know that you are walking.  Simple wisdom.  Pay attention to what you are doing, not just when you are walking, but in every activity you undertake.  The simple act of paying attention, focusing on what you are doing makes it more worthwhile.

This is certainly true with exercise: when you focus on the muscle or set of muscles that is working, you are more likely to do the movement correctly, and get maximum benefit from the move.  And, the muscle is more energized because your mind is paying attention to that part of the body – the mind-body connection we hear about so often these days.

It really works – try doing a hip bridge without thinking about it.  For many of us, that is a great way to provoke a nasty hamstring cramp.  Now, focus on your glute muscles before you begin.  Feel the difference?  The glutes are really turned on, they are doing the work, and your hamstrings are happy, just “going along for the ride”.