Walk to School Day

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

04 Oct 2006 09:32 AM

Today is International Walk to School Day and my daughter's school is celebrating it along with many other schools across the nation. I had to laugh when she came home from school yesterday wearing a sticker telling us she needed to walk to school today because it was important. 4 days out of 5, we walk anyway. So it's amusing to hear the kids tell me how important it is to walk to school today.

Increasing Our Activity Levels

Walking to school is healthy for kids, provided they are not walking alone. Unfortunately, in this day and age - safe neighborhoods are only as safe as the people who can get there. As a neighbor of mine is fond of saying, criminals can have cars too. So it's important for parents to walk their kids to school. Besides, it's good for us as parents to have the excuse to add a few more steps.

For my family, it's .6 miles to the school. So that's 1.2 miles round trip for me. The walking is good for the kids because it can help wake them up, invigorate their energy levels and at the same time, it takes the edge off that early morning excitement, making them far more likely to settle down for their morning lessons.

Kids who walk to school are less likely to be rowdy first thing in the morning. They are less likely to mouth off to their teachers and they are less likely to give their friends and classmates a hard time.

It's Good for Us too!

Parents who walk their kids to school are more likely to be less stressed and actually increase their own energy levels as they get their blood pumping. In my case, walking the kids back and forth to school, I am increasing my activity levels by walking 2.4 miles every day on top of the other workouts that I do.

While walking to school is not going to be a cardio brisk pace, it's still healthy for you and your kids. So - are you participating in International Walk to School Day today?

Related Article:

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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