A New Year Equals Another Chance to Get Out and Walk

A New Year Equals Another Chance to Get Out and Walk

There’s nothing like a long walk to kick off a new semester at school and shake the holiday off. We jumped at the chance to join Fleet Feet for a four-mile fun run (which we walked) even though it meant an end to our leisurely days sleeping in.

Fleet Feet, our go-to store for running shoes in Sacramento, opened its third store recently, this one in Elk Grove. To celebrate, store employees hosted the fun run, exercise classes, a pancake breakfast, and a raffle – all for free. We met at the store by 7:30 a.m., early by winter break standards. We stretched in the glow of the store lights and headed out to the creek trails under overcast skies. Runners and those walkers who cut their route short ate pancakes under a dark, but dry sky. We walked the entire distance and returned under a drizzle, huddling under a Fleet Feet EZ-Up with our cakes and juice. It was worth it!

And, what does walking have to do with the Common Core standards? Everything.

Research shows aerobic exercise can improve cognitive function, particularly in learning and memory. Studies also indicate walking improves creativity. The Walking Classroom, a national program available for purchase, did its own study in 2018 with researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that showed walking improved learning and student mood. Of course, there’s also the learning that takes place when a person walks through nature, which is what we did on the Elk Grove trails along creeks and wetlands.       

Happy 2019!

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