activity to your life, particularly if you’re just starting a regimen, don’t have access to a gym, or have joint or other health issues that require a less rigorous routine. According to Health.gov, walk 10 minutes a day a few days a week for the first couple of weeks. Over time, increase the time and frequency, and then walk a little farther. Try 15 minutes instead of ten. Walk four days a week instead of three. Pick up the pace. Once that feels easy, try walking even faster. Keep up this routine for a couple of months, and you’ll be surprised how much your energy and endurance increase. On Blackstone, people run, jog, push strollers, but I prefer to walk at a good pace, taking in the unspoiled beauty of the path. I like to begin where Hope meets Blackstone, near Lippitt Memorial Park. The lane always appears dappled in light, surrounded by leafy trees and flanked by stone walls. There are views on either side of stately houses, there’s Swan Point Cemetery and the Butler Hospital campus, and the route is a visual scavenger hunt for tree and shrubs. The path is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and on your trek, you’ll pass markers, like the statue of a young girl or the fieldstone shelter that used to serve as a trolley stop. Along the route there are benches for sitting or stretching. There is also a cobbled lost-and-found box, which reveals that this spot is not only in constant use but cared for. The nice thing about the path at Blackstone Boulevard is that it’s always open. There are no fees, scheduled times, or sharing of sweaty equipment. You don’t even need to wear sneakers – although comfortable, supportive footwear is optimal for the path that, while maintained, can be uneven and scattered with acorns, twigs, and leaves. To traverse the entire loop is 4.64 miles, so it’s a nice workout even if you’re taking it slow. And this time of year, when the temperature is dipping but not enough that a thick coat and scarf won’t keep you warm, it’s the perfect chance to steal some time outside before everything is covered in snow and ice.
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All I can say, Stanley, is you better hit that treadmill right MEOW!
Walter, did you know that most cats only need to eat 300 calories a day? What about all those treats!
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400 Hope Street, Providence • 401-831-MEOW (6369) • city-kitty.com ProvidenceOnline.com • December 2018
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