17 ways to fight the inertia, step by step

Meeting with a colleague? Take a walk rather than sit around a table. The longer the meeting, the closer you’ll be to the 10,000 steps a day some health experts recommend. (Nikada / Getty Images)

May 24, 2013 11:41 AM PT

It’s too late to hike the Pacific Crest Trail this year and earn all 2,600 miles and get that cool medal (www.pcta.org). But you are just in time to get up and move in many ways. Here are 17 of them.

17 ways to fight the inertia, step by step

Take one — or many — of the walks in Charles Fleming’s L.A. Walks columns: Read here. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Have you heard? Downtown L.A. is groovy. Take the train and walk around. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Run. However far you can. A block? A mile? And run a little farther the next day. Do that all summer, no matter how slowly, and you’ll be signing up for a 10K soon. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Watch a play in the park. Go early and take a hike in Griffith Park before settling in with a picnic to watch free Shakespeare performances. www.independentshakespeare.com (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Stand, fidget, pace, dance, whatever, while you watch TV. But no sitting. Oh, and no walking to the refrigerator. (George Doyle / Getty Images)

Take the stairs. If you can’t take them all, go a few flights and then get the elevator. A week later, try one more flight. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Walk around a farmers market and buy a vegetable — Rutabaga? Baby artichoke? — you’ve never cooked before. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Figure out whether you like to exercise in a group or alone. And then do it. (Alan Hagman / Los Angeles Times)

For just one day, send no email to your office colleagues. Get up and say what you’ve got to say in person. (Thomas Barwick / Getty Images)

Walk the dog. Or walk the neighbors’ dog. They’ll love you for it (the dog and the neighbors). (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Organize a group of co-workers for a weekly walk. Even if it’s to a restaurant for lunch. (Huchen Lu / Getty Images)

If you travel for work, try to stay at a hotel with a decent gym. Then use it. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)

Rent a recumbent bike, or some other equipment you’ve never tried before. (Christina House / For the Times)

Those 10,000 steps cited in the first idea? Try them. Corral a spouse, a dog, a pal and see where you get to by going 10,000 steps. I plan to do it; I’ll let you know what happens.

Times staff writer Mitchell Landsberg contributed to this report. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)