On our first bike ride together, after we moved to Myrtle Beach, I had to set the ground rules with

Ava before we began. I said, if you want to air it out, just go. I know how to get back to the house

on my own. Ava rides her bike fast. I get tired if I try to keep up with her pace. In fact, we stopped

riding together years ago because it was just so frustrating for me. But now that we're in a very

bike-friendly area, we've rediscovered the joy of riding together. It's just so easy to open our

garage door, hop on the bikes, and head to the beach. Eva rides for exercise. I ride for fun. That's

why she goes faster. She's also stronger, but makes me feel better to say

our riding motivations are different, but actually both are true. When we walk together, the roles are

reversed. I walk for exercise. She walks for fun. I walk fast. She tells me to slow down.

Experts keep telling us to move more and sit less.

The benefits are pretty substantial, but not all movement has equal benefit.

The way Ava rides her bike is better exercise than the way I ride mine.

The way I walk is better exercise than the way Ava walks.

There's lots of research on walking as exercise, and while there are lots of benefits from taking a walk at any speed,

we're often encouraged to walk at a brisk pace.

So what is considered a brisk pace for walking?

Well, according to experts, you're walking briskly if you cover a mile

in 20 minutes. For most of us, that's about 2,000 steps. If you walk at this pace for an hour,

you've gone three miles. Most of us navigate life walking very casually. I call this a grocery store pace. If you're not used to

moving faster than this, reaching a brisk pace will take a little time. Check with your doctor

before starting or upping your exercise intensity. It's always safer to increase slowly. It's also

helpful to know what your pace is now, and there are several

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