Good morning!

Nice socks.

Let’s get into it.

This year, promise your giftee that you will make a written commitment to them to begin, restart, or increase your physical activity towards the goal of 150 minutes each week. Seriously. Type it out or handwrite it, sign it, and then put some stickers on it – like the ones we used to get when we got a 91% on our spelling test. You are giving them something you could never afford to buy them, and pssst…it’s free to you. What a beautiful juxtaposition. Priceless to them and FREE to You! 

What if you are already at 150 mins/week? Well, first, that’s great. If that’s the case, I would buy them something really nice (your 150 is still equally valuable; they just might take it for granted) and I’d still give them the contract. Just reword it. Lick pen… I will continue to average at least 25 minutes per day of physical activity throughout 2026. 

Why this gift? A million reasons, but here’s a couple:

• Because then you will probably not have to visit me in the hospital on a beautiful Saturday when the kids have a soccer game. 

• You will be much less likely to have to put me in a home for patients with Alzheimer’s. 

• (to your loved one) I know you love me and will always talk to me, but this way you will have times where you will not have to stop what you are doing when I call you because I’m sad, anxious, depressed, or my knees hurt.

*If you’ve thought this through a little, you see how you can give this same gift to as many family members as you want. Still free. 

Okay, now you know what to get them. Here’s how to do it:

Ease into Walking

1. Check with your doctor to see if it’s all right for you to start walking (don’t wait for your appointment in Jan/Feb – call them this morning). 99% chance you’re good to go.
2. Doc says, “You’re good!” But…you’re new to walking and maybe scared by the climate?. Just layer up for the weather and head outside, or if the weather is prohibitive that day, maybe a little of this!
3. Start slow  – we’ve got all the time in the world to improve. Maybe you decide you will go for 2-3 minutes and NO more. You can build on that tomorrow. You’ll have 150 minutes for the week before you know it.
4. Get a pedometer  – you do not need to drop $50-100 on a fancy device. They have great, reliable ones for a low cost, or you can use your phone (free). This way you can say, “Wow, I had 2300 steps today. Yesterday, I didn’t even break 2000. I will keep climbing this mountain! Dr. Dave would be so proud of me” (david@walkwithadoc.org). This internal competition is fantastic for your health.
5. If your knees hurt, walk in a pool or find a bike. There are pools…and bikes. It is very hard to find a bike in a pool. Walking in a pool is great, but…it might make you want to walk outside or find a friend to walk with in the pool.
6. Set a reward for either completing the first few days or the first week or the first few minutes – we don’t care. Guilt-free online shopping? Food? (yeah, we don’t care – physical activity is that important) Grab one of the best books of 2025? Oh, you deserve it.

Are we cool?

Great. Go make it an amazing day. You’re a holiday superstar.

*If there’s a special someone in your life that you would like to see take a few more steps, please consider sending this newsletter their way