciate on every walk,
Nature’s vividly painted canvas.

Ushasri's Wit

Friendship + Saturday Morning Walks = Healthy Women

There is a reason why Happy Feet has grown so quickly from just a handful of members to 75 women just in 3 months and that reason is simply Friendship.  Friendship and support is the glue that holds all of us together.  Actually studies have shown that women need friends to be healthy! “Scientists now suspect that hanging out with our friends can actually counteract the kind of stomach-quivering stress most of us experience on a daily basis. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women.”

While all of us enjoy walking alone and with our families, I think the biggest boost in energy and spirit comes from our weekly Saturday morning walks.  These Saturday morning walks are a chance for us all to come together and simply enjoy each other’s company.  The laughter and joy that can be heard on Saturday mornings is not only loud but contagious! We need each other to keep the momentum going.  The next time you feel like skipping the Saturday morning walk – just remember that you are actually doing yourself a disservice.  While all of us would like to sleep, the benefits of walking with friends, far outweighs the negative aspects of waking up at 5:30am. This Saturday put on your shoes, your red Happy Feet shirt and head out of the door – your friends are waiting!

 

Source: http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/gender/tendfend.html

Namitha's Notions

Overcast or shine… 6 mi your mine

One day as I was lacing my shoes to walk,
Doubts were running in my mind amok,
Will I be able to make the everyday walk,
Or everything I did was just talk?

As I turned on my app and stepped outside,
I was greeted by overcast and dull skies,
A step ahead and it started to rain,
“Go back inside” it seemed to claim.

I took shelter under a tree,
“Let’s walk a mile and then see”
I convinced my mind to keep going,
Though against me were elements divine.

The moment I stepped on the daily path,
Mile one came up soon and fast,
“Another mile won’t do any harm”
I was feeling uplifted and calm.

By miles two and three,
The clouds cleared and sun shone on me,
There was a coolness in the air,
And my feet walked faster there.

As I covered miles four and five,
My confidence rose and stride was back,
My phone was clicking pictures galore,
I was looking forward to the collage score.

My #happyfeetwalkersclub friends,
As I saw the familiar door,
The motivation was so sublime,
Overcast or shine.. 6 mi your mine.

Ushasri's Wit

Walk while doing everyday tasks and see the miles add up!

Have you been thinking that there are not enough hours in the day for all the tasks that need to get done AND to walk?  We are all multi-tasking ladies, so I have been thinking about how to add walking to my daily tasks.  Consider for example how much “walking” is done in the grocery store. The other day I started the mapmywalk app to track how much I walked while I was grocery shopping and I was surprised to see that I walked over a mile. It made me think of all the walking I did just performing regular tasks and how I could magnify my results.   Here are a few small changes that you can make that will add more walking to your daily life.

1) Parking farther from the door – easier now than in winter, but just think of the extra calories burned in winter, since you body is additionally working to keep you warm.

2) Walk while your children are in a class or playing a sport.  Most of us just sit on the sidelines and chat, but you could easily walk during that time.  I keep my hat, sunglasses, and water bottle with me just for this reason. Inspire other moms to walk with you – and have them join Happy Feet!

3) While you are chatting on the phone, walk and talk in your house! I have walked at least half a mile or more during phone calls. The closer the friend, the longer the conversion and the more walking you can do !!!

4) Think of all the walking you do while you are cleaning your house.  As you pick up toys, papers, and clean the mess, try to do an extra two or three rounds around the room.  Just adding these extra steps can add  0.5 miles in 30 minutes of cleaning.

5) When you go shopping at the mall, after you pick up what you need, just take a walk of the whole mall, before you walk to your car.

If you have more ideas about how to add walking to daily tasks – share them in the comments.

Namitha's Notions

Change around the corner

My clothes fit me better,
There is a glow on my face,
My back stands a bit straighter,
There is a shine in my eyes,
More compliments flow my way,
The hubby smiles at me more,
Friends look super amused,
‘What next is in store?’
There is a restlessness in me,
To walk more miles everyday,
I want to break my own records,
Walk 10k steps all the way,
Girls, you have spoilt me,
#happyfeetwalkersclub, hooray!!!

Sree Lakshmi's Sentiments

Never Lazy to WALK as I am Happy Feet Walker :- )

Do you recall those fire drills at work? Walk down all those stairs, get interrupted from work and pretty much get frustrated.

Off late, I actually look forward to these fire drills. Same situation , different perspective. I get the much needed 15 minute break and walk away from work.

Just the other day, my daughter and her friends wanted to go to play in the playground. I asked my son to come walk with me while the girls played and we were able to get a nice long walk. Every mom knows the phrase “5 more mins please”. As we stood there waiting, I suggested that we walk some more. Needless to say my teenager was surprised at my changed personality. No more impatient mamma asking to leave. No more stand around and wait doing nothing mamma.

          Another example was yesterday when I had very long day. Although I was tired, like every working mom, I get excited when I see my kids. When my father-in-law suggested a walk, I took the chance to say yes. After dinner, I opted for another walk with my spouse. So end of the day, I found my relaxation in walking and being with my family instead of potentially sitting on the couch next to them and not really connecting. When I made the collage to send to my Happy Feet friends, I had the smile on my face that Namitha mentions in her post.

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Find a way to make walking part of your day. It might be  hard for the first few days.  That’s why we have Happy Feet Walkers Club.

We have such a nice support group. Look for someone in your proximity or comfort zone, reach out to them for a shared walk and you will be surprised they might be in the same boat and appreciate you reaching out.
Once you pass the initial stage you will be surprised to see how you’re thinking of ways to walk like Namitha, Roopa, Pallavi and other friends.

Before Happy Feet Walkers Club, I would look for excuses to escape walking. Now I am looking for ways to walk.

“Coming together is a beginning.
Being together is progress.
Walking together is success.”…

 

Namitha's Notions

Keeping the Happy Feet Commitment

We happy feeters have multiple hats- mothers, wives, employees, artists, caretakers for family members. How do we keep the happy feet walking commitment? It is hard.there are few ideas that may help

1) Goal setting

It is very important to set goals, setting goals lets us track our progress and increases motivation. These goals have to be SMART goals .Specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and time- bound. If your total miles is at 50 then you may want to set a goal such as 50 miles in the next 2 weeks which is 3-4 miles a day. Setting achievable goals will help in reaching the target. Very ambitious goals can be fuzzy leaving the exerciser to give up. Make the goals interesting, if you are celebrating 15th anniversary in 4 months make your goal a multiple of 15.

2) Consistency

Keep the habit going. Even if you walk just a mile in a day it is just fine. walking a mile every day is better than walking 7 miles in one day and taking a break for a week . Consistent practice will help develop muscle memory for walking. Statistics show that 80% of the folks who join  a Gym never use the gym facilities.

3) Walking in a group

#HappyFeetWalkersClub is a great motivator. Walking with friends can be relaxing. Sharing ideas, simple joys and why even some counseling..The walkers in our club motivate each other. Everytime we post a collage of our walk invariably you get messages motivating you. The human brian loves positive reinforcement

4) Rewards

Create your own rewards, remember the beautiful dress at the store or the book you want to read. Don’t buy these until you achieve certain target miles or even have family members create some rewards for you. One of our walker has a 5 year old son who keeps track of his moms miles…Goals that are communicated have a higher chance of being achieved.