New Year’s resolutions are easily made and more easily broken. Far better when tempted to make such resolutions is to ask yourself: is the general trajectory of my life heading where I want it to, and if it’s not, to first ask why it’s not, and then to ask yourself how to go in the direction you want to be in.

There are usually no more than three or four things that we really take seriously in life. Those three or four are where we should focus our efforts and intentions.

Physical activity is not by itself something most of us think about. It’s an often secondary issue but it’s one of those things that if we don’t pay attention to can undermine the things we really want to do. For example, if you’re not physically active, interests such as travel can become far more difficult, if not impossible.

A lack of activity often feeds on itself as well: in other words, the less you move leads to your moving less which in turn leads to less activity.

We’re entering the sweet spot of physical activity in the northern hemisphere now with days lengthening and temperatures rising but still not hot. And if your physical activity has not been optimal recently, this might be a good time to recover that.

Our bodies are made for movement and while I like trail hiking and mountain climbing, the core of my activity is simple walking. Why? Because it’s easy, can be done at virtually any age, requires no special equipment, is enormously flexible, and in a pinch can be done almost anywhere: you could even walk around in a circle at your house if the weather’s dreadful and there’s nowhere else you can go.