Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, while working in an office is a challenge faced by many. There are often not enough hours in the day to eat, sleep, work, connect with family and friends, and still make time for a workout. That is why Kathy Nagel, and a health and wellness counselor at Hawthorne Healing Arts in Bend, began walking to work and sharing her commuter diary on Facebook.
About two months ago, Nagel realized that she was just not getting the daily exercise she needed, and wanted. “Then, I realized that if I just added 30 minutes onto my commute by walking rather than driving, I would be able to add exercise into my day,” she said. Adding the extra time came out of simply reorganizing her daily routine. Instead of using an extra hour after work to drive home, change into workout clothes and head to the gym, she added the time onto the front and back ends of her work day.
The new, active commute also benefits her dog, Bo. The four-year old Newfoundland Lab mix is a therapy dog who accompanies her to the office. Walking with Bo to and from work is another way that she maximizes her day; the commute provides exercise for Bo that she would otherwise need to make time to include.
Nagel began sharing her commute observations on her Facebook page as a way to share her life with friends, family and clients. “I like to keep my Facebook posts positive, and it seemed like a positive thing to share,” said Nagel. Many of her commute options posts share the pitfalls of an active commute, but she enjoys showing how she works through them too.
With more than 500 Facebook friends, Nagel believes that sharing her daily life in her posts is beneficial in keeping up with many people at once. For people who work in a small office environment, Nagel compares communications through social media to the break room or cafeteria that people in large companies use to connect with others. “This is how we create community,” said Nagel.
Many of Nagel’s friends and clients have commented on her new mode of commuting and have looked into their own commute possibilities. “Many friends never realized how easy it could be to walk to work, and have picked up on the positive benefits and have gone with it,” said Nagel. Her own commute of five miles round-trip was shorter than she expected when she began to wonder if it was doable without driving her car.
Nagel began walk commuting in the winter on a day when her car couldn’t make it up the icy street. At first, she was concerned about keeping her attire professional and comfortable at the same time. “Because I am a professional, I had let that stop me from an active commute,” she said. But she compromised by finding a style in between comfortable and professional. When some of her clients noticed, it gave her an opportunity to share a positive change in her life.
Nagel’s commuter posts are both informative, and humorous. A March 6 post reads:
Today’s commute options report:
1. 23 degrees and snowing lightly is the perfect weather for a walk to work.
2. 32 degrees and sunny is the perfect weather for a walk HOME from work.
3. Bo is a trooper. He likes this commute options business.
4. I need to remember a hanky.
4a. Don’t ever ask to borrow my gloves unless you see that they are freshly laundered. Just sayin’.
On the four out of five days that Nagel walk commutes, she is burning approximately 250 calories in each direction. But like many others who use active transportation for getting to and from work, Nagel touts the psychological benefits as well as the physical ones. “When I walk, I am much more intentional about my day, and I discovered how frivolous I am when I drive my car,” said Nagel.
“The benefit from the walk commute is amazing! Doing a fast walk to and from work has made a tremendous difference in how I feel during the workday, and also how I feel when I get home – energized rather than tired,” wrote Nagel in a Facebook post.
For more information on how to make active transportation part of a healthy lifestyle, visit www.commuteoptions.org (or ask Kathy Nagel when you see her walking home from work).
Commute Options promotes choices that reduce the impacts of driving alone. For more information about Commute Options, contact Jeff Monson, Executive Director of Commute Options at 541-330-2647.
Annissa Anderson is a freelance writer and PR consultant in Bend.
