Life gets busy between work and family obligations. Getting to the gym or just finding time to break a sweat can be overwhelming. We know that working in and around our community is important for our overall well-being, but somehow it ends up sliding to the bottom of the priority list.

I’ve long had the belief that there are ways to combine these two activities if you’re willing to be the organizer, the catalyst, if you will.

Today, I decided to run my sprints in my neighborhood. I identified a long, relatively flat street and began my warm-up. During my side shuffles, I saw a television tossed out on the side of the road, less than 100 feet from a large trash can. I’m not a violent man, but I could tear that SOB’s head off. After tossing it in the dumpster, I mentally thanked the lazy MF’er for inspiring my next actions and this post.

I immediately went home and wrote this letter:

Friends,

Yesterday I saw an old television thrown on the side of Morning View Drive near a field of stunning wildflowers, not 100 feet from a trashcan. It pissed me off in a powerful way, but prompted me to think through how to take action. While I unfortunately can’t approach that lazy soul, I figure I can multitask around health and community cleanup and make an impact.

We all need to exercise, we all desire the elements on our skin, and we can all make an impact in our neighborhoods by cleaning them up.

Join me Saturday morning from 9:30-10:30am for a neighborhood walk and trash cleanup session. Bring a trash bag and a pair of gloves and meet me in the Malibu High School parking lot. We will burn some calories and shine our ‘hood to a sparkle simultaneously.

No pressure at all. If it’s just me, I’ll catch you next time.

Hope to see y’all there.

Kap

PS: Please invite anyone you’d like. I just threw some Malibu names together and likely forgot way more folks than I remembered. Spread the word if you desire. The more the merrier.

This is really a no brainer for me. I already walk on Saturdays, and I generally pick up trash along the way. I’m simply taking this to the next level by focusing on cleaning up my community and joining with others to do so. I’ll make sure that I’m moving swiftly so that I get my workout in, and my neighborhood will sparkle that much more for my efforts.

Here are your steps to organizing a community cleanup fitness walk once a week:

1. Pick a time that you like to take a walk. If you’re the organizer, you can’t flake, so make sure it’s convenient for you. No need to factor in the schedules of others. If you’re happy, it will resonate with others and they’ll join eventually.
2. Pick a meeting spot totally convenient to you, ideally within a short walk of your home. Same reasons as above.
3. Send a short, casual invitation email to everyone you know about what you’re doing, letting them know that they’re welcome to join. No pressure tactics. This, like your workouts, is part of a lifestyle change. You don’t need a huge turnout to get the ball rolling. One or two people can and will make an impact.
4. Make the first walk an hour. You want folks to be able to budget this into their day.
5. Don’t stress, just show up with a trash bag and get started.

Can you imagine the ripple effect if we inspire thousands of people to take action like this? Does a cleaner, healthier world sound good to you? Me too, so I stopped waiting and took charge. Now, share this and comment on this post. Teach me your ways to combine fitness and community service.

Be the change,

Kap