Often the simplest way for people to start an exercise regiment is by simply walking. It requires no special equipment and it can be done in almost any location.
But how much do you walk? Do you track the distance that you walk? This was the question at hand over at Idea Offer. The winning idea came from hazeratti:

This summer I started walking my neighbors’ dogs for fun and exercise. Some of these neighbors call on me when they plan to be away from their home and ask me to walk their dogs. I take care of my mail (post office 1/2 mile away), phone bills (1/2 mile also), ATM banking (1/2 mile) and small shopping along the course of my walks also.

Besides the natural beauty where I live (Puget Sound Area), I get to chat with people who I “run into” while taking these walks.

I don’t document the distance I walk, but I often will go on two or three walks a day. I do, however, take note of the time I leave my house and the time I return – making a point to increase the amount of time I am gone (walking) as often as possible.

After walking became more routine for me, things I did on the way became more fun. For example, people I would see – would now look forward to a visit, the dogs get used to walks to the creek, blackberries would beckon to be picked, etc. Pretty soon walking a mile or two became part of any and every day without it ever seeming like exercise.

As you can see from hazeratti, calculating distance often just means plotting a route and making walking part of your schedule.