Many people complain about not being able to find time to walk. And, in our overscheduled lives, it can be difficult to carve out time for things like exercise and eating right. But, it is also true that you must take care of yourself before you can truly take care of the other things, people and obligations in your life.

In that perspective, it is not a matter of “finding time” to walk, it is, rather, “making time” to walk or “taking time” to walk. Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day. The Pope, the President, Angelina Jolie, the greeters at Wal-mart, and you and I all have the exact same amount of time every day.

If you want to make a practice or habit of regular walking, you first must make it a priority in your life. That might mean selling yourself on the benefits you will get from walking, such as help with weight loss, better physical fitness, better sleep and so on. Once you mentally “get it”, it will be easier to schedule time for walking.

Then, schedule walking just like any other of the many items on your to-do list. Add it to your daily planner or PDA or calendar.

It sometimes helps to walk according to your own biological rhythms, too. I wish I could exercise in the mornings, like many experts recommend. However, my entire being is geared to night owl-ness and night owls are not at their peak in the early hours. I do not leap out of bed so much as drag myself out. In fact, it has been said that I am a bit cranky in the mornings. So, I walk later. My favorite time to walk outside is actually at or just before dusk. If I walk inside, my time preference is either right before lunch or a couple of hours after lunch. You probably already know your body’s preferences, and if you are fighting them, try to schedule your walks to accommodate them.

The other ticket to finding time to walk is to stop finding other things to do. There will always be something else you “could do” and sometimes, things that you maybe “should do”, but truly, folding towels can wait. Watching television can wait. Most everything can and should wait while you enjoy your walk. If we all waited until the house was cleaned and all our loved ones were happy and all our phone calls returned and bills paid and gardens weeded and cars gassed up, well, we would never get around to walking.

So, this week, find five minutes a day and walk. Write it on your calendar. Put on your shoes and go for a walk. You will likely find that it gives you far more energy than it takes and you can tackle the other “must do” items on you list in record time.

Join us in the Walking Forum for fun walking discussions, or join in our Walking Challenge to help keep you motivated to walk!