Italians have a lovely tradition called the passagiatta, which is a leisurely evening stroll. When my husband and I honeymooned in Italy, we enjoyed strolling the pedestrian-only town center in Perugia along with what seemed the entire town citizenry. It was a nice way to unwind after a long day, and for Italians a chance to see and be seen. This week my family started taking a passagiatta after dinner, but with an American twist. You see, the kids have just learned about pedometers. I'm pretty sure that Italians aren't wearing pedometers during their passagiatta.
One of the ways I bribed the kids to take a walk around the neighborhood the first night was promising to let them each wear a pedometer. This was particularly important for the 3.5 year old who's been used to riding in a stroller his whole life. We're trying to wean him off the stroller and build up his endurance for walking, and the pedometer did the trick. Unfortunately, on the first night the pedometers didn't register most of their steps. On the second night they were determined to get all of their steps recorded, so they developed a sort of running high-step gait, which would have easily qualified them for Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks. It was hilarious, but it actually worked with each kid logging in about 1800 steps. Now each night they attempt to beat their previous step score.
While this kind of goes against the 'leisurely' aspect of the passagiatta, we sure are having fun. We talk, run into neighbors and get some exercise and fresh air. (It also has helped them fall asleep faster - bonus!) We received one of our pedometers free through the Southwest SmartTrips program (and if you haven't checked out this program, do it!) and I'd received one as a gift awhile ago. I hope I can keep the kids interested in our passagiatta, because it does help us unwind and spend some quality time together.
The SmartTrips program is very cool! Too bad I don't live in SW! We used to take walks in the evening as well, and it was great. We fell out of habit though, so thanks for a reminder of all the benefits. Especially having the kids fall asleep faster!
Posted by: Brenna | 19 June 2008 at 05:02 PM
Just had my Smart Trips bag delivered by bike! I am so excited! I was actually home when she dropped off the bag and I am sure I scared the heck out of her to how excited I was to actually see the deliver-er!
anxious to dig into all the information, put my pedometer on and head out! Thanks for the heads up on this program.
Posted by: Lisa | 01 July 2008 at 12:04 PM