Most of us talk to ourselves all the time, and often the words we hear are critical. We second guess and nit-pick, finding fault with everything from the way we look to the chocolate urge we gave into at the candy machine. We berate ourselves for not sticking with exercise programs, and drag around a cloud of doubt that obscures our goals and our strengths.
    It takes more than “positive thinking” to reverse the nay-sayer inside. It takes awareness and what researchers call “cognitive restructuring.” For walkers, that can be as simple as learning to question the voice that whines, “I’m too tired to exercise today.” Is that true, or is it a pattern that dooms your workout to failure?
     By becoming aware of the mental patterns that batter at self-confidence, we are better able to talk back mentally with language that “restructures” believes and says “Yes, I can.”    
Read More: Pep Talk

Quiet, Please! I’m Walking

Woman’s Day magazine quoted Carolyn in a March 2007 article about the surround-sound world we live in. With cell phones, musak, radios, and MP3 players, we rarely escape the noise of modern life. “It takes a conscious, willful decision to still the noisiness of daily life,” Carolyn maintains in the Woman’s Day article. One decision that can bring a little tranquility into your day is to devote part of each walk to active listening. Instead of compounding outside noise with the sounds from headsets or conversations, try spending a few minutes paying full attention to what you hear around you. Sure, some of it may be jarring and noisy, but some may also surprise you. Focus on the sound of your footsteps. Tune in to the jingle of a dog’s leash behind you. Listen to the rhythm of your breath or the swish of your pant leg you move. By focusing on sounds intentionally, you can quiet the noise of your own inner voice. That’s a big step toward peace and quiet.