Ten Ways to Lose Weight while Running Errands

Don't have time? Make time.

Hey Toronto! Want to lose weight and get in some extra cardio?

Step #1. Starting from your home, jog to the following locations which are near your home and using a watch or the time on your cellphone to calculate the time it takes to jog to each location. Make sure you have an adequate rest break and a small drink between each jog.

• Library
• Post Office
• Grocery Store
• Convenience Store
• LCBO / Beer Store
• Drug Store / Pharmacist
• Dollar Store eg. Dollarama

You might also add other things to your list, depending on where you live and how close you are to the following:

• YMCA / Gym
• Tennis Courts
• Hockey Arena
• Dentist Office
• Doctors Office
• Swimming Pool
• Subway Entrance
• Baseball Diamond
• Dog Walking Park
• Stores like: Canadian Tire, Staples, Home Depot, etc.

Step #2. Next type out the list of the approx. jogging times of each location, print it out and keep the list close to wherever you keep your shoes. So for example, I keep my shoes and boots in the foyer, so the list would be going there. For fun you might even decide to frame the list using an old picture frame you have (or buy a cheap one at the local dollar store).

This way every time you put on your shoes to go do an errand you will see the reminder that the library is only a 3 minute jog away. Or that the subway entrance is only 9 minutes. Or that the grocery store is 5 minutes.

Step #3. Every time you run an errand, look at the list and then make the decision to jog there instead. Or walk if you are carrying something heavy. It isn't that far, you've jogged it before when you made the list.

Step #4. Over time as you jog more regularly you will become faster and your endurance will skyrocket. You will be able to go jogging and barely break a sweat. You will be faster at it. When you start noticing that you have become faster, make a note of it by writing the date in the corner of the list. Within one week of that date, do Step #5.

Step #5. Jog to all the locations from your initial list and record the times again. Check to see if you have gotten faster at jogging to any of those locations. Make note of all the new times in minutes, rounding down.

Step #6. Add several new locations you can jog to on to your list. Locations that are further away that perhaps you don't often go to, but places you feel that are close enough now that you are faster and have more endurance that perhaps you could and should start jogging to those locations too.

Step #7. Repeat Steps #2, #3 and #4. Repeat Steps #5 and #6 maybe once per month to see how you have progressed.

Step #8. Once you feel confident about your jogging skills, make a new list that is specifically for wherever you work. Determine how close certain stores for coffee, tea, office supplies, drug stores, food, etc are to your workplace in terms of jogging distance. Or perhaps calculate the walking distance or "brisk walking" distance if you want to avoid jogging in your work clothing.

Step #9. Repeat Steps #2, #3 and #4, but this time for your workplace. Put the list on your desk in some place prominent so other co-workers will see the list and realize that they too are only a "3 minute brisk walk from the gourmet tea shop". This way you are doing the extra walking, but you are also promoting your co-workers to try out these steps too.

Try making a list of travel times for your bicycle.

Step #10. Some day you will feel very confident about your skills and say "Hey, its time to run some errands!" Except instead of jogging you will literally run and sprint those errands, and you will feel great doing it.

Bonus Tip - Make a separate list for bicycle times and distances. This way you will be motivated to get out your bicycle more often.

"If you do something gradually and get better at it gradually, before you know it you will be doing something amazing."

"Everything worth doing is worth trying."