~”So tell me, what relieves your stress and energized you?”

I woke up this morning rushing, which always puts me in a bad mood. I was running to get my son to school and to get myself to work. My workday may have been a short five hours, but it was action packed. Then it was off to pick my son up from school and by the time I got home, I had the energy of a slug. But this couldn’t be, I still had far too much work to do. Then I had the bright idea to go for a walk.

No, walking isn’t something that’s foreign to me, neither is exercise, but I usually get my workouts in the form of a fitness class or on my elliptical. It had been a long time since I actually put shoe to pavement and walked it out. I was seriously reminded of the disservice I’ve been doing to myself. I am not exaggerating when I say that the sun was upon my face and the most beautiful breeze was against my back. Music was echoing in my ears (thanks to Pandora), my son was tagging along on his bike, and I was feeling exhilarated. The more I walked, the more energy I got. Why the hell did I stop taking daily walks outside? Don’t get me wrong, I love my elliptical, but the fresh air and scenery provides a totally different feeling. After just thirty minutes, I felt as if the stressors of the day had melted away. I had more energy and I now feel like I can get a lot more accomplished tonight (somebody’s gotta cook dinner and write this book).

So tell me, what relieves your stress and energized you? If you haven’t found that particular thing that does it for you then I invite you to join me for a daily walk. Yes, I’ve made a promise to myself to incorporate this calming, healthy activity back into my life on a routine basis. Need a walking buddy for a little accountability, just comment below and we will create a duo or group so that we can all walk it out!

~Stacey Covington-Lee

Follow me on IG @scovingtonlee