Many of us might have heard our parents (or grandparents) talk about how many miles they walked to school. Some of us may have even rolled our eyes.
Now, we find ourselves checking our smartwatches to ensure that we get those 10K steps in! We find it difficult to quit rides and take walks–we’re just not used to it. Lifts have replaced stairs (even for one floor), and bikes and cars have replaced bicycles and our feet. 
We all know what this means: a decline in overall physical activity, and lifestyle diseases aplenty. We also know that using a car or a bike means increased pollution.
Yet, we find it very difficult to make that change–to limit the use of our polluting vehicles.
Today’s challenge should help you take that first step, literally!
Day 5 Challenge: Walk or cycle to a place you would have taken the car or bike.
This may be easy for a day, but how do you make this a habit?
For starters, read our blog by Nina Subramani on this very topic.
Other things that might help build the habit:
Ditch the elevator.
Once a week at least, make it a mandate to climb the stairs at work and at home. Your palpitating breaths may make you realize how often you need to do that.
Make it fun.
Arrange an outing with your family. Instead of taking a car, lay a challenge like spotting insects. The one who spots the most number of insects wins. This also engages you with nature and your family.
Walk the talk.
Meeting your buddy after a long time? Gear up for a walk and talk, or walk to the cafe where you are going to catch up.
Make the time.
Often, the factor that makes us take the bike or the car is just time. Slow down, make time for that walk or bike ride. Depending on where you live, you might even save time!
Try the Seinfeld Strategy.
You might have heard of this one by famous stand up comic Jerry Seinfeld. Giving advice to a young comic, Seinfeld told him that the only way to get better was to write more jokes. He advised the young man to get a calendar, set a goal (write a new joke a day, or in our case, replace one ‘fossil fuel’ trip with a sustainable one), and cross off each day with a huge X.
After a while, he said, it will only matter that you don’t break the chain.
So, come on, get that calendar out, and start marking out the days you went walking or cycling. Very soon, you’ll have a chain you don’t want to break.
To start off, dust that old cycle and get it ready for your new lifestyle!
What do you think? Can you take up this challenge?