Anna, Editorial Assistant

This past weekend, I went to visit my parents in New Jersey and ran in an annual town race. The town sponsors a 1-mile fun run and a 4-mile run, and I always used to do the 1-mile growing up. This year, since I am all grown up, I did the 4-mile, and it was a lot of fun! The race course looped through my neighborhood, past my high school, and I saw a lot of friends and neighbors participating. I actually finished the first mile in seven minutes, which is way faster than my normal pace—I think I may have wanted to show off a little bit.

Next week, I’m off to Seattle to work as a volunteer camp counselor for a week—and, as anyone knows, chasing after kids can totally be considered cross-training.

Jennifer, Editorial Assistant

I admit I haven't been that good about wearing my pedometer recently, but that hasn't stopped me from walking up a storm over the past few weeks. Now that summer has finally arrived I find myself walking home from work more often, taking leisurely strolls to a delicious cafe each Sunday to pick up coffee before walking to the river to read the paper, and many more examples I won't get into now. This past weekend was no exception. Saturday was quite possibly one of the most gorgeous days NY has seen in months—the sun was shining, the blue sky was speckled with fluffy clouds and I was walking! I actually chose this day to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time. A few friends joined me and we had a wonderful time enjoying the breeze, staring in awe at the view and pretending to be tourists. We were greeted by delicious pizza and ice cream on the other side of the river which made the long trek all the more worthwhile. What a wonderful summer day!

Michael, Associate Food Editor

Seventy something degrees, sunny and dry-there wasn’t a single reason I could think of (I sure tried!) not to get up early each morning this past weekend and take a long walk. In addition, on Sunday there was plenty going on in the city between street fairs and parades, so walking was the way to go. I managed to clock in just less than 12 miles over the two days. I felt great- relaxed, yet at the same time energized. The Mexican dinner with friends that ended the weekend was well deserved. I didn’t feel the least bit guilty indulging in a huge Margarita and cheesy goopy enchiladas!

Jennifer, Managing Editor

I've been walking regularly and I've noticed the faster I walk the better I feel—it's physically invigorating and also a great stress reducer. My husband and I walk together with our four-year-old and we really enjoy the quality time together. Even our little guy says he likes to walk with us, and he alternates between running ahead and begging for a shoulder ride when he gets too tired. I feel good that we're instilling healthy habits in him while we're all staying fit.

Gay, Senior Editor

Still walking here, and feeling guilty when I don't, especially when the weather is fine and the dog (English Springer Spaniel) is totally antsy from lack of exercise and intellectual stimulation. The thing about a nice long walk is not only the physical fitness but the mental thing. Some people sort things out in the shower; for me it's when I walk, especially down this one road near me where there are still some open roads and even a farm where there are sheep and another where there are horses. (Or at least there used to be; it's been a couple of months since I walked that far down the road; for all I know there's a bunch of MacMansions where there used to be fields.)

Anyway, mind tangles often sort themselves out. I'll bet it has something to do with the rhythm of the walking. Once in awhile (not often enough) my best friend Karen and I take a long walk down that road and sort things out. (She lives in my neighborhood; how lucky is that?)  I always return feeling like I've had a mini-vacation--rush-rush brain slowed nicely, blood pumping, muscles all tingly and alive-feeling.

You know what else is on that road? A shrine to a kid who was killed a couple years ago in a one-car accident. His car went out of control and he hit a tree. I pause and look at all those mementos, put there by his heartbroken friends and family, and let the gratitude wash over me that, for today, I'm healthy and so are my kids and husband. Don't mean to be a downer but death is part of life and for me, remembering that I'm not going to be on earth forever makes me appreciate the day more.

I'm starting to inspire myself! I think I will take the dog and go for a good long walk as soon as I can.

Cindy, Assistant Food Editor

I was lucky enough to run the AHA 5K recently with my Family Circle colleagues, and it has really inspired me to get out there and keep competing! Finishing that race was so satisfying – I really felt like I’d accomplished something. So when one of my oldest friends approached me about walking a half marathon in September with her, I was intrigued. She had her 2nd baby 2 1/2 months ago, and I’d love to be able to do this with her. Wearing the pedometer has been a constant reminder of how much walking I do on a daily basis, so a half marathon can’t be that much more difficult, right? Right?

Darcy, Articles Editor

We’ve been having so many rush-rush weekends of late—the kind where you find yourself on Sunday night looking around and wondering where the weekend went. But a few Sundays ago we finally had a breather, partly due to the end of Little League, partly to just feeling the merry-go-round feeling had to end. So we did one of my favorite things: turned NYC into our little hometown. We walked from the east 70s to the carousel in Central Park, then pitstopped at the penguins, polar bears and seals at the Central Park Zoo (perfectly sized for a short visit). We headed back home through the street fair that had set itself up on a nearby avenue. The kids got balloons, we shared some lemonades and picked up some pulled pork sandwiches for a quick outdoor lunch before heading home.

Stephanie, Associate Editor

I admit it: I’m a slacker. My fitness progress has come to a grinding halt over the last two weeks because of work, events related to work and—okay, I admit it—a lot of fun entirely UNrelated to work! There just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to do everything I want to do. If I plan to work out at lunch, all of a sudden a lunch meeting will pop up out of nowhere. If I want to head to the gym after work, dinner plans magically appear. Luckily, this weekend is looking relatively unscheduled, so I’m going to grab my sneaks and get moving! No excuses!

Jonna, Senior Editor

My husband worked a night-shift job for a long time, so I was totally on my own with my son in the evenings—and when you walk with a toddler, it’s impossible to build up any momentum before you stop to peer intently at a rock, or a snail, or a fire hydrant, or someone’s carelessly discarded trash. Now that my other half is working days, I’m grabbing the opportunity to take a “real” walk a couple of evenings a week—by myself, iPod on, arms swinging, with the goal of getting my heart pounding. It’s great to sweat! I’d love to do more than twice a week, but for now, I’m happy taking what I can get. Gotta start somewhere.

Dori, Editorial Assistant

I am one of the lucky New Yorkers who lives in walking distance to my office. Unless it is freezing cold, raining or too hot, I enjoy my 20 minute walks to and from work everyday. It wakes me up in the morning and relaxes me at the end of the day. It’s about a mile each way, and as long as I have comfortable shoes, I am good to go!

Betty, Executive Editor

What's with the 85-degree weather here in NYC? I love the warmth. But it doesn't make me want to cook after a long day at work. So last night I met my kids and babysitter at the park on the way home from the office. We hung out at the playground for a little while before meeting up with Daddy at home and then strolling to a nearby Cuban restaurant for dinner. It felt like summer and I love being outside when the weather's nice. The walk was probably about 2 miles in all and a great way to burn off the rice and beans!

Cindy, Assistant Food Editor

I live in a town that's 1 mile square. Didn't occur to me what that actually meant until I was supposed to meet friends all the way on the other side last Sunday to watch a game. Luckily, the weather was nice and everyone seemed to be outside enjoying it, so it was a fun, interesting walk, to say the least. However, it was all the more interesting to be wearing my pedometer and seeing what walking a mile from start to finish actually felt like - and I had the pedometer to prove it!

Michael, Associate Food Editor

My pedometer is never home alone since I never leave the house without it. Even chores around the apartment or in the country add to the total so I often wear it during all waking hours. Since the weather turned a few weeks ago, the goal to increase my daily total from 3 plus miles to at least 5 has been met or exceeded. These new walking habits are here to stay; I feel better and am saving money on cabs and bus fares. This evening I am planning to walk to Lincoln Center after work and am hoping it doesn't rain. We need the rain but my walking comes first!