Americans love their cars and drive just about everywhere. In Falcon, where the distances are long and the weather is often uncooperative, it’s especially hard to break the “drive” habit.However, some Falconites are doing just that. They’ve been spotted doing a rather unusual thing – walking along Woodmen Road’s frontage road.Connie Manning is one of them. She walks with five or six other Mountain View Electric Association employees during breaks and at lunchtime.”We usually go from the [MVEA] building to the dead end and back in 15 minutes, with a detour through a subdivision to add some extra steps,” Manning said.MVEA also put in a track behind the new building for its employees to use.”Walking is a good break from work, especially for those of us who work at a computer. We talk with each other, so it’s a social thing, and it relieves stress, too,” Manning said.Walking is part of MVEA’s six-month-long fitness challenge for its employees.Participants in the challenge receive points for adopting healthy habits, like exercising and consuming five fruits and vegetables, 20 grams of fiber and 48 ounces of water every day, Manning said.They also get points for going to the doctor and getting a physical.A couple of years ago, MVEA handed out pedometers to employees who wanted to measure how many steps they took in a day. “We averaged the number of steps we normally did, and then tried to increase them,” Manning said.Come winter time, she said they’ll keep on walking. “When it’s too cold or windy outside, we walk through the halls of the office building.”For people who haven’t been exercising regularly, the Mayo Clinic recommends walking as an easy way to get started.According to www.mayoclinic.com, begin by walking five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. Add a few minutes to each walking session and pick up the pace as well. Walking briskly for at least 30 minutes a day provides regular aerobic activity, along with benefits like weight loss, a stronger cardiovascular and immune system and improved mood.
